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The Scoop: What to Know About Road Scholar

This nonprofit tour company has an inspiring educational focus..

The Scoop: What to Know About Trafalgar Tours

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

• 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. 

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

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)

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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Your Impact

When you support Road Scholar, you ensure that our mission is carried out in the following key areas:

Creating transformative educational travel experiences for older adults

We develop an extraordinary range of learning adventures — some appeal broadly, some appeal to a smaller audience–to meet the needs of a broad ranger of learners. We offer these experiences not because they are profitable, but because they are meaningful. Your support give us the flexibility to create a broad interdisciplinary curriculum much like a liberal arts college.

See how Road Scholar’s adaptability allowed learners to get back on the road safely after COVID-19 curbed international travel:

Ensuring educational excellence

If we’re lucky, we can all remember at least one from our school days. The teacher who made learning a sport. The teacher who opened a new door on the world. The teacher who introduced us to a passionate interest we never saw coming. That’s how we choose the members of our Road Scholar faculty—for the depth of their knowledge about a destination or subject and for their ability to captivate us while communicating that knowledge. Your generosity helps ensure that we can continue to attract the most engaging leaders in their fields.

See how participants had the opportunity to learn from civil rights historians and heroes in the city where the movement was born in our Conference on Civil Rights: A Road Scholar President’s Program :

Piloting new learning adventures around the globe

With your support, we don’t just offer educational travel experiences. We create opportunities for older adults to learn, feel reinvigorated, meet new friends and expand their horizons. Road Scholar experiences are truly transformative, inspiring adults to take on new challenges and to live life to the fullest — at every age. We’re proud of the difference we make in the lives of so many older adults. But we can’t do this without the support of our friends. No matter how big or how small, every gift helps us enrich the lives of more than 5 million older adults.

See how female-only travel groups allow women to embark on any adventure with the comfort and safety of having a group of like-minded women. Even better, going on women-only tours fosters special bonds with females of all backgrounds through sharing stories and experiences.

Meeting the Evolving Needs of Older Adults

Over the decades, we’ve studied what makes an unforgettable learning experience, and we’ve come to realize that people have widely individual styles of exploration. That’s why with your support we will continue to create new trips with different levels of structure, from detailed itineraries packed with learning experiences to lightly structured schedules with generous free time. Thanks to you, we can give older adults access to the most extraordinary people and places in the world.

See how Road Scholar’s Adventures Online programs offer students greater flexibility by bringing experts and educational experiences to their own homes :

Awarding scholarships and grants

Donors who establish scholarship funds find it to be a deeply meaningful way to pay tribute to someone special while also opening a door to learning for someone who could not otherwise participate in a program. Each year, Road Scholar awards more than 300 of these scholarships, in the form of Impact Grants, to enthusiastic lifelong learners. Supporters like you who endow a Scholarship ensure that others can enjoy the unique Road Scholar experiences they hold so dear.

See how Road Scholar’s Caregiver Grant gave Collette the hope she needed to heal and move forward after her husband passed away :

Become a Road Scholar Insider

Do you want to receive exclusive email updates directly from Road Scholar?

Get direct and instant access to a member of our team, who will share information about your impact, project outcomes and stories from the field.

“At this point in my life, I find joy in supporting things that matter to me, and education is certainly one of them. I give because I want to ensure that Road Scholar is here for many generations to come.”

— Sarah H. from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania —

Complimentary Gift Planning Resources Are Just a Click Away!

How is this information used?

At Road Scholar | PO Box 56033, Boston, MA 02205-6033, we are so appreciative of the support we receive from donors, volunteers, advocates, partners, and others like you. That is why we are committed to protecting your privacy and take steps to keep any personal information you provide confidential.

You were invited to take this survey because we value your trust and confidence and sincerely would like to understand your preferences, interests, and wishes so we can be more sensitive to them.

By answering these survey questions, you will help us:

• Reduce the amount of communications we send you;
• Lessen our environmental impact together;
• Improve the relevance of the information we send you.

As a whole, your answers will help us become better stewards of donation dollars as a result of time savings and reduction of printing, mailing, and postage costs.

Going forward, we will make our best attempts to use the information you provide in this survey to adjust the content of the communications we send you and the frequency with which you receive them.

Please remember, you can always review our complete privacy policy and you may opt-out of receiving communications from us at any time.

Thank you so much for your time, interest, and commitment to Road Scholar | PO Box 56033, Boston, MA 02205-6033.

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• Tour Account ›
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Rick Steves tour VS Road Scholar tour -- tour decision made

I know several posters have taken both Rick Steves tours and Road Scholar tours. I'm curious about your opinions and comparisons. I have taken three Rick Steves tours and am questioning if I should branch out to Road Scholar. Specifically I am looking at Tuscany tours Rick Steves compared to Road Scholar , as a solo traveler in September 2024. Thanks for your opinions!

EDIT: the link to RS Best of Tuscany tour above is not working. I reentered it with the same bad results. Try this instead https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/italy/tuscany

FINAL EDIT: Read my post at the bottom if you want to know where I'm going next September.

Pam and Valerie ( Pacific Northwest) have taken multiple Road Scholar tours and with the exception of one Pam did, they both like the company and their tours. They convinced me. We are signed up for our first Road Scholar tour in January of 2024. Best Of Central Mexico. I say, go for it! So nice you don’t have to worry about being kicked off a tour because of Covid.

I have done 3 Road Scholar and 1 Rick Steves. I have 2 more Road Scholar booked for 2024.

I prefer Road Scholar although I like both companies. Here are my general thoughts, as I have not done either of the tours you ask about.

Rick Steves' groups are too big for me at 28. If you look at the departures for 2023, they are all sold out except for one so you'd likely be traveling with a group of 28.

My Road Scholar tours have been 11, 18 and 19, which is a better travel group size.

I prefer Road Scholar's pacing. The Rick Steves' tour is all 2 night stops. The Road Scholar is 5 nights, 4 nights and then one night near Rome as you head home.

The Rick Steves' tour is $4300 for a 10 night tour in September. The Road Scholar is $3500 for an 11 night tour.

Both tours include tips.

I checked the hotel list of the Road Scholar tour - quickly - and they look nice.

I haven’t taken a Road Scholar tour but wouldn’t hesitate to try one if the itinerary was a match for my interests. I literally labeled my first RIck Steves tour “the experiment.” I needed to try one to see if it was a match for me or not. Why not make this your experiment? Try it and see how it feels to you for you. Yours is really the opinion that matters and you won’t know if you don’t try one. I don’t think you will go wrong no matter what you decide.

I've taken 6 Rick Steves tours and one Road Scholar and would definitely take another Road Scholar trip in the future. They have a similar travel style, and I found the travelers to be roughly the same demographic. One thing I liked on the Road Scholar trip I took to the Baltics (which was a wonderful trip, BTW) was the daily 1 hour lecture from a local expert and several of them focused on the current economic, social and political situation. The group guide and the local guides were all good and comparable to the Rick Steves tours. The one difference I noted was more group dinners with Road Scholar but the food was very good. The hotels were in the center of the city and in good locations. Group size is similar as well. I would look at which tour best covers the places you really want to see.

Have not been on a a Road Scholar tour but this post and Valerie's reply have peeked my interest as well. We have been on 6 RS tours and while we have enjoyed them all, the idea of an even smaller group size is appealing. I recognize group size is all relative but we have found during the orientation walking tours and local guide tours in the city centers that the larger groups can get really bunched up or extended a city block. Our last RS tour in France we started to breaking away on some of the walks to optimize our time. I don't know if the smaller group size improves navigational efficiency and therefore quality time but sounds like it could be advantageous.

We haven’t gone on tours with either RS or Road Scholar, but learning just now the size of RS tours is discouraging us from considering them. We have only gone on a few tours and they averaged 16-18 participants each.

We've done tours with both companies when we didn't want to travel independently - Rick Steves for Europe and Road Scholar for outside Europe. The guides for both were very good. What I like about Road Scholar - they have tours outside Europe.

Valerie, which Rick Steves tour is $4300 for 10 days? Have never seen one at $430/day.

Three of the five September 2024 departures are $4295. Three of the four May 2024 departures are as well.

Yes, I agree with those who have done both RS and RS tours. Very similar. I’ve done 13 with Rick and 13 with Road Scholar (8 in Europe and 5 activity-based in the US. )Some thoughts:

I have had Road Scholar tours that have been “small group “ tours that were 24 and 26 so I wouldn’t really expect the group size to be much smaller than Rick’s. I signed up for a Road Sch garden tour in the UK for May 2022 thinking it was a small group but saw the number of participants on the specific forum for that tour departure and counted 39 people and cancelled the tour. That is way too many. Read carefully that you are on a small group departure.

I think Rick’s No Grumps policy makes a decided difference. Sometimes there are a number of complainers on the Road Scholar tours. Maybe I notice because I’m a solo traveler and when sitting with the other solos that is when people start.

Road Scholar tour members sometimes need a little more handholding than on Rick’s tours. If you book airfare through them they usually provide transportation from the airport. I generally do my own because I want independent time before and after and don’t want to wait until 3 months out to have them purchased.

As mentioned Road Scholar has more meals included. I’ll sometimes skip out on a few dinners to have something lighter and quicker. Their Paris coordination office makes sure the food is excellent on the France tours and there is wine with lunch and dinner.

Tips included for both tours.

Generally excellent guides/leaders for both

Both are good for solo travelers

If you plan to sign up for a Road Scholar tour of Netherlands or Belgium, PM me so I can give you questions to ask.

The Rick Steves organization is much more transparent and forthcoming with info than Road Scholar. Odd since Rick is a for profit organization and Road Scholar is a not-for-profit.

Right now I don’t have tours scheduled with either company. I did a very small group tour with a former Rick Steves guide in May which I enjoyed enormously and am going with him to Orkney and Shetland in 35 days according to the countdown timer on my phone.

I’d not hesitate to travel with either group again if they had an itinerary that interested me.

Pam Do you mind sharing the name of the guide/company for your upcoming tour. Thanks

Interesting timing, Horsewoofie! I just finished an evening of thoroughly reading through one of the Road Scholar tours - their Puglia, Basilicata & Calabria: Southern Italy From “Heel” to “Toe”. I want to travel into that area - just not sure, yet, whether I want to do it with a tour company.

I have been on ( and loved) 4 RS tours before COViD and used Road Scholar to visit Cuba (early in the Obama years) so my experiences are not current and with only the one Road Scholar tour it's not enough to extrapolate its very slow pace to what others are like. Ironically I thought often of the RS efficient buddy system and strict adherence followed by all to departure times, because it was disorganized and just so SLOW a lot of valuable time was wasted getting from point A to point B and rinse and repeat. The guide had an actual clipboard with our names and called "attendance" with check marks and folks were very often late. I was by far the youngest, and this was also not rated as a highly active tour. I hugely admired the vitality and thirst for travel and adventure of my fellow tour members but many had canes or other mobility issues that made it challenging to navigate stairs, etc. It made for more slow- going once at a destination. The group meals were lengthy and mandatory. I wanted to skip one ( I am a solo traveler) and was told I was rude to consider it! Again, this might have been unique to this tour. But I certainly felt safe, which was my #1 goal, and the guides were knowledgeable and efficient.

I’m pretty sure Pam is going with Seymour Travels, run by Mark Seymour and Elizabeth Boardman. https://www.seymourtravels.co.uk/about

Carolyn, the former Rick Steves guide is Mark Seymour and his company is Seymour Travels. He actually may be doing one or two Rick tours this summer so maybe not actually “ former ” yet, lol.

https://www.seymourtravels.co.uk/

They are probably more expensive than Rick’s tours but on Rick’s I always get a single supplement so that is $800-$1,000 more. Mark does not charge a single supplement.

“ The group meals were lengthy and mandatory. I wanted to skip one ( I am a solo traveler) and was told I was rude to consider it! Again, this might have been unique to this tour. ”

I believe this was due to the tour being in Cuba. I’ve never had a problem when I’ve told a Road Scholar guide I was going to skip dinner or an activity. Since there is no buddy system I will usually let some of the folks (generally other solo women, lol) know my plans so no one is concerned when I don’t show up.

My international programs have all been in Europe so no experience with Cuba or other areas.

I would also say that unless it was in a country with restricted access or rules, no one would get away with saying I was rude to skip a meal or activity. I’ve paid for the tour and it’s mine to do with as I please as long as I notify the person in charge of my plans so no one is waiting for me to appear. I’m sure in Cuba you did not have that option!

I'll supplement Pam's response as to skipping stuff on Road Scholar...I always skip a few meals and often I skip an evening activity. I always inform the guide. No one cares.

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences. Does anyone know Road Scholars refund policy? I tried to find it on their website but they hid it very good. September 2024 is a year away and much can happen between now and then. I know Rick Steves’ full refund policy is 120 days before the tour.

To counter balance Karen's Cuba experience, we took a two-week Road Scholar Cuba tour from Guantanamo to Havana in 2019. It was an extraordinary group of very experienced travelers, wonderful guide and camaraderie. Our time was prescribed by the US and Cuban governments 8 hours minimum a day. No stragglers, no health issues, all oldies like me. Wonderful lectures and experiences. So Road Scholar but obviously a different road.

When we lived in the US, we did several Road Scholar tours to Indian lands and forest areas. Never done a Rick Steves tour. I prefer to travel independently and hire guides.

Taking my mom on a Road Scholar tour of Mexico next year so I may have some insight.

1)For refund and other questions, call them tomorrow. My mom had a ton of questions about Mexico and payments and got all her questions answered.

2)Scholar trends old. I just made the cut and know I will be the youngest there. Unlike Steves, people use canes and some have oxygen-so its a slower pace.

3)From talking to folks on the Friends of Road Scholar FB group, you can skip meals or activities. Caveat- it depends what country you are in. Cuba probably had different rules than most.

Mom and I had planned on a REI tour but unfortunately the got rid off all their international tours. I think a Rick Steves Latin America tour would be great but I understand why he wants to focus on Europe.

Horsewoofie, addtionally regarding cancellation policies, this page.....

https://www.roadscholar.org/Terms-Conditions/

....states under "Program Policies" that "Road Scholar requires deposits for all its programs, and charges fees if you transfer or cancel your enrollment. Deposits and fees vary between programs. Please refer to the Deposit, Transfer & Cancellation Policy on program webpages for specific deposit amounts, and transfer and cancellation fee schedules."

So if you click on a program you're especially interested in and then click the "Start Enrolling", button, the next page that pops up has "Deposit, Transfer & Cancellation Policy" live-link text under "What's included". Click on that for details regarding that specific program. For instance, here's the enrollment page for "The Medieval Villages of Tuscany and Umbria"; see the text (in blue) on the left side?

https://www.roadscholar.org/find-an-adventure/22977/The-Medieval-Villages-of-Tuscany-and-Umbria/dates/

Does this help? My parents did several domestic Road Scholar trips years ago and enjoyed them very much.

Thanks for all the posts, this is informative and timely information, helpful to me looking towards 2024.

A Rick Steves tour for $4,300 for 10 days? I question this and would appreciate the poster coming back to name the specific tour. I see this dollar amount for 14 day tours. Please be specific when tossing around numbers like this. Thanks.

A Rick Steves tour for $4,300 for 10 days?

None of my business, but the discussion up thread was about Tuscany, and I found this showing "11 day" Tuscany tours in Sept '24, several priced $4300.

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/italy/tuscany#tour-dates

I have taken 3 Rd Scholar and 8 Rick Steves' tour. I found Road Scholar tours to be more inconsistent. I loved my tour to Cuba, but the tour to San Miguel de Allende was just ok and one in the SE of US advertised as a garden tour was barely ok (distant guide who brought his wife along so never sat with any of the tour members at dinner or engaged much with us, very old & dirty bus.) All of the Rd Scholar tours had more guests than any of my Rick tours and there were more complainers (grumps.) Finally, I found their customer service department to be much more difficult to deal with. I would still go on a Road Scholar trip if I found one with an itinerary and hotels that sounded really good, but I probably wouldn't approach it with the same joy and anticipation as I do with my Rick tours. I have been lucky to have great guides, great travel companions and generally good hotels with Rick's group. However, I do realize I might get lucky again as in Cuba and find this again with Rd Scholar.

Kathy, thank you for the links for terms and conditions. Don’t know how I missed them. the other Kathy

I find the side discussion about cost interesting. As stated on the website, some RS Tuscany tours in May and September are $4295 + single supplement of $775. It’s about $1000 more than Road Scholar.

This is correct and add in a single supplement of $775, it increases to $5,075. Not to mention the tour is really only "9 days or 10 nights". Day one begins at 4:00pm for a couple of hours and Day 11 ends at breakfast time. You are looking at either $564 per day or $508 per night. This is why I can never pull the trigger for a tour.

However, to each their own.

Heather mentions the Friends of Road Scholar FB page which is good. There is also a Women of Road Scholar FB page that is pretty informative. I will say there are some on both pages who view with a a bit too much rose-colored glass, lol.

Road Scholar does have forum pages but they are truly awful and have been made difficult to find. They were terrible before Covid when they actually had a staff member to respond to questions although a friend and I seemed to answer most things. During Covid they laid off most staff and have never apparently assigned anyone back to the forums. There are staff members who are assigned to the Women of RS page and they will answer specific policy questions.

They are not as good about refunds as Rick so read carefully and bookmark policies. They issue vouchers but watch your time limit on expiration. On my tour in May 2022 that was quite bad they offered a $1500 voucher or a $1,000 cash refund. I took the cash because I was afraid the time would expire before I used it.

The Road Sch activity level is pretty accurate at present. I’ve never had anyone with oxygen on a tour. I have had a few people with canes or using hiking poles. They would skip things that were too much (I’m thinking of the steps up from the bus drop off area at the Marseilles Cathedral).

I think the program inconsistencies stem from the fact that Road Scholar does not actually run any of their tours. They contract out to various organizations. In the US that often used to be Educational Outreach programming from Universities but they seem to have gotten away from that. That was the problem with my last tour. The people who had run the previously highly rated program retired during Covid and the new sub contractor was not up to snuff. Some areas have a regional office that supervises (like France) but it’s a bit hard to ferret out details on who actually runs a program.

*** Be aware that with Road Scholar on International programs, Day 1 is the day they have you leaving the US. Day 2 is actually the meet up day. The final day is counted the same way as Rick’s programs with there being no activity planned except the hotel breakfast.

I always arrive a day or two before the program start with any tour-Rick, Road Scholar or Mark to give myself flex time in case of travel delays and to allow me to adjust to jet lag.

So nice you don’t have to worry about being kicked off a tour because of Covid.

Diveloonie, make sure to read the fine print re: covid and Road Scholar tours. There are circumstances where participants are required to isolate. See the FAQs under ”While on your program”: https://www.roadscholar.org/practical-information/travel-updates/

Laura, I don’t want this thread to veer into another covid discussion, but this is from Road Scholar website. As far as I know, no one has been removed from a Road Scholar tour or been asked to take a covid test. Obviously if you are too sick to participate ( with any illness), well, you can’t participate!

From Road Scholar website; Does Road Scholar require participants to test for COVID-19 during program? No. Road Scholar does not require participants to test for COVID. Any testing for COVID is optional and at the participant’s discretion and expense. However, if a participant chooses to get tested, and if the test result is positive for COVID-19, the protocols outlined in the following FAQ will apply.

Participants who become ill will not be permitted to rejoin the program if they continue to exhibit symptoms of illness, or do not feel well enough to participate fully in days’ worth of program activities. Participants will only be allowed to rejoin the program if they meet a number of requirements, all of which are intended to protect their health, as well as the health and welfare of their follow participants.

This is from the page to which Laura just shared a link. Not that different from Rick's policy.

Do read that entire portion of the website carefully; there's a lot more, especially about reimbursement when missing tour days because for illness.

You're welcome, Other Kathy! They did sort of bury the stuff, and I was up for some info sniffing this morning. :O)

As one poster mentioned, the biggest difference is that Rick Steves tours are all owned fully by Rick Steves. While there are often local guides for specific tours, you always have your Rick Steves guide with you.

With Road Scholar tours are subcontracted out to local companies. I don't think the quality control is as good. I think this gives an advantage to Rick Steves.

The Road Scholar tour I’m debating on is Southwest France instead of the Loire and the South of France tour with Rick Steves. Pam took this tour and wrote a great trip report about it. They are both 12 nights and the Road Scholar tour is $4499., Rick Steves $4295. And the single supplement for Road Scholar is more as well, $850 vs $775. I’m still very tempted but after reading the grump factor issue may be noticeable I’m reconsidering. I hadn’t even considered that could be an issue actually.

Jane, I disagree. The Rick Steves policy and the Road Scholar policies are very different in dealing with Covid. Of course, if you are too sick with any illness it goes without saying, you will not be able to participate in the tour. On Road Scholar you will not be kicked off the tour or asked by guide to take a covid test. This is the clear difference between the two companies.

@Lyndash - I also did the Southwest France and the Perigord Road Scholar tour. It is the single best tour I have ever done. Our guide, Tom, was fantastic. Best I’ve had.

It’s a great itinerary - wine chateaux, prehistoric caves, small villages, good hotels. It’s a rock solid tour choice.

I sent you a Private Message as well - it’s a link to my trip blogging - I’m not allowed to link it directly on the RS site but it’s an extensive assessment/review of the trip.

Lyndash, I did the Rick Steve’s South of France tour last year. Loved it! Highly recommend. Unfortunately we were hit hard by Covid. I was among the 10 survivors. Like having your own small group tour, although we all missed our companions.

Here’s my trip report which includes my independent travel pre- and post-tour and includes miscellaneous lessons learned: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/finally-trip-report-8-31-7-28-22-london-paris-rs-tour-venice

This is in the Road Scholar info on Covid for tour members that test positive: ‘‘per current CDC guidance and Road Scholar policy, they are required to remain away from the rest of the group for no fewer than 5 days (or longer if local regulations…’ Not sure how you would handle being on a tour and being required to ‘remain away’. Would you be able to take the bus to the next hotel for instance? Definitely not the complete severing from the tour that RSteves current policy is but I’d have more questions.

Thanks so much Valerie and horsewoofie, I’ve been eyeing that tour and the Eastern F tour for ages. Because I was waffling on which company to go with I reserved the Eastern F tour first and I’m going in Oct of next year.

Hey everyone. Although Covid policy is part of the difference between the companies, I hoped this would not evolve into a debate about Covid. People have to choose what is best for them.

Rick Steves guides are 1099 contractors not employees. Employees from the office were paid during the pandemic. Guides were cut loose to fend for themselves. Rick did try to support them with links to their contact info & such. As a guide you just have to know if a catastrophe happens you are on your own. I suppose that applies to employees as well

" As one poster mentioned, the biggest difference is that Rick Steves tours are all owned fully by Rick Steves. While there are often local guides for specific tours, you always have your Rick Steves guide with you.

" Rick Steves guides are 1099 contractors not employees. "

@Mark McG - To me the point is not the employment status of the guides but who selects the itinerary and then implements it. Rick's office is hands on with the itinerary (although I understand they did have some hotel bookings contracted out). The guides are given a budget for meals and often choose the restaurants themselves. They also have a slush fund budget for extras.

Road Scholar's main office in Boston area is not hands on with the itinerary, bookings, quality of the guides etc. They contract those functions out to the folks that run the tours. I hate to keep bringing up my poor experience with Road Scholar but recent reviews of programs that contractor is running include her employing leaders/guides who do not even have fluency in English. Contract employees or not, you'll never get an RS guide who does not speak English.

I chose to do a Rick tour in Fall of 2022 because I knew there was closer attention to guides, hotels, activities etc from the Rick Steves home office than from the Road Scholar home office.

Rick's office is hands on with the itinerary (although I understand they did have some hotel bookings contracted out). The guides are given a budget for meals and often choose the restaurants themselves.

Pam, I am not sure that the guides choose the restaurants any more. I know that used to be true, but on my last tour (Portugal), the guide said that the restaurants and meal choices were chosen by the RS office and she had no input. Maybe it varies by tour.

Rick Steves guides are 1099 contractors not employees. Employees from the office were paid during the pandemic. Guides were cut loose to fend for themselves.

By the very nature of being a contractor, you fend for yourself, Mark. That's part of what being a contractor is. If they were treated like an employee, they can't be a contractor. And quite frankly, I think their jobs as tour guides are more suited for contractual work, which I would imagine that is true of just about any tour company. Believe me, I've worked as an independent contractor before, and that's the name of the game. When your job is over, you move on to another one. I would never expect a company that hired me to keep me on if there was no work. If you want some stability, you become an employee.

Maybe I'm reading more into this than you meant, but the last sentence seemed a bit critical of him.

Hello. Newbie here. Although I enjoy reading the posts and have learned so much from so many knowledgeable contributors, this is my first post. Why? It may be uncomfortable to participate when, unlike other posters on this forum, I have never taken a Rick Steves tour (reasons explained below), although I have read many itineraries carefully. However, I have taken 14 Road Scholar tours, 11 in Europe and 3 in the United States, so I do feel comfortable writing about this.

Although daily itineraries, hotels, and meal options vary and make exact comparisons difficult, prices do seem fairly comparable between the two groups. Also, individual preferences vary about which factors are and are not important when selecting a tour. So please understand that I am not criticizing Rick Steves tours but am explaining why Road Scholar work best for me:

Itineraries: 1. Road Scholar has more European tours than Rick Steves, although the fewer than before the pandemic, and more tours featuring Central and Eastern Europe where it may be somewhat challenging to travel on your own. 2. Road Scholar tends to stay for more nights at many locations. 3. Most Road Scholar tours have expert outside lecturers and docent-led museum tours. It's important to emphasize that the lectures are not mandatory and it's easy to skip those that aren't of interest.

Hotels: 1. All Road Scholar tours list the hotels used in their mail and online catalogues rather than after booking, 2. With one exception at one hotel in Europe, all luggage on my Road Scholar tours was delivered either to the hotel entrance or to the lobby. 3. All the Road Scholar hotels that I have stayed in, including those in small towns, have had elevators. Since prices are fairly comparable, I don't understand why Rick Steves risks participants falling and sustaining injuries from carrying even light luggage up and down flights of stairs rather than booking more accessible options. Perhaps this is my bias, as I am very much toward the older age range of Rick Steves participants and have mild arthritis. Although I walk easily for extended periods, climbing stairs with luggage throws me off balance and causes fear of falling. Perhaps other older travelers experience this as well.

Miscellaneous: 1. I travel solo and enjoy having more group dinners that Road Scholar provides (just my preference as I don't like eating dinner alone). 2. If you are still reading this, here's where you may strongly disagree with me. I really don't understand the "No Grumps" policy and actually find it somewhat condescending to expect mature, well-traveled adults to sign such a policy. On all my tours, and I've also traveled with Overseas Adventure Travel and Odysseys Unlimited, this was never an issue. Of course, it's understood that participants on all tours will be considerate of others, enthusiastic, on time, and friendly. The very few times that one of my tours had a major grump (everyone is entitled to one off day), that person was ostracized from the group (i.e, no one wanted to sit or eat with him or her). Perhaps an interesting new forum topic would be which negative comments are legitimate on a Rick Steves tour versus which would be considered a violation of the "No Grumps" policy.

People differ. Thanks for understanding that these are my personal feelings. I completely understand why Rick Steves has such a large and loyal following but Road Scholar works better for me.

Hello. Newbie here.

Dena, thanks for that wonderful 1st post, very informative, and helpful to me as I am looking at joining a tour for the first time ever in the coming year...I am medicare aged, so a bit late to tours, but you made some very helpful points that have me leaning towards Road Scholar tours.

Come back and post again when the mood strikes you.

FYI, Road Scholar also has micro groups on some tours. Our Mexico trip is 12 or less. Only some of the tours have this micro group.

Dena, that was very helpful, and welcome to the forum! I was looking at the Road Scholar Puglia (Italy) trip last night. I did notice that they post the hotel names and even the link, plus the Trip Advisor rating link. And glad to hear that some of the lectures could be skipped. : ) I really like to be out taking photos of cities in the morning light.

I'm hoping you can find a tour for you. Sometimes actually going on a tour or cruise can solidify our feelings one way or the other.

I will say while I understand Pam's feelings toward Road Scholars and the FB groups, as a non-Rick nick, I have read about poor tour guides on his tours. One was favoring one group of people over the others in the group and another tour guide was just not engaged. Both were dealt with by the company after the tour, but it does happen. I also read the reviews of RS tours and some tour members can be a bit rosy eyed as well.

That said, good tours are usually in the eyes of the beholders. Went on a wonderful Barcelona history tour with a guide majoring in Cataln history.. He talked about dates, different groups that settled, etc. I thought he was wonderful but as I was walking to the Metro, I overheard another couple talking about how they couldn't wait for him to shut up and it was the a boring tour just full of history. Different strokes.

was not meant to be critical, I see where it might have sounded that way. Upthread a poster mentioned Rick Steves tours are fully owned by Rick steves company. I took that to mean that the guides are employees fully under control of the office admin. Road Scholar tours also employ 1099 contractors. It's a fine line between contractor & employee as far as control of the guides time & process. The more a company controls the time & methods of a contractor the closer they get to being a employee. Rick steves office has a good system to keep the tours similar across the platform. I'm sure the office has plenty of legal advice on where the line is. One former guide was pretty bitter about being left to fend for themselves. (I didn't sympathise much) As you say on to the next gig

That makes sense, Mark - thanks for the clarification.

Horsewoofie, I did the RS Tuscany tour in May, 2023. I just haven’t had time to write a trip report. I do have a couple of things to share that might be important for you to know:

Starting in 2024, The La Moscadella agriturismo will no longer be included in the RS Tuscany tour. They are moving to a “7 night minimum” business model. That is a real pity, because it is one of the nicest, most luxurious places we have ever stayed. ( tour or independent). It will be replaced with the agriturismo at the Marenna cattle ranch. We had a tour/lunch there. We didn’t see any of the accommodations, so I can’t speak to that. However, the property is very isolated, flat, and rustic.

Starting in 2024, Elba is removed from the itinerary. To us, that is a good choice. Ironic that it was of the big draws for us when selecting that itinerary. The reality was disappointing. Our hotel room was tiny, dark, dingy, reeked of mold and we had no hot water. Two long nights for sure. Elba is the only place we have ever traveled where we felt unwelcome as tourists. In two separate restaurants we actually had to leave ( after 30 minutes of waiting) because no one would come take our order. ( Yes, we asked to order. Yes, other people were ordering at their tables. ) I am sure the language barrier was part of it, but it still made finding food a quest.

There is a lot of redundancy on this tour. While charming, the hill towns start to feel all the same. There were many activities that just sort of felt like “ fillers”.

This is a very rigorous tour. Turns out that hill towns are…hilly!😂 There was no respite from steep, stony inclines. And as we were often reminded “ what goes down must come back up”. As challenging as that was, the standing time was worse. On one occasion we were standing for 4 hours without any chance to sit down, use the bathroom, etc.

Food choices are also quite redundant. While every bite we had was delicious, the menus in every location were almost identical. We found ourselves craving some diversity from antipasti, pasta, and pizza. It was even challenging to find a solid salad.

If I were to choose a tour for this area again, I would look for an itinerary that has more unique activities. We had one pasta- making class at Moscadella which will not be used next year, and one wine tasting. We originally considered the RS Village Italy tour, and if we had it do again would have picked that over the Tuscany tour.

TravelingMom, thank you so much for your trip report. It is very helpful. Why in the world were you standing for 4 hours straight? I struggle with 2 hour bathroom breaks!

I appreciate everyone’s feedback. Although I like the idea of extended stays, I’m questioning all the morning and afternoon day trips on the Road Scholar tour. I envision a lot of redundancy in the hill towns.

I’m not ready to make a decision yet. September next year seems so far away.

Honestly, you will never know until you try.I am taking my mom on a Road Scholar tour of Mexico-Oaxaca next year. My mom took a tour a few years ago and I'm not really a tour person but we decided just to see how it goes and have some mom/daughter time.

I just made the youngest age cutoff so expect more elderly members on a Road Scholar tour. Which is not always bad as some of them outpace me when I'm walking in my neighborhood. I did notice that most dinners on our tour are on your own. Which can be intimidating for some but for those of us not used to big meals, it's really more free time to shop or lounge in the hotel. The hotels look similar to the RS kind of hotels so I really think there is no advantage either way. I've heard mixed reviews about the shared meals on Road Scholars.

So I think you should go for it. You could love it or like my Gilligan Island cruise experience, decide that the experience is not for you. Either way you'll had good guides and at least learn about new places.

Hi Everyone, Thanks for all your great ideas and information. It is much appreciated. I want to follow up to let you know my decision.

The more I looked at both the Road Scholar and Rick Steves Tuscany tours, I decided both were not for me. So…. Yesterday I signed up for Rick Steves Village Italy tour for next September. I’ll add pre-tour time in Venice (my happy spot) and post-tour time in Florence and Rome.

horsewoofie, my 1st tour ever with Rick was Village Italy and still one of my top three. I have been taking it again because last time was 2008. My tour guide was Trisha (sp?) and she encouraged a happy hour most evenings & in a country known for its wine there was always folks who had purchased a bottle. We really bonded as a group.

Horsewoofie, you’ve made the right decision in my opinion. My first and only RS tour was the Heart of Italy with days tacked on pre and post tour. That tour was way back in 2010 and I enjoyed it immensely.. I will probably sign up for an RS tour to Turkey or the Adriatic in the future. Have fun planning.

horsewoofie, glad to hear you made a decision - yay! I've heard many good things here about that tour - so many, if fact, that I've been looking into it. I'm sure you will have a fantastic time!

Horsewoofie, great call! We did this tour in 2017, also with Tricia, and it immediately became one of our all-time favorites. It is one that I would gladly do again.

Tricia was a fantastic guide. Oh, here's my trip report, in case you need more convincing: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tours/tour-report-village-italy

Horsewoofie, that’s a great decision! I haven’t been on the Village tour but have been to almost all of the locations independently. That’s a wonderful itinerary!

Horsewoofie, congratulations on your decision ! It sounds like it will be great.

This has been a very interesting thread. Thanks to everyone who contributed their experiences.

This has been an interesting thread, and I appreciate the thoughtful discussion. Village Italy was my first RS tour, in June 2022, and I loved it. A few days in Venice before and a few after sounds lovely. I wrote a trip report — https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/june-2022-village-italy-trip-report-better-late-than — you might find helpful.

PS: if you’re interested in other RS Italy tours, I highly recommend South Italy in the shoulder season. I went in April and the weather and smaller crowds were welcome.

Thanks everyone for making this an interesting thread. You experiences with both Rick Steves and Road Scholar help all of us.

Felicia, I agree. South of Italy is a great tour. It was my first RS tour in 2019. I doubt that there is any "bad" tour. The tours cover so many countries/regions that there is something for everyone's interests. Narrowing down preference is the difficult part.

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Road Scholars' website posts only the "good" reviews.

I went on a RS tour to Costa Rica and although the experience was good, our guide was not very friendly. A bit mean, actually. My own review (left nearly a year ago) has not posted so it appears they don't post critical reviews! Trust Pilot reports 20% (giving 4-5 stars) and 80% that give only 1-2 stars, so how is it that the Road Scholar website shows reviews for all programs at 4.5-5 stars? Yet RS insists they post ALL their reviews. Hmmm.

Date of experience : July 13, 2023

Reply from Road Scholar

Dear Anne, I am responding on behalf of Road Scholar. We post all program reviews that are submitted by program participants on our website. Everyone is welcome to leave a program review through their online account by going to their Past Trips. The star rating displayed on the Program Review page is an average of all evaluations submitted for that program. We read all program evaluations and those who submit an evaluation that does not meet our expectations will receive a follow-up call or message from Road Scholar, so we can better understand the situation and see where improvements can be made. We appreciate the impact a group leader can have on an adventure and would be glad to have a conversation with you. If you haven’t already, we encourage you to contact us directly to provide us with further details. Please email us at [email protected] or call us at 1-800-454-5768. Sincerely, Road Scholar

Roads Scholar charges more than anyone, non-profit? I don't think so.

I have taken 12 safaris in many African countries over the years. I wanted to do Roads Scholars Botswana trip but the single cost without airfare is over $12,000. This pretty much does single for profit not matter what they say. Last year's safari to 4 countries included international and in country air fare and everything else. I'll go with another company.

Date of experience : February 26, 2024

Dear Pat, I am responding on behalf of Road Scholar. We are sorry to hear you will not be taking advantage of a Road Scholar adventure. We are not profiting off of solo travelers. We are a not-for-profit organization. We do not charge anything more than what is charged to us by the hotels. The cost of the single supplement covers only the cost of accommodations. In a double occupancy, the cost of the room is split between two people; in a single, the room cost is the same but only one person is paying. You will also find that on average, you save 20% per night compared with comparable trips offered by commercial tour companies. 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 device, as well as, 24/7 emergency assistance. Sincerely, Road Scholar

Better to watch the travel channel.

When you call the number, you get ads for services. Have you tried calling your own number? There are certainly up sell ads. Especially one for an alert alarm. Frustrating to get through. No people. And no refunds if you have to cancel. You would be better off staying home, looking at You Tube and visiting your local restaurants. Maybe non profit, but someone is making money.

Date of experience : December 17, 2023

Dear Daniel, I am responding on behalf of Road Scholar. It sounds like there may have been a misdial, as we do not offer any ads while calling our Contact Center. We are open Monday through Friday from 9 am to 6:30 pm ET with advisors ready to assist you. If you are unable to wait on the line we have an option to request a callback as soon as someone is available. Our cancellation and transfer fees are not meant to be punitive. They cover the commitments we have made on your behalf with our providers. We try to be as transparent as possible and explain our cancellation and transfer policy on every enrollment call, describe it on our website and include it in our program materials. We highly encourage participants to purchase the optional trip protection plan to help protect their investment, so if they do need to cancel they can file a claim to receive cash reimbursement, for a covered reason, or depending on when the plan was purchased, a credit towards a future program, for a non-covered reason. We see that you were successful in reaching us and someone will be following up with you soon. Sincerely, Road Scholar

Roadscholar travel department nightmare…

In dealing with Roadscholar travel department, it has been a nightmare. Hours on hold, and twice the dates were wrong. They had us arriving two days early, when we clearly stated we wanted only one day early. Itineraries were not given to us until just before the final payment was due, and so there was much tension until we could get it straightened out. Hours on hold with the travel department was nerve racking as their times are limited in that department. Next time we will do our own travel plans, if we use them again.

Date of experience : August 29, 2023

Dear Cherilyn, I am responding on behalf of Road Scholar. We appreciate that it can be frustrating to wait on hold and offer a callback option to help. We call on every callback request the same day it was received. We are also continuing to hire and train our staff to improve our level of service and help reduce wait times. We do apologize for any confusion regarding your departure days and see that we were able to get this straightened out for you. Sincerely, Road Scholar

no response to refund question

We enjoyed out trip to Portugal, but air travel was a nightmare! Road Scholar arranged flights. Of the planned flights, one was cancelled and two were downgraded from business class to economy class. I asked Road Scholar for help in getting a refund and have not received any response, despite multiple emails over multiple weeks. I realize Road Scholar is not responsible for airline schedules. But, I do believe they have a responsibility to respond to customer queries.

Date of experience : May 06, 2023

Dear Mike, I am responding on behalf of Road Scholar. We are happy to hear you enjoyed your recent Portugal adventure. We understand how frustrating flight disruptions can be and apologize for the time it has taken to respond to your inquires. We are actively working on this and will be reaching out to you directly to discuss this in more detail. Sincerely, Road Scholar

Deposit is not refunded or transferred. Be careful

I booked a trip with road scholar and had to put a $500 deposit down. I thought I was told that if I had to cancel, that deposit could be used for another future trip as as I canceled within a certain timeframe .I need knee replacement surgery and I had to cancel the trip .turns out that the $500 was nonrefundable. I’ve never worked with the company that did not allow you to either refund or transfer the deposit as long as you met their cancellation guidelines be careful

Date of experience : January 10, 2023

Dear Mary, I am responding on behalf of Road Scholar. We are sorry you needed to cancel your program. As a not-for-profit organization, our cancellation and transfer fees are not meant to be punitive. They cover the commitments we have made on your behalf with our providers and the administrative costs associated with your enrollment. Transferring at no cost is a possibility for some programs, but not all, depending on the adventure and the time of the requested transfer. Our transfer and cancel policy is reviewed during enrollment before the deposit is requested, and is included in the enrollment confirmation notice/email. We also offer an optional trip protection plan for one to purchase to help protect themselves if they find they have to cancel. We wish you the best with your surgery. Warmly, Road Scholar

Stay away from this company

Stay away from this company. We had booked a trip with Road Scholar but after reviewing the trip with my Doctor, the Doctor said it would be much too strenuous with our physical limitations. We informed the company more than 3 months prior to the start of the trip but they refused to return our refund.

Date of experience : July 14, 2022

My mother in law purchased a trip with insurance. She cancelled the trip 8 months before because of medical issues and has since passed away. We called road scholars to see if we could go on her trip , get a credit or receive the money back from the scheduled trip that she had insurance on. Road Scholars was totally useless. The trip could not be transferred and we received no money back! Do not get insurance on a trip that you are using vouchers for… total waste of money! We weren’t even able to use her several thousand dollars that she had in credits. Shame on them for lack of customer service.

Date of experience : July 27, 2022

Don't book if you might get sick!!! No pity

I booked a trip for self and partner, and as we are older, I booked the insurance offered. We were not able to take the trip, as my partner found that his neuropathy deteriorated to the point that he could not keep up with the activity level that Road Scholar required. Unfortunately, Road Scholar was only willing to refund half the fees, and the rest was only available as a credit to future trips. Since we cannot take a future trip I asked to be able to transfer the fees to someone else. They refused. The insurance company, AON, for reasons best known to them refused any compensation. Shame on both companies. BYW, they also do not have any links on their site to this trip or the previous one we took, so I cannot leave a review there.

Date of experience : June 19, 2022

I am responding on behalf of Road Scholar. We are sorry to hear you were unable to attend your adventure. As a not-for-profit organization, our cancellation and transfer fees are not meant to be punitive. They cover the commitments we have made on your behalf with our providers and the administrative costs associated with your enrollment. There are costs associated with every enrollment, no matter how early someone enrolls. These include administrative costs and reservations we have begun making in your name for the different components of your program. Because of these costs, our fees apply from the moment you enroll in the program, and are charged regardless of the reason for cancellation. Having had the optional trip protection plan you were able to file a claim and received a credit towards a future program. Unfortunately, this credit is not transferable to someone else, but we do have options. If you are not able to travel in person at this time we do have some wonderful online adventures. Please feel free to contact us at 877-426-8056 for further details. Sincerely, Road Scholar

Road Scholar flight bookings

I booked a trip and arranged my air travel through Road Scholar. I just discovered that Road Scholar travel never paid for my flight although I paid in full already. I am in danger of having my flight reservation canceled. Trying to speak to anyone at Road Scholar is a nightmare. Their travel agency is only open 3 days a week and you have to go through Road Scholar to get through to them on those other days. I have been on hold for 1 hour. I will never use them again.

Date of experience : September 05, 2023

Dear Kathleen, I am responding on behalf of Road Scholar. The day after a holiday can be very busy for our Contact Center, which can contribute to increased wait times. To try and help, we do provide a callback option so you don’t have to hang on the line. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused and see that we were able to connect with you to help get your airfare finalized. We hope that you enjoy your upcoming adventure. Sincerely, Road Scholar

Spent over $1100 on deposit and trip…

Spent over $1100 on deposit and trip insurance. We had to cancel because the trip was too strenuous for us. We got nothing back. Probably our fault for not doing due diligence but beware.

Date of experience : December 08, 2022

Dear Kevin, I am responding on behalf of Road Scholar. We are sorry your selected adventure was not a good fit. Our cancellation and transfer fees are not meant to be punitive. They cover the commitments we have made on your behalf with our providers and the administrative costs associated with your enrollment. Transferring at no cost is a possibility for some programs, but not all, depending on the adventure and the time of the requested transfer. Our transfer and cancel policy is reviewed during enrollment before the deposit is requested, and is included in the enrollment confirmation notice/email. Since you purchased the optional trip protection plan you can file a claim to seek reimbursement for your cancellation fees. Depending on when you purchased the optional trip protection plan you may be eligible for the cancel for any reason benefit, which provides a credit towards a future program if your claim is not approved for cash reimbursement by Aon Affinity. Please feel free to contact us with any questions at 877-426-8056. Sincerely, Road Scholar

Excellent experience

We are very experienced travelers, and this was our first time with Road Scholar. We recently completed a trip to Israel, Jordan and Egypt in March 2023 and it was wonderful. The hotels were first class and much better than I anticipated. The guides were excellent in each country. The group was 23 people. The buses they used were all exceptionally clean, very spacious comfortable and safe. A couple of days prior to the end of the trip many of us learned that our flights home had been cancelled by the airlines, due to a labor strike in Germany on Lufthansa. Road Scholar immediately rebooked everyone who had arranged their flights through RS. We are looking forward to our next trip on RS.

Date of experience : March 27, 2023

Road Scholar is GREAT for seniors!

I went to France for 6 weeks with Road Scholar and everything about this trip was perfect! Lovely, caring tour leaders, incredible support, and so many amazing educational adventures! Of course, this was PARIS, so beauty was everywhere, but be aware that Paris is a big city, with all the problems and quirks of urban life. Nevertheless, the HISTORY and ART of Paris are mind-bending-ly wonderful. I plan to travel again in 3 months with Road Scholar. My only warning is that if you are over 70 and have mobility issues, some trips are not for you. Road Scholar rates every trip for mobility so PAY ATTENTION if you can't walk far, or need a walker!!

Date of experience : November 30, 2021

Road Scholar is 100 tops in every way

Road Scholar is 100 tops in every way! My PRAGUE experience was so gr8, I immediately booked another trip and eyeing another 4 next year! Their offer & promises surpassed all expectations! It was an overall fantastic trip! My first booking had 2 B canceled due 2 lack of enrollment. The organization did exactly what was promised: Keeping in touch in a timely manner & prompt refund! Margrit

Date of experience : May 10, 2018

We were scheduled for a hiking trip in…

We were scheduled for a hiking trip in August which was cancelled less than two months before the start of the trip citing they did not have the staff. Now I am out flights, shuttle fees and extra nights I booked for hotels. BEWARE

Date of experience : July 01, 2022

The key word above is “recent”

The key word above is “recent”. I have been on 4 RS trips and enjoyed each one. I would rate then 4.8 to 5 stars! My most recent experience with RS is less than 1 star, however. Reason: Covid vaccine mandate. 🤯

Date of experience : February 10, 2023

Dear Sandy, I am responding on behalf of Road Scholar. The health and welfare of our participants and staff are the most important considerations. We do have a team dedicated to safety around our adventures, who also consult medical professionals to ensure we are up to date on all information. Creating this policy was not an easy decision for us and we hate to disappoint anyone who wants to join a Road Scholar learning adventure. We do hope to relax this requirement at some point, but we do not know when that will be at this time. If there are any changes to this requirement we will be sure to inform all of our participants and update our materials accordingly. If you are interested, you can stay up to date on all requirements by going to our website to Travel Updates and COVID Information. We hope to see you on a Road Scholar adventure in the future. Sincerely, Road Scholar

Our trip to Egypt

Our trip to Egypt was cut short by a week because of the Covid-19 situation. I had purchased trip insurance through Road Scholar for that trip. Obviously, it had to be cut short, but Road Scholar assured us that we would be reimbursed for the part of the trip we missed. That did not happen. They have sent me many requests for donations, and nothing about reimbursement. After almost 2 months are requesting some remuneration, they finally offered a small credit toward another trip....but it had to be by June 5th. Um...we are still in the middle of a pandemic, so that's not going to happen. They have not offered one penny of my money back even though I bought my insurance from them. Yes, they're an educational travel group...and boy! did I get an education.

Date of experience : May 20, 2020

Road Scholar.org -Lots of travel options

Shopping and scheduling my May 2017 trip was easy, however there are so many options I had to choose my top 3 then go with only one. The trip was as advertised, well planned, good quality guide, lodging and food. We had some free time daily, at least one hour. The trip are rated by activity level, phone staff know the answers to questions and they have a repeat travelers.

Date of experience : May 29, 2017

False itinerary

We just returned from: Hawaii’s National Parks: Exploring Four Islands from Volcanoes to Pearl Harbor I am extremely disappointed that Road Scholar is publishing an itinerary they KNOW cannot happen. This trip has 3+ days on Molokai and almost everything on the agenda doesn't exist: the ferry has been closed for over 6 years, the National Historic Park has been closed to visitors since the pandemic, the Nene sanctuary is closed, the sugar mill isn't restored to operational, etc. Molokai itself is not conducive to tourism. The Sheraton has been closed for a long time, leaving an unappealing half star as the only option. The transportation was laughable - old/dirty passenger vans that BOTH broke down, or a school bus. The food was the worst on the trip and the lunches were terrible cold box lunches - largely left uneaten. The local guide made disparaging remarks about the United States, and there were signs for "no tourism" and "go home". Why road Scholar would continue to publish a fictional itinerary that has been inaccurate for 6 years is beyond me and insulting. Unfortunately, the poor treatment we received on Molokai has tainted my opinion of the entire trip.

Date of experience : February 14, 2023

Dear John, I am responding on behalf of Road Scholar. We are sorry to hear about your disappointment in your recent adventure. We understand there were some unexpected factors that impacted your experience including a storm, flight delays and a bus break down. It’s unfortunate that Kalaupapa National Historical Park is still not accessible and understandable that this was a disappointment too. At the same time, the reasons for the closure are understandable given the frail elderly population of patients that still live there and the Covid pandemic environment which still lingers on. We have been hoping with each season since we’ve resumed operating that Kalaupapa NHP would re-open to the general public. Moloka’i offers an experience of what Hawaii was like 50 years ago. It’s incredibly undeveloped compared to the other islands which is part of its charm and means hotel options are limited. Moloka`i and Kalaupapa NHP have been a highlight of this long-running program. We appreciate your feedback and are making some necessary improvements to this program. Our staff has been in direct communication with all participants and extended a goodwill gesture for the experience. Sincerely, Road Scholar

There is a nonrefundable deposit

Please know that Road Scholar will always keep a nonrefundable $100 deposit. I cannot find that buried in all the paper and fine print but they state it is there??? I paid for trip cancellation 170, it was under 10 days, and they agreed it was a valid health reason. I was verbally told all would be refunded. I guess that person made a mistake. That is not true. Cannot trust this company...if for UN coveted reason they will put that money on a future trip. But if you don't pay for another trip, they will always keep at least 100.. they will keep more rhe closer to your date. That is very clearly spelled out. Do not try to get them to answer phone. They will not Do not believe "they will hold your place and call you back" They will not Do not believe they will promptly answer emails. They will not I can imagine what adisaster it woukd be if I needed to contact while traveling

Date of experience : August 25, 2023

Dear Jane, I am responding on behalf of Road Scholar. We are sorry you had to cancel your program and for any frustration not being able to reach us may have caused. We do call on every callback request the same day it was received, as well as, try and respond to any emails in a timely fashion. We try to be as transparent as possible with our transfer and cancel policy. This is posted on our website, reviewed during enrollment before the deposit is requested, and is included in the enrollment confirmation notice/email. Our cancellation and transfer fees are not meant to be punitive. They cover the commitments we have made on your behalf with our providers and the administrative costs associated with your enrollment. Transferring at no cost is a possibility for some programs, but not all, depending on the adventure and the time of the requested transfer. Since you purchased the optional trip protection plan you can file a claim to seek reimbursement for your cancellation fees. Depending on when you purchased the optional trip protection plan you may be eligible for the cancel for any reason benefit, which provides a credit towards a future program if your claim is not approved for cash reimbursement by Aon Affinity. Please feel free to contact us with any questions at 1-877-426-8056. Sincerely, Road Scholar

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How to plan a road trip in the Bavarian Alps

A week-long drive through the mountains of southern Germany takes in a range of architectural wonders.

While not as high or visually dramatic as some other sections of the European range, the Bavarian Alps come with plenty of charm. Cowbells resound across high pastures, wooden huts serve cold beer and turquoise lakes shimmer in the countryside below. There’s also, of course, a famous castle. Schloss Neuschwanstein welcomes huge numbers of visitors every year and fronts many a guidebook — and it has notably just undergone the largest restoration project in its 150-year history. Travelling from west to east, this road trip starts at the landmark before making stops at other impressive structures, notable buildings and feats of engineering across the region.

1. Schloss Neuschwanstein  

Kick things off at one of Germany’s most recognisable locations, the enchanting castle said to have inspired those featured in Disney’s Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. The most extensive makeover to date, including meticulous work on paintings, furniture and a one-tonne chandelier, began in 2017 and is due to be completed this summer. Book onto a guided tour to see the results for yourself, then stroll to nearby Marienbrücke bridge for a view back at the turreted marvel.

2.   The Passion Play Theatre

For a scenic mountain route, drive via Plansee in Austria to reach Oberammergau. The village is adorned with murals known as Lüftlmalerei, including depictions of Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood. But there’s another, different story this place wants to tell. Locals have been putting on a once-a-decade Passion Play, telling the story of the Crucifixion, for almost four centuries — a pledge once made to fend off the plague. The next performance is scheduled for 2030, but you can join a daily tour of the specially built theatre.

3.   Zugspitze Cable Car

Drive south to the island-dotted lake of Eibsee and the Zugspitze cable car. Its construction, which began in 2015 and took two years, was a veritable engineering feat: carrying up to 120 people each, its glass cabins glide smoothly to the 2,962m summit of Germany’s highest mountain in a matter of minutes. Buy a return ticket, allowing plenty of time to take in the panorama: on a clear day, you can see peaks as far as Austria, Italy and Switzerland.

4.   Tegernseer Hütte

Next, head east and get ready for a hike to the Tegernseer Hütte, a mountain hut perched between the peaks of Roßstein and Buchstein. First constructed in 1903, it was rebuilt in 1965 after a lightning strike. The quickest path takes two hours or less from the car park just west of Bayerwald, zig-zagging through forests, meadows and rougher terrain at the end. Alternatively, there’s a gentler three-hour option. Set off early to reach the terrace for lunch or book well in advance for an overnight and time without the crowds.

5.   Wendelstein Cog Railway

Continue along the shores of the Tegernsee and through Bayrischzell until you reach the village of Brannenburg. From here, hop onto one of the yellow carriages that shuttle visitors up and down the Wendelstein mountain. Built between 1910 and 1912, this high-Alpine rack railway was the first of its kind in Germany. Since modernised, it takes you over bridges, through tunnels, under galleries and around rock faces in around 25 minutes.

6.   Eagle’s Nest

Follow the road via Reit im Winkl to the Berchtesgadener Land, where the Kehlsteinhaus (nicknamed the Eagle’s Nest) was built atop a rocky outcrop as a retreat for Nazi leadership in the 1930s. Leave your car in Obersalzberg and take a designated bus up Germany’s highest road; a brass-lined lift inside the hillside will then take you to the site, now maintained as a restaurant. There are guided tours of the area to learn about its turbulent past, then end the trip exploring the wider Berchtesgaden National Park.

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The Best of Utah's Grand Circle of Parks and Monuments

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• I like to spend much of the day exploring
• Whether walking through historic neighborhoods at a moderate pace or out and about on a coach, I prefer to keep my days full
• Stairs don’t bother me, and I love to keep up with the group

What's this trip about?

Compare to similar trips.

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Travel themes.

• Culinary & Wine
• National Parks
• Nature & Wildlife
• Relaxing Retreats
• Yoga, Meditation & Wellness
• Photography

Destinations

• North America
• United States

Attractions

• Bryce Canyon National Park
• Capitol Reef National Park
• Relaxing Retreat
• Wildlife viewing
• Yoga & Meditation

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Hotel check-in from 3:00 p.m.

Walking up to 2 miles on sandy, uneven, and rocky trails with a max elevation change of 100 feet. Getting on/off motorcoach for short drive to Snow Canyon State Park.

Walking up to 3 miles total throughout the day; about 3 hours; dry streambed terrain in Grand Wash, short walks on boardwalks at the Petroglyph Panel. Driving about 20 miles one way; approx. 1/2 hour.

Walking up to 1 mile total at Dead Horse Point and Canyonlands. Drive from Torrey to Moab is approximately 155 miles, about 3 hours.

Walking 2-3 miles throughout the day; groomed trails with some elevation change. Minimal driving.

Walking up to 1 mile in museums and visitor centers. Drive from Moab, Utah, to Lake Powell, Arizona, is approximately 280 miles; about 4.5 hours with a stop for lunch in Monument Valley.

Getting on/off a motorized raft; the float trip is about 3.5 hours with a bathroom break at the half way point. Drive time back to Page, AZ is 1 hour.

Walking up to 1 mile in Antelope Canyon; sandy trails. Drive from Page, Arizona, to St George, Utah, is approximately 150 miles; about 3 hours, with one rest stop in the afternoon at the Grand Staircase Visitors Center in Kanab, Utah.

Hotel check-out by 10:00 a.m.

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Dates & Availability

Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Road Scholar .

The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.

Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.

Road Scholar Reviews & Ratings

Other road scholar reviews, not a good bicycle trip.

Our family of four, including two adult children, took the Bicycling: Day Trips to Paradise in Canada. This trip is entirely outsourced to the owners of the inn, th...

Travel Section Incompetent, Unhelpful, and Won't correct error

I booked a tour to Italy for May 2024. I cancelled in Oct. for a lot of reasons. Before I enrolled, I asked if Road Scholar would book the flights so that on the las...

Jane Johnson

There is a nonrefundable deposit

Please know that Road Scholar will always keep a nonrefundable $100 deposit. I cannot find that buried in all the paper and fine print but they state it is there???...

See all Other Road Scholar reviews

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Tour operator, road scholar.

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.

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