New ‘Road Scholar’ program through Elderhostel open to all

Attention, baby boomers: Those AARP cards in the mail that herald your 50th birthday aren’t the only sign you’re entering your golden years. Now, you’re being targeted by Elderhostel.

The 29-year-old Boston-based tour company, which dominates the business of educational trips for seniors, is launching offerings aimed squarely at the soon-to-retire generation.

Dubbed “Road Scholar” tours, the itineraries will offer less structure, more free time and smaller group sizes than traditional Elderhostel programs.

“There are a lot of people in their 50s and 60s who are entering another stage of their lives,” says Jim Moses, the company’s president. “What we’re trying to do is reach out to them.”

The new line is a departure for the tourism empire built on catering to the interests of the World War II generation. But with the size and mobility of that generation waning, the company is at a crossroads

Participation in Elderhostel’s 10,000 programs dropped to 191,000 in 2002, from 260,000 in 1999. The average age of its customers has jumped to 72, up from 68 in 1984 — a sign that it needs to lure a new generation.

But are boomers ready?

“The name Elderhostel itself is somewhat off-putting, even for people who are in their 70s,” Moses concedes.

The name isn’t the only stumbling block. Boomers want different experiences than their parents do, he says: “They are looking for more independence.”

Enter the Road Scholar program (800-466-7762; www.roadscholar.org), which does away with Elderhostel’s famously structured learning forays.

With Elderhostel, which began in 1975 as a low-cost way for retirees to take educational trips, “you’re pretty much programmed from the time you get there to the time it’s over,” Moses says. Road Scholar “is for people who don’t want quite so much done for them.”

Unlike traditional Elderhostel trips, Road Scholar is for anyone 21 or older. Group sizes will hover around 20, about half as many as a traditional Elderhostel trip. Sample offerings:

• In Cambodia, Road Scholars can meet Buddhist monks in a monastery.

• A West Virginia rafting trip includes education on Appalachia.

Road Scholar trips, often including lodging in three- or four-star hotels, also will be pricier. An 11-night Scottish Highlands tour costs $3,990; an Elderhostel trip to the same region that lasts 17 nights costs $3,741. The least expensive Road Scholar trip costs $695.