Road Scholar is the New and Improved Elderhostel Program for Senior Travel

The joys of retirement usually include the opportunity to travel and participate in activities which may have been less practical during the working years. "Road Scholar" is the new program name for Elderhostel, Inc., which has long been associated with senior travel with an emphasis on lifelong learning. The organization has been providing creative travel and life long learning experiences for seniors since 1975, but as they plan for the future, they no longer considers the words "elder" and "hostel" suitable for describing the programs they offer.

Who started the Elderhostel organization?
Marty Knowlton was a world traveler, social activist, and former educator who had spent four years on a walking tour of Europe. He stayed in youth hostels, and was impressed with them. David Bianco was a university administrator impressed with Scandinavian Folk schools, where retired seniors were teaching folk traditions in the community. When these two men got together sharing their experiences, they came up with the program of classes for senior citizens in comfortable, inexpensive lodgings.

The program has vastly expanded over the years, and accommodations now include hotels and more comfortable inns, but the goal is still to provide life long learning at an affordable price.

The name "Road Scholar" plays on the Oxford program for scholars and athletes called the Rhodes Scholar, a scholarship which has many famous names such as Bill Clinton attached to it. It is hoped that the name will catch the attention of the seniors who want to learn and travel. The focus is on creating explorations of the mind and of the world.

Various formats to please a variety of people.
There are various formats to appeal to the great variety of people who participate in the programs. Here are some brief descriptions to whet your appetite for combining lifelong learning, travel, and contributing to the world around you.

Discoveries.
The travelers on these programs explore the American and global experience as they travel to visit various locales and landmarks. The trips have a theme, such as holidays, festivals, food, or wine.

Individual or inter-generational programs to include grand-kids.
Individual programs provide informal workshops where people can study topics such as languages, photography, or crafts. Inter-generational programs provide the opportunity for grandparents and grandchildren to travel and study together, including such subjects as dinosaurs, hot air ballooning, Mayan temples, or French castles. Programs included in the Small Groups on the Go are more personal presentations, with behind the scenes and hands-on learning.

Programs are also offered in local museums and institutions to provide Day of Discovery one day programs, which are learning opportunities for seniors without long trips or travel.

Outdoor Adventures.
Those who want to spend at least a third of the time enjoying hiking, kayaking, biking, and other activities will enjoy the outdoor adventures. Camp in the dunes of Baja California learning about gray whales, walk in Vermont studying the poetry of Robert Frost, or learn about the history, art and people of the Netherlands while touring by bicycle.

The Adventures Afloat programs provide the opportunity to learn history, art, ecology and culture aboard a small ship or an ocean liner, on rivers, inlets, and seas all over the world.

Service learning programs.
These are programs for helping others while learning about new people and new places. Some of the programs include wildlife or marine research projects protecting endangered species. Others are more involved in the community, such as tutoring children or building affordable housing.

While the name has changed, the programs offered have not so much changed as expanded. From small classes for seniors at colleges and universities, they have grown to a world wide travel and learning program. The programs bring together people with similar interests and sometimes form life long friendships as well as life long learning.

Source: Elderhostel and Road Scholar brochures and website.