The Scoop: What to Know About Road Scholar (2024)

Part of what we do here at TourScoop is use our (human) travel expertise to vet tour companies so you have an easy way to get a bunch of trustworthy information all in one place. Today we’re digging into Road Scholar, a popular tour company that’s been around for nearly 50 years. Read on to find everything you need to know to confidently make the decision about whether it’s a good fit for you.

Road Scholar (previously known as Elderhostel) is a tour company with a difference: Since 1975 the company has been run as a nonprofit organization with an educational mission as its primary focus. That means a few things: since it’s a nonprofit, Road Scholar offers excellent value (tours aren’t priced for profit). I also like that it’s unusual among tour companies because it offers both financial aid and caregiver grants. And since it’s education-driven, the tour operator attracts a particularly curious and educated group of travelers, including many retired educators.

Road Scholar’s 4,000 offerings include small group tours, grandparent-grandchild trips, cruises, private jet adventures, and tours focused on passions including birding, food and drink, and history.

TourScoop Takeaways: Road Scholar

The Scoop: What to Know About Road Scholar (1)
  • Continents Covered: 7
  • Tour Size Average: Road Scholar’s small group programs max out at 24 travelers, but the company also runs larger programs with hundreds of participants who are then broken into small groups for activities.
  • Tour Types: Coach, ship, plane, train

How to Book

Road Scholar tours can be booked directly through Road Scholar; here are all the ways you can contact the organization for information about trips.

Credibility Check

Road Scholar is a BBB accredited charity that meets the standards for charity accountability, and has a low complaint number and a high response-to-issues ratio. It has a rating of 4.2 out of 5 on Facebook.Tour-focused online travel agency TourStride past guests gives Road Scholar a 4.4 out of 5.

Tour Destinations

Road Scholar operates tours on seven continents and to nearly 100 countries. In the U.S., it offers itineraries to most states, and internationally, its most popular destinations include Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, and Italy.

Tour Types

The Scoop: What to Know About Road Scholar (2)

Road Scholar offers hundreds of programs on a variety of topics, with thousands of departures annually. Since it’s a nonprofit organization with an educational mission, everything it does is about learning, and it weaves in educational visits, lectures, and events into every trip.

On the website, you can filter trips by hobbies or what you want to learn about, from Military History to Native American Studies, Birding, Pickleball, or another topic. You can also filter the course catalog by activity level, from “Easy Going” to “Outdoor: Challenging.”

Road Scholar also offers Adventures Afloat (cruises), skip-gen programs geared to grandparents and grandchildren traveling together, and virtual tours that range from one-hour lectures to multi-day online adventures.

Tour Guides

As an education-focused tour organization, Road Scholar refers to its group leaders and instructors as faculty. Faculty members–many of whom have been working with Road Scholar for a decade or more–are local experts with years of experience in travel and academics. Group leaders receive initial training and receive yearly professional development to ensure they’re at the top of their game.

In addition to faculty, tour participants meet a broad range of experts on tour, experts that range from shrimp boat captains to award-winning authors.

Inclusions/Extras

The Scoop: What to Know About Road Scholar (3)

Road Scholar programs are all-inclusive and have no optional extras or hidden expenses. The price of a tour includes:

  • Accommodations,
  • Experienced Group Leader
  • Expert-led lectures and field trips
  • Most meals (some meals during free time not included)
  • Gratuities throughout the program, including group leader gratuities
  • Road Scholar Assurance Plan (24-hour assistance in the event of an emergency during a program and insurance for emergency medical evacuation)
  • Taxes

Flights to and from the tour are not included in base program prices, but Road Scholar will book flights for participants traveling internationally. Flights booked through Road Scholar also include complimentary airport transfers.

Typical Travelers

If you don’t count kids in the mix on the Grandparent and Family programs, the average age of a Road Scholar participant is 72. But trips generally include a wide range of older travelers from people in their 50s through 90s. About 30% of participants are solo travelers, and of that 30% about 85% are women traveling on their own. Road Scholar trips are generally reported to be very welcoming to solo travelers.

Communication

Once you’ve booked a tour with Road Scholar, the company sends regular emails leading up to trip departures. You can also access your trip information online: once you’re enrolled in a program, all trip information is accessible via your online account.

Road Scholar’s U.S.-based contact center (800-454-5768) is open 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (ET), Monday through Friday. Monday is the contact center’s busiest day, so to avoid long wait times, call midweek or at the end of the week if you can). Road Scholar has callback feature, which allows you to save your place in the queue without having to wait on the phone–a representative calls you back as soon as it’s your turn in line.

Loyalty Program

Because Road Scholar is a nonprofit organization, discounts are not offered, including for repeat travelers. But the company is dedicated to making travel affordable for more travelers, and offers financial aid and caregiver grants.

Private Options

Groups made up of between 18 and 24 people can reserve private departures of existing itineraries with Road Scholar. If you organize a group of 20 or more, you can take advantage of group discounts or free travel for one person.

Sustainability Efforts

Road Scholar offsets some of the carbon emissions created through travel on its programs. It invests in projects including rainforest preservation in Brazil, methane gas recapture in Florida, and reforestation in Kenya. The company also tries to use sustainability certified hotels, locally owned services, and restaurants that serve locally sourced meals whenever possible.

Health and Safety Practices

Road Scholar has partners on the ground worldwide who monitor all areas visited by the company. If concerns arise, Road Scholar will find replacement content or cancel the program, depending on the severity and location of the issue.

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The Scoop: What to Know About Road Scholar (2024)

FAQs

What is the average age on Road Scholar trips? ›

Typical Travelers

If you don't count kids in the mix on the Grandparent and Family programs, the average age of a Road Scholar participant is 72. But trips generally include a wide range of older travelers from people in their 50s through 90s.

Should I tip my Road Scholar guide? ›

Road Scholar provides tips to Group Leaders, drivers and restaurant staff. You're welcome to discreetly give additional gratuities for situations when someone has gone above and beyond, but we ask that participants do not solicit other participants to do a group tip (i.e., "passing the hat").

Do Road Scholar trips include hotels? ›

Yes, it's included

That's because every Road Scholar learning adventure includes most meals and all lodging, tips and taxes, behind-the-scenes experiences, expert lectures, group expeditions, and listening devices—24/7 emergency assistance, too.

What did Road Scholar used to be called? ›

The organization's original name was born: Founded as Elderhostel in the summer of 1975, Road Scholar began as a learning program conceived to combine not-for-credit classes with inexpensive lodging for older adults.

What is the best coach tour company for seniors? ›

What is the best travel company for seniors? These 9 tour companies are perfect for you.
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  • Smithsonian Journeys. ...
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  • Odysseys Unlimited.
Jan 13, 2024

What age group travels the most? ›

Numerous studies published over the years have shown that younger people like to travel more than older people. According to US travel statistics by Expedia Media Solutions published on Skift, millennials travel the most, with an average of 35 annual vacation days.

What is the average tip for a guide? ›

Typically, the gratuity rate for guides should be around 10 to 20 percent of the total trip cost. That means if you're paying $500 for a day or two of guided rock climbing, an appropriate tip for your guide would be between $50 and $100.

Is it rude not to tip a tour guide? ›

Basic tipping etiquette says, yes, you should tip your tour guide. There are exceptions if your specific tour experience includes gratuities or you simply didn't have a good time, but in general, tipping your guide at the end of the tour is customary in the U.S. and Europe, though it's much more common in the States.

What is the etiquette for tipping? ›

Deciding how much to tip depends on what kind of service provider you're working with and how well they do their job. But if you're looking for a general rule for services in the U.S., 15% to 20% of the bill is a common guide, according to most etiquette experts we interviewed.

How many people are on a Road Scholar tour? ›

At Road Scholar, our micro group tours will place you in intimate groups of 12 people or less. Depending on your preferences, we have a great selection of unique educational adventure options, including senior group tours and women-only group tours.

Who runs Road Scholar? ›

James Moses serves as the president and chief executive officer of Road Scholar, the world leader in lifelong learning since 1975. He has held the position since 2002.

How big are Road Scholar tours? ›

Small Group Educational Travel. Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures on land and at sea offer small, personal experiences with groups of just 13 to 24 participants.

What celebrities are road scholars? ›

Other notable Rhodes Scholars include Nobel Prize-winning scientist Howard Florey, Nobel Prize-winning economist Michael Spence, Australian High Court Justice James Edelman, journalist and American television host George Stephanopolous, astronomer Edwin Hubble, author Naomi Wolf, musician Kris Kristofferson, Jamaican ...

Is Road Scholar the same as Elderhostel? ›

Elderhostel was rebranded Road Scholar in 2010 to reflect the growth and evolution of the organization and better represent the loyal participants who rely on us for an in-depth study of the world.

Do Elder Hostels still exist? ›

Although the Elderhostel International Corporation still exists as the parent company, beginning in 2009 all the programs of Elderhostel International became known as Road Scholar.

What is the average age of people on Trafalgar Tours? ›

While those between 24 and 55 make up the larger majority of those travelling alone, the Baby Boomer audience has latched onto the trend. At Trafalgar we've seen the average age of solo travellers who book directly with us increase from 55-years-old in 2016 to 62-years-old in 2021.

Is Trafalgar Tours for older people? ›

At Trafalgar, our younger guests are just as important as our older ones, so we've taken care to craft action-packed itineraries that'll impress children aged five years or older.

What is the average Traveller age? ›

86% of lone travellers are aged over 35 years. The average solo traveller is aged 47, with 84% being female travelers and only 16% being male. 12% of 18-24 year old's have been on a holiday by themselves.

What is the average age for go ahead tours? ›

The majority of our travelers are in their 50s to 60s, but adults of all ages join our tours! You'll meet like-minded adventurers who share a curiosity about exploring the world.

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