Road Scholar - Formerly Known as ElderHostel

This post is from last year.  I am taking a break and re-posting a few things that I thought might be worth posting again.

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends. To appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

Last time, I wrote about senior travel.  As a senior myself, I have to say that I plan to keep traveling as long as possible.  I had heard about Elderhostel quite a few years ago, and since I was familiar with the concept, which was similiar to the Youth Hostels, I thought at the time, when I am older I will give that a try.  Now that I am of an age where I am considered a senior, I decided to check into it.  The program has changed somewhat, and the name has changed to Road Scholar.

Colisseum in Rome

Road Scholar is a learning program that combines stimulating, not-for-credit classes on a wide variety of subjects with comfortable, inexpensive lodgings.   It is for adults of any age.  They even have programs that grandparents can do with their grandchildren.  Discover and explore together with your grandchild through interactive learning experiences and field trips. Both you and your grandchild will share the joy of learning with other grandparents and their grandchildren, bridging generations and opening doors to discovery and friendship.

Road Scholar, the not-for-profit leader in educational travel, offers 6,500 educational tours in all 50 states and 150 countries. Alongside local and renowned experts, experience in-depth and behind-the-scenes learning opportunities, from cultural tours and study cruises to walking, biking and more. Their learning adventures stimulate discourse and friendship among people for whom learning is the journey of a lifetime.

Vermont

You can choose from programs close to home to overnight programs in cities and locations around the United States and the world, you're sure to find a Road Scholar adventure that captures your interest, dreams and desires.  When you participate in a Road Scholar program, you will not only expand your mind, you will be in the company of other people who believe that learning is one of the best parts of life.

Road Scholar instructors are both experts in their field and lifelong learners themselves who are excited to answer your questions, hear your opinions and share in your experience. Road Scholar programs are renowned for being inclusive, warm and welcoming for solo participants. They can either match you with a roommate or, on most programs, you can choose to room on your own.

From expert-led lectures and field trips to comfortable lodgings and meals, they handle all the details, including the ones you might not anticipate. They have taken the worry out of the planning, so you can focus on your learning experience.

They even have a scholarship plan for those who do not have the  financial means to participate.

Traverse some of the world's most spectacular waterways, offering you a convenient and rewarding way to learn and explore aboard ocean liners, riverboats and small ships.

Denali NP, Alaska

From Denali to the Everglades and countless beautiful, historic places in between, field trips to America’s National Parks reveal what adventurers can’t see on their own, with specialized experts showing you how to track wildlife or lead you to the spot with the most awe-inspiring view.

From hiking in the Grand Canyon to exploring France by barge and bicycle, to sharpening your golf or tennis skills, these active programs exercise the body and the mind.

You can go to a place that needs your help and volunteer while seeing the local area.  From tutoring schoolchildren or helping restore a crucial forest habitat for wildlife, to assisting with artifact restoration and museum curatorial work, Service Learning programs are an opportunity to make a difference in the world. www.roadscholar.org

Senior Travel

This is a reposting of an article I did last year.  I am taking a break, so will repost a few things from the past.

"A nomad I will remain for life,
in love with distant and uncharted places."
~ Isabelle Eberhardt ~

My husband and me
2 seniors at the top of Mt. Vogel
Slovenia

I am 65 years old, soon to be 66, and I am officially a senior, although most days I really don’t feel like it.  As the baby-boomers reach retirement, there will be more and more of us traveling. Today’s seniors are healthier and more active than ever before.  When I think about seniors traveling, I still think of people closer to my mom’s age.  My mom stopped traveling a few years ago; she is 94 and no longer up to making a trip.  But, as a travel agent, I had several clients who were well into their late 80’s who were still traveling several times a year, to all sorts of exotic locations.  I certainly hope I will still be traveling when I am their age also. 

There are companies that cater just to seniors.  When I worked at AAA we worked with a local company called Gadabout Tours.  They would actually pickup at your door and either take you to a central location where the bus tour started, or if you had booked a trip where you had to fly somewhere, they would take you to the airport. This was a nice feature, especially for seniors who don’t always have transportation available. They do day trips from the San Diego area as well as longer trips, even cruises and European vacations.  See your AAA travel agent or contact them at 

 www.gadaboutvacations.com

There are companies all over the country that cater to seniors and home pickup is a feature many of them have.  When my mom used to travel she would book her trips through the senior center and it also included home pickup.  She traveled all over the world with the senior center and a lot of the people on the trip with her were people she knew from the senior center.

Me in Durbrovnik, Croatia
age 63

Another good reason to book with a company that is specifically for seniors, is that everyone on the trip will be your age, and you will, hopefully, have a lot in common with them.  Also, if you are a single senior, they will pair you with another senior of the same sex, so that you can share a room and therefore, the cost.  It is not unusual for a senior to suddenly find themselves traveling alone.  They lose their normal travel partner, due to illness or death, but they still want to travel.  It costs a lot more to travel as a single, but there will probably be several people in that situation in a senior group, and they will make an effort to find you a travel partner to share costs.

Depending on how well you still are able to get around, you may not be ready for a senior group trip.  A lot of seniors are still traveling independently, and should continue to do so, as long as they feel comfortable on their own.  But for those who are starting to have some health issues or mobility issues, or find themselves suddenly without a travel partner, remember there are options and you can still get out and go.  You just may make some new friends along the way.