Rustic Pathways Australia (USA)
Reviews and Complaints

Rustic Pathways didn't give me my money back for a trip I cancelled even though I bought cancellation insurance. They owe me $2,000 but only offered me a credit for a future trip, which doesn't work for me since my kids aren't taking any other trips. They lied about the "cancel for any reason" policy and said that because I disputed half of the fees with ***, I can't get anything else back. They didn't mention anything about refunds in their contracts and when I asked them to show me where it says that, they ignored me and didn't answer my calls or emails. They basically stole my money. I have emails that prove what they owe me and that they know it.

I had a trip cancelled cuz of COVID-19. The cancellation policy said Rustic would give back any payments made. But when COVID hit and they cancelled, the policy was gone. They only gave us a travel voucher, but my kid's in college now and can't use it. I asked for an extension, but they're not answering. I wanted to give it to a high school friend, but Rustic changed the rules and won't let me. Rustic Pathways is a money-making company that cheats people and changes rules for more money. I want to transfer my voucher or get my money back.

Rustic Pathway has been a real pain in the neck for us. I tried to get in touch with the big boss listed on their website, but he said he doesn't work there anymore and we can't talk to anyone else in charge. We're pretty bummed out about Rustic Pathways because they've let us down in a lot of ways and we don't trust them anymore. They're really bad at keeping in touch with their clients and acting professional. We had no idea what was going on when they cancelled our trip and didn't know if we could get our money back. They didn't even acknowledge that it was risky to travel to Peru during the Covid mess or that things were really bad there. They gave us a voucher for future travel, but that's no good to us. We heard that Rustic Pathways got a full refund from the airline for our plane tickets, but they won't give us our money back. It's pretty sketchy that we can't talk to anyone important at the company.

Rustic Pathways changed the cancel policy on their site after Covid 19. Before March, if they canceled a trip, we'd get a 100% refund (I have a screenshot). After Covid, they took that page down and replaced it with vague language. They canceled my daughter's trip to Costa Rica for June 23rd and won't honor their policy of 100% refund if THEY cancel. They offer a travel voucher, but it's no good for us. My daughter can't take the trip later, and it was for school. They kept changing their offers for refunds and were sketchy overall.

I signed my daughter up for a Rustic Pathways trip in summer 2020. They cancelled the trip because of Covid, which I get, but they didn't give me what I paid for. They're basically taking my money and won't give it back. They said they'd give me a voucher, but that doesn't help because it was a gift for my daughter's graduation and she won't be able to go next year because she's working. I know Covid is tough for everyone, but I don't want to donate my money to them. If I did want to donate, I should be able to choose where my money goes. Thanks for your help.

I bought a trip for my kid in Oct 2019 for a summer 2020 trip to Fiji from Rustic Pathways. But, due to Covid-19, the trip was cancelled. I asked for my money back, but they refused to give it back. They made us take a voucher for a 2021 trip, which we had to do. But, that trip (Island hopping and diving) is also cancelled now. So, we agreed to one more trip, the Southeastern Asian adventure in July . But, the dates for this trip are cancelled too. We bought the "Cancel for any reason" insurance, which promised a 100% refund if the trip is cancelled. But, my daughter has now had 3 trips cancelled, and Rustic Pathways is not giving us a refund. They are impossible to reach and deal with, and it's very unethical. We paid over $350 for cancel for any reason insurance, and we have all the emails stating these purchases. Rustic Pathways, please give us our 100% refund and stop these unethical business practices. It will be better for you in the long run!

I contacted Rustic Pathways on March 18th to cancel my Costa Rica trip. I bought an Optional Cancellation Waiver for $195, but they said I couldn't cancel and only reschedule. Rustic Pathways said the waiver lets me cancel up to 24 hours before departure, but they didn't let me. I tried to fix this with Rustic Pathways, but it didn't work, so I disputed the charges. Rustic Pathways said they'd refund me if I canceled the dispute, but the representative at *** told me not to. On April 10th, the charges went back on my credit card. Rustic Pathways said I bought a $3000 gift certificate, but I thought I bought a $2500 credit and got a $500 gift card. I've tried to fix this with Rustic Pathways and *** for months. I want $1978.00 refunded to my credit card.

Scheduled a trip with Rustic Pathways for our daughter to travel to Thailand for spring break service trip. (March 13-22, 2020) With the now Global Pandemic for COVID-19, Rustic Pathways refused to cancel the trip, and refund the dollars paid for the trip. Continuing to stand by their policy, left no options for parents to cancel their reservations. Rustic has been poor to communicate and I feel has not fulfilled their marketed statement of "Ensuring the safety of your teen as they travel with Rustic Pathways is a top priority." How can they say this if they would travel with teens under a CDC "Global Pandemic"?