Road Scholar's story is about mission and history, and how to make a gift now.
After four years of backpacking through Europe, Marty Knowlton was hired as the director of the University of New Hampshire's youth hostel program.Sharing tales of his travels with his friend David Bianco, who was the university's director of residential life, Knowlton stressed how impressed he was with European youth hostels and the tradition of "folk schools" for adults.
They wondered why there weren't more opportunities for American adults to travel and learn.There are more options for Americans to stay active and engaged in retirement.
The two hatched an idea to offer courses for students over 60 to engage with faculty and stay in unused dorm rooms in the summer.Bianco was inspired when he saw the white-bearded Knowlton sitting beneath a sign.
The campus should have an elder hostel instead of a youth hostel.Bianco exclaimed.
Road Scholar was founded as Elderhostel in the summer of 1975 to combine not-for-credit classes with inexpensive lodging for older adults.The first programs to 220 participants were offered by five New England colleges.
More than 20,000 adults had experienced a learning adventure with us in all 50 states and most of Canada by 1980.The first international programs in Great Britain were introduced in 1981.More than 4 million adults took Elderhostel programs by the year 2010, and the organization changed its name to Road Scholar.
Over 100,000 people are served annually by Road Scholar's learning adventures.In every state of the U.S., 150 countries and aboard ships on rivers and oceans, our programs combine travel and education to provide an extraordinary range of topics, formats and locations.
Road Scholar strives to always remain true to our roots, even though the "hostel" lodging of long ago has given way to more comfortable accommodations.
We continue to design programs that foster a sense of community and camaraderie for an organization that started as a chat between friends.