4.4
Great# of trips
1773
Type
Global operator
Service level
standard
Travelers age
50 — 65
Trip prices
$25 — 59,999
Tour languages
English
Overview
Tour Types
How well do you know the world?
Play the gameRoad Scholar Reviews & Ratings
Editoral Review of Road Scholar
Founded in 1975 as Elderhostel, Road Scholar took its new name in 2010. The name change was meant to better reflect the non-profit educational travel organization’s mission, which is to offer lifelong learning opportunities to adults.
Besides it’s a clever play on words (the takeoff on Rhodes Scholar), “Road” stands for the journeys the group offers, while “Scholar” indicates the deep devotion to learning that participants possess.
Road Scholar Quick Facts
Founded in 1975
Single Traveler friendly? Road Scholar requires a single supplement on most trips, though it is waived if you are willing to room with another traveler.
Typical age range: 50+, Some special multi-generational trips offered
Travel Style: Culturally immersive, education focused. Think all the joys of school without the homework
Accommodation Style: Value (3 star) or Premium (4 star) range. Some trips include multiple hotels or guest houses while others have a "staycation" set up returning to the same hotel each night.
Top Regions: Europe, Africa, North America
Average trip price: $2,389
Similar tour companies: Overseas Adventure Travel, National Geographic Expeditions, Rick Steves
Find the best for you. Explore Road Scholar vs Overseas Adventure Travel »
What Makes Road Scholar Stand Out?
- Tours that appeal to a wide range of broad & niche interests
- Budget friendly
- Unique itineraries
- Learn from experts in a variety of fields
Tours with Road Scholar are specifically designed for older travelers and with a heavy focus on gaining deeper knowledge through educational activities, led by guides who are experts in a variety of fields.
Instructors accompanying Road Scholar trips are experts in their fields, delivering lectures and leading field trips. Trip themes may range from history and culture, language study, and music appreciation to birding, bicycling, and baseball (proving that learning can be light-hearted, too).
Traveling with Road Scholar is like a study abroad experience, with classes and instructors, with a group of people the same age who have a similarly extensive hindsight on life - and who love to learn.
They offer a very wide range of physical levels as well as many different trip styles. If you're not sure you'll find a trip to your liking with Road Scholar, take the time to browse the options first.
What is a Road Scholar trip?
A Road Scholar trip is designed like a study abroad experience for 60+ travelers - whether you're exploring the diverse birdlife of Texas or the incredible culture of Morocco. Almost everything is included in the price and they cater to many different budgets.
Are Road Scholar trips good?
Road Scholar is consistently well reviewed, and they have a 4.7/5 rating on Travelstride. Travelers regularly praise the lecturers and educational aspects of Road Scholar trips as well as the itinerary planning, group dynamics, and organization.
Who Will Enjoy Traveling with Road Scholar?
- Senior travelers & baby boomers
- Life long learners
- Solo and single travelers
- History buffs
- Grandparents and grandchildren
The first thing to note is that Road Scholar trips are specifically intended for travelers 50 and above (often 65+).
Open minded, active, and worldly life-long learners who have a sense of adventure and willingness to try new things, will love the cadence of a Road Scholar trip. Road Scholar is often the first guided trip experience for older travelers.
Perhaps in your younger days you loved going it alone, planning out your itinerary, and loved the spontaneity of traveling off the beaten path. Now you’re ready to have that same spirit, but with a few more ducks in a row and maybe hit some of the classic sites you missed or didn’t truly appreciate before.
Road Scholar has recently added special grandparent-grandchild trips and programs for three generations traveling together. Keep in mind that the focus remains on education, distinguishing Road Scholar trips from most commercial tours.
Group sizes with Road Scholar vary, but many small group study tours are limited to 10-24 participants. They are also very friendly to solo travelers - offering many tours for solos and singles where you can meet new friends, and even romantic interests!
Road Scholar allows for particular good compatibility between you and your tour mates as each journey is designed around specific themes from an educational perspective.
Private groups are also available and a popular option for groups of friends or families.
Top Destinations
Road Scholar operates tours in 150 countries, as well as every state in the U.S.
Aside from the educational days, many trips include activities in nature, with hiking, kayaking, and other outdoors experiences.
Road Scholar Travel Style
Road Scholar creates their itineraries to encourage learning - both in a scholarly way: from knowledgeable guides, scholars and experts in various fields; and in a holistic way: from the accommodations, meals, and transportation. Your entire journey with Road Scholar is designed as an educational experience.
Tours are referred to as “programs”, guides, tour directors, and leaders are “faculty” and they even have an online “campus store”. Programs are designed to be immersive, exploring a destination in depth, with the focus often on a niche subject. Don't expect to spend 5 minutes at a tourist attraction and then move on. Some itineraries spend a full week in one city, exploring a specific period of time or type of local craft.
Walking trips, train treks, small ship cruises, and riverboat voyages are among the options for trip style. Prices typically stay in the budget/value range consistent with the company’s roots.
Road Scholar offers may ways to save on their trips. These include scholarships, friend referrals, and various specials and deals throughout the year.
Why Choose a Tour With Road Scholar?
On a Road Scholar tour you can expect a lot of unique cultural, artistic, historic, and local insights. Meet artisans, learn local crafts, and feel the camaraderie of being around other travelers who enjoy the educational aspect of travel.
The original Elderhostel grew out of the vision of the late Marty Knowlton, who spent four years backpacking around Europe while staying in youth hostels -- and wanted American adults to have access to similar cultural experiences.
If you consider yourself a lifelong learner and want to spend your vacation amongst others who share your passion for travel and education, Road Scholar is the place for you.
Covid-19 Travel Update for Road Scholar
In 2020, Road Scholar made the tough decision to temporarily suspend their programs through January 2021 due to the safey concerns surrounding the coronavirus.
Given the Road Scholar traveler age range, the health risks could be severe. Not to mention the interest in international and group travel is significantly lower for this group at the present time.
You may enroll in future trips with the offer of a full refund with cancellation up to 90 days prior to the trip departure. This offer is currently in place through October 31st, 2020.
Road Scholar has a number of virtual classroom options available in a range of durations.
More Details
Solo friendly
Activities
About the company
Road Scholar, the not-for-profit leader in educational travel since 1975, offers 5,500 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.
Programs For Whatever You Love to Do:
Much more than a tour, a Road Scholar program is a true learning adventure. Whether you join us in Seattle or Santiago, Beijing or Berlin, Road Scholar programs all share four unique attributes:
--Exceptional opportunities for learning and exploration through special behind-the-scenes access to the world's most fascinating treasures, led by our passionate and knowledgeable instructors.
--The shared fellowship of learning and warm camaraderie, whether a solo traveler or with a companion.
--Comfortable accommodations and appetizing meals.
--Excellent value.
Explore Your Mind and the World:
There are no grades or tests on Road Scholar programs. All that's needed is an inquiring mind, an adventurous spirit, and the belief that learning and discovery are lifelong pursuits.
Established in 1975, Road Scholar offers participants once-in-a-lifetime experiences delivered by local and world-renowned experts. Experience in-depth and behind-the-scenes learning opportunities, from cultural excursions and study cruises to walking, biking and more.
Our Most Popular Tours:
Adventures Afloat Cruises: On these educational cruises, you’ll 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.
Independent City Discoveries: Combine structured learning with independent discovery — each program includes hotel accommodations and some meals, lectures, expert-led field trips and detailed outlines for four self-guided excursions.
Grandparent Travel: 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.
National Parks: From Denali to the Everglades and countless beautiful, historic places in between, field trips to America’s National Parks reveal what tourists 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.
Outdoor Adventures: 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.
Service Learning: From tutoring school children or helping restore a crucial forest habitat for wildlife, to assisting with artifact restoration and museum curatorial work, Service Learning adventures are an opportunity to make a difference in the world.
Small Groups: Love to learn in a small-group setting? Check out this collection of programs that have 10-24 participants.
Why Road Scholar?
You Can't Beat Road Scholar's Remarkable Value: Our all-inclusive prices have no hidden costs. Compare the price of one of our programs to what it would cost to duplicate the experience on your own (if that's even possible) and you'll see what we mean by "remarkable value."
Lifelong Learning and Lifelong Friends: 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.
Instructors Who Inspire: 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.
Solo Participants Love Our Programs: Road Scholar programs are renowned for being inclusive, warm and welcoming for solo participants. We can either match you with a roommate or, on most programs, you can choose to room on your own.
Think Outside the Tour: The educational focus of Road Scholar programs makes us completely different from a commercial travel tour. Road Scholar programs offer educational experiences that answer the what's, the why's and the how-to's.
You Go Where Others Can't: We've been offering educational experiences since 1975 and we've made connections with educators and other local "insiders" all around the world, creating learning opportunities that show you the world in a way that just can't be done on your own or on a "tour."
We've Covered All the Bases: From expert-led lectures and field trips to comfortable lodgings and meals, we handle all the details, including the ones you might not anticipate. We've taken the worry out of the planning, so you can focus on your learning experience.
Peace of Mind Through the Road Scholar Travel Assistance Plan: The Road Scholar Travel Assistance Plan, which is purchased on behalf of every participant, provides 24-hour emergency assistance in the unlikely case of a medical emergency.
Scholarships for Those in Financial Need: Each year, Road Scholar awards $250,000 in scholarships toward programs in North America for those who do not have the financial means to participate.
Our Donors: Each year, thousands of donors contribute to our Annual Fund, helping to cover the gap between the tuition we charge and the actual cost of our programs.
Road Scholar Trips & Specials
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- You choose budget, destinations, activities, transport & lodging type
- Expert designs the itinerary for you, and once approved, takes care of logistics
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