Elderhostel and Road Scholar Partnerships Can Earn Economic Honors

Elderhostel is the first and largest educational and travel organization for adults ages 55 and older. A nonprofit organization, Elderhostel was established in 1975 and works in partnership with local hosts who negotiate individually to keep a percentage of each package sold. Road Scholar was developed by Elderhostel for adults of all ages, particularly those ages 40 to 60s.

Who:

Elderhostel and Road Scholar travelers pay a fee for an all-inclusive package that includes meals, programs, trips and gratuities. Nearly 200,000 people a year participate in an Elderhostel program.

What:

Elderhostel offers more than 10,000 various theme packages annually in more than 90 countries. The program includes lectures, field trips, excursions, and discussions focused around the program theme.

Traditional programs focus on art, literature, history, peoples, issues, and ecology.

Exploring North America programs have included the sub-themes of American Heritage, American Landscapes, Cultural Arts, Food & Wine, Houses and Gardens, National Parks, and Signature Cities.

Other program areas are: Active Outdoor, Service Programs, Adventure Afloat, and Intergenerational travel with grandchildren.

The Road Scholar program began in 2004 and offers behind the scenes experiences at museums, archaeological sites, private estates and other destinations with instructor guides and local experts. Scheduling also allows for independent exploration time. Groups are generally limited to 23 members.

When:

Elderhostel and Road Scholar programs are offered year-round.

Where:

Elderhostel and Road Scholar programs are offered in more than 90 countries.

How:

The local byway organization negotiates individually with Elderhostel to develop and offer local programs. The byway organization would design the program in keeping with a chosen theme area and would submit the proposed program for approval by Elderhostel. Once approved, Elderhostel lists the program in its seasonal catalog and online and takes registrations and payments from participants. The byway organization handles all local logistics, e.g., arranging for guides and speakers, program sites and excursions.

Funding Potential:

Funding potential is negotiated individually by each Elderhostel partner and is influenced by program length and costs.

One byway representative reports raising $6,000 after expenses for a two-week Elderhostel program. Another byway representative reports participating in three to four Elderhostel programs a year that attract 18 to 35 participants each with a result of about $10,000 in annual profit after expenses.

Seaway Trail, Inc. participated as a partner with Elderhostel for seven years and averaged an income of $17,000 per year. For the Trailwide overnight tours, byway staff, board members or volunteers acted as guides. Staff, board members and volunteers also helped with localized, in-one-community programs. One year’s Elderhostel programming on the Seaway Trail produced $92,000 in gross revenue with $72,000 of that amount paid out to byway-based accommodations, restaurants and services.

Why Elderhostel/Road Scholar Tours:

• Promote lifelong learning opportunities associated with the byway

• Help participating communities promote a sense of local pride as part of the byway

• Support byway-community partnerships

• Raise funds for byway and partner nonprofit

Resources:

Elderhostel

Road Scholar

Study Tours of the National Trust for Historic Preservation

Acknowledgements:

Thanks go to Adam Hurtubise of Elderhostel for assisting development of this case profile.