Travel with RLT allows us to contribute to and be a part of a larger group and world as we live with others, independent of home and family. It develops open-mindedness, understanding, and respect for a common humanity through interactions with people from cultures and faiths different from our own. Find out more below to learn what makes RLT unique.
The mission of The Road Less Traveled is to facilitate life-changing experiences that foster personal growth in those who travel with us.
Through travel to new places, meaningful service, and stewardship of the natural world, it is our vision to provide young people with the skills and connections to help make the world a better place.
Travel with RLT allows us to contribute to and be a part of a larger group. As we travel, we find and develop community bonds with each other and, more broadly, with the people and cultures with whom we interact. These communities help us define ourselves and the things we value. On our programs, we help our travelers build the skills necessary to grow into positive, contributing members of their home communities.
The RLT experience is a collective experience. We plan, cook, and eat meals together; we work together on service projects; we support each other through challenging adventure activities and reflect on the lessons that our shared experiences have to teach.
RLT trips are “unplugged” experiences. Being tech-free empowers our travelers to focus on face-to-face connections and gives them opportunities to engage in activities that foster friendship, support, group goal setting, laughter, and teamwork.
Safety is paramount to what we do, and we set the standard in the industry.
The physical and emotional safety of our leaders and participants is a precursor to everything we do. If something is not safe, we don’t do it. Here are some ways we support the physical and emotional safety of our staff and participants:
All leaders are required to:
Attend a 10-day in-house staff training
Obtain a minimum of 80 hours of wilderness medicine training in the form of Wilderness First Responder certification, complete with CPR and AED training
Complete American Red Cross Lifeguard or equivalent training
Receive training on Mental Health First Aid
Pass a comprehensive background check, including driving record verification
Our Medical Protocols and Standing Orders are reviewed annually by our Licensed Medical Advisor
24/7 access to an emergency medical physician
Comprehensive location knowledge and awareness through scouting trips, Emergency Action Plans, evacuation routes, and relationships with local communities
We are an accredited program through the American Camp Association, following rigorous operating and safety protocols and procedures
We believe the most powerful personal growth occurs as we approach and exceed the boundaries of our comfort zones. Our programs intentionally provide opportunities for those who travel with us to face challenges in a supportive and positive environment so that they can gain more self-confidence, become resilient to adversity, and learn how to navigate difficulties they may face in the future.
Challenges come in many forms. What challenges one person may come easily to another. For many, leaving their home community for the first time and traveling alone may be a challenge in itself; some may be challenged by confronting a fear of heights, water, or animals; others may have their world views challenged by traveling and living with communities whose lived experience is far different from their own.
We ask each of our travelers to opt-in to these challenging experiences, knowing that learning to face challenges in a safe place with support will help them develop the skills necessary to face whatever challenges they may encounter in the future.
Positive actions make the world a better place. Great leaders inspire action.
Our travelers are the next generation of world leaders. It is our hope that our travelers will go on to lead and inspire others to make the world a better place. We aim to empower youth to become leaders within their communities and support efforts through service, social justice, and stewardship.
We believe that anyone can be a leader in their own way. A leader isn’t always the loudest or the strongest in the group, but they do the right thing when no one is looking. A good leader understands their own strengths and weaknesses and recognizes when it is best to lead and when it is best to follow to accomplish the goal at hand.
Our programs are designed to develop leadership qualities in our travelers. By living and working together as a group, our travelers will have experiences building relationships, communicating, and working with others towards common goals. Our travelers will work together to plan and prepare meals, assist with navigation, and take ownership of daily tasks. Each traveler will have the opportunity to step into a defined leadership role as Leader of the Day. Travelers will reflect on their experiences through group discussions and intentionally planned reflection activities. Our trained staff will help model leadership while also allowing the travelers to be their own leaders.
It’s good to do good. Doing good develops a passion for doing good.
We believe, first and foremost, that service is worth doing because it is the right thing to do. We engage in service work that is community-driven. Our projects are defined and directed by the communities that we directly serve. We are committed to preserving the environment, the character of the lands, and the cultures we visit. We only go where help is wanted and where both people and place can benefit from our presence. With thought and conscience, we educate about stewardship of the planet.
For over 30 years, The Road Less Traveled has included service as a part of our programming because we believe that participation in intentional, meaningful service is a powerful experience that helps foster positive youth development. Meaningful service provides an opportunity to acquire new skills, build relationships with others, learn selflessness, and develop an awareness of the world beyond ourselves. By facilitating meaningful service opportunities on our programs, we hope that those who travel with us will develop a passion for service that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
As an organization, we walk beside communities all across the world and engage in meaningful, life-changing experiences. We believe it is important for people to be exposed to various types of groups, perspectives, and experiences that are different from their own. We welcome travelers from all backgrounds and work to create a community where they are celebrated for who they are.
Creating an equitable world free of barriers rooted in race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or class has been a value of The Road Less Traveled since the beginning. Community service and adventure are used as vectors to provide our younger generations the opportunity to develop into young leaders, to challenge their world views, and to be a part of the larger conversations on social justice and societal change.
We understand that implicit biases are present in all of us and that mistakes will be made. At The Road Less Traveled, we are dedicated to creating a culture where we can hold each other accountable and help each other grow.
We know we still have much to learn and work on within our organization and industry as a whole. We understand that making lasting, impactful change is a marathon, not a sprint, and we plan to meet this challenge head-on.
We are striving to create a more equitable and sustainable world. Increasing awareness of climate change, teaching sustainability and stewardship skills, and supporting environmental justice movements are central to our programming.
We travel to some of the world’s most beautiful and remote places and recognize that our reliance on and use of these places has an impact. Because of this, we have a responsibility to minimize our impact and help preserve these places for future generations. Learning how to reduce their impact on the environment is an important part of the personal growth of our travelers. We instill in our travelers deep respect for the world around them and teach them how to care for and nurture the environment, both on the road and at home.
Reflection is digging deeper into an experience. Long after our travelers return home, we want them to keep digging.
We strive for all RLT travelers to be active participants in their learning and growth. Reflection, application, and transference of skills on an RLT trip allow travelers to step back, develop critical thinking skills, and improve future experiences. It is our hope that a traveler’s experience on an RLT trip ignites an interest in something they enjoy and are passionate about whether it be service, adventure, or travel.
We believe that we learn from experience and that learning is more impactful when paired with intentional reflection. Our programs create space for our travelers to reflect on their experiences throughout their journey. We encourage our travelers to continue learning and apply the lessons they learned when they return home.
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