Road Scholar is a nonprofit educational and travel organization for people 21 years and older. The organization’s programs combine classroom learning and tours at locations throughout the world.
Road Scholar participants learn about the places they visit through lectures, excursions, and other activities. Road Scholar offers a wide variety of programs. Intergenerational programs, for example, provide learning experiences for grandparents and their grandchildren. Service programs allow participants to volunteer for community projects that focus on such issues as education, poverty, and the environment.
Marty Knowlton, an American activist and educator, and David Bianco, an American university administrator, founded the organization under the name Elderhostel in 1975. It was originally available to adults aged 60 and older, and often the program housed travelers in college dormitories. As the organization evolved, Elderhostel reduced its age requirement and became more focused on educational tours, housing people in ordinary hotels and conference centers. The organization changed its name to Exploritas in 2009 and to Road Scholar in 2010. Its headquarters are in Boston.
