Going for It: How Road Scholars Are Aging Adventurously
- Aging adventurously isn’t just a phrase, it’s a movement. Road Scholars aren’t slowing down, they’re treating this season of life as an opportunity for bold new beginnings.
- Whether through educational travel, new hobbies, physical fitness or other activities, Road Scholars are showing that lifelong learning and growth are unceasing pursuits.
- From painting classes to beekeeping, hiking to kayaking, and travel across the country or around the world, our participants are embracing a wide-open horizon for new achievements and vitality.
Road Scholars never cease to amaze us!
In celebration of the second annual Age Adventurously Day (June 8), we asked: What will you be doing to age adventurously? How will you embrace the joys of lifelong learning and personal growth? The response we got was overwhelming — and really, really inspiring. Here are some of the ways your friends and neighbors are proving that “older means bolder”!
You’re traveling (of course!)
“I am planning to go to New Zealand (perhaps solo!) in the fall, India in January with my partner, and Greece next spring with my son. This is the season in my life for adventure!”
— Dawn S., from High Point, N.C.
“I’ll be packing up to fly out for a journey starting above the Arctic Circle in Tromsø, Norway! I’ll be embarking on a 19-day journey exploring sites in Norway, along its coast, the Faroe Islands and finally Iceland before returning home. A great adventure for me!”
— Chris R., from Detroit, Mich.
Dawn S., from High Point, N.C.
“I will be with my husband on a river voyage on the Danube, and in Romania on June 8. We often muse that ‘there’s not that many shopping days until Christmas.’ It reminds us that every day is a gift, and that it’s important to enjoy each even in the smallest measurement. Traveling is one of our favorite pleasures on this wonderful ride!”
— Vicki B., from Sante Fe, N.M.
“Taking the train coast to coast from California to Massachusetts to see places where my ancestors lived.”
— Susan R., from Saratoga, Calif.
“I am a recently retired elementary school teacher. I taught language arts and social studies and I was always interested in learning and teaching about new places. This gave me the travel bug! I decided that my goal is to get to all seven continents. Next March I will be going to Antarctica on my first Road Scholar program. Each year I taught a unit about penguins, and I always told my students that one day I would go there. I am beyond excited to make this dream come true. I have been blessed with two passions: travel and teaching. I couldn't imagine not having either one.”
— Jane M., from Palmer, Alaska
“I’ll be hiking with Road Scholar on the Quebec/Vermont adventure. I’ve been working to be in shape for that and for May week-long walks in Ireland and England. Gotta keep moving!”
— Evelyn L., from Bridgton, Maine
Vicki B., from Sante Fe, N.M.
You’re pursuing interests, old and new.
“I am super-excited to report that I am joining a hike to find the Kirtland’s Warbler. As a nerdy birder, I am looking forward to this adventure! I hear they are very hard to get a picture of.”
— Betty S., from Boyne Falls, Mich.
“I have always wanted to learn to dance the tango. It is such a sensuous and romantic dance, not to mention difficult. So I signed up for lessons to learn and will go dancing with friends on June 8. One of the top traveling destinations still on my list is Argentina, and I would love to tango when I go there!”
— Sue M., from Huntington Beach, Calif.
“I will be ice dancing with my coach/pro partner! I plan to put some gold-level steps into the new choreography we’ll debut at a competition later in the summer.”
— Elizabeth O., from Westfield, Mass.
“I plan to be in my apiary inspecting my honey bees. Beekeeping is a hobby I took up about 12 years ago. It combined my love of insects, flora, being outside, honey (yum!) and food manufacturing. Being a lifelong learner, like practically all people I've met on Road Scholar programs are, made me want to learn so much about beekeeping I eventually became a Cornell-certified Master Beekeeper and teach beginning beekeeping courses to others as well as ‘wrangle’ honey bees in our local county bee booth.”
— Jean M., from Flemington, N.J.
“I have just begun to participate in Polynesian dance classes for adults! The first class was yesterday and I think I did OK. I have always enjoyed watching hula and similar dances from other Polynesian societies, and I very much enjoyed Road Scholar’s ‘Easter Island: The Majesty and Mystery of Rapa Nui.’”
— Patricia S., from Los Angeles, Calif.
Jean M., from Flemington, N.J.
“I’m taking a watercolor painting class through our library. I don't have any artistic talent whatsoever, but I think it'll be fun to try and see what I can come up with.”
— Debbie C., from North East, Md.
“Once a month, a neighbor and I choose a neighborhood restaurant and go to try it out. The rules are that we have to be able to walk and they have to serve lunch. There’s one we’ve talked about before but still haven't gone there. Well, June 8 is the day!”
— Vivian V., from Sacramento, Calif.
Dan M., from Tumwater, Wash.
You’re getting outdoors.
“I’m going tent camping with my grandson on Mount Charleston, Nevada. Just the two of us. I started camping with him a couple of years ago. I’m 75 now but still love the outdoors! We will spend a couple of nights at my favorite campsite on top of the mountain. Study the night sky. In the daytime, we'll hike, explore several trails in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and try to catch a sighting of the wild horses that like to gather in a meadow there.”
— Sarah B., from Las Vegas, Nevada
“Hiking in the Black Hills in my home state of South Dakota.”
— Shay C., from Black Hawk, S.D.
“I will be sea kayaking in and around the Deception Pass area in northwest Washington state, learning to get through challenging currents.”
— Dan M., from Tumwater, Wash.
“I’m staying in a yurt on the Umpqua River in Oregon and hiking the famous waterfalls in the area.”
— Christina G, Central Point, Ore.
“I’ll be swimming across the Delaware River from Lambertville, N.J., to New Hope, Pa. I’ve done this swim many times. This year I am wearing swim-fins for the first time!”
— Patrick G., Plainsboro, N.J.
You’re helping out.
“I’ll be joining the California State Parks Foundation and volunteering at Silver Strand State Beach. I’m going to pull invasive thistle so that native plants and animals can return to the area and flourish.”
— PJ J., from California
“I’ll be wearing my new, age-appropriate bathing suit to a friend’s heated swimming pool at her condo complex and giving a volunteer water aerobics session with lots of fun ideas.”
— Eleanor H., from Livingston, N.J.
“On June 8, I’ll have just wrapped up a 100-mile walk for the Walk to End Lupus Now, a fundraising event for the Lupus Foundation of America.”
— Karen V., from Edmond, Okla
“I will be aging adventurously by performing with my choir, ‘Voices of Aloha,’ in Normandy, France. We were invited to perform in the 2026 ceremony commemorating the anniversary of D-Day and we will deliver a message of peace through our songs. Joining a choir has given me new opportunities for community service, for we perform in nursing homes and public libraries. It allows me to engage in singing as a hobby and engage my brain in learning new songs and music theory. It has led me to make new friends and connect people with other people.”
— Linda C., from Aiea, Hawaii
PJ J., from California
You’re … wow!
“I celebrated Age Adventurously by preparing for the 2026 Air Race Classic! The ARC is a transcontinental air derby of all women pilots, ranging in age from 16-96! Every year in June, approximately 100 women pilots gather to race their airplanes 2,400 miles over 4 days, stopping in 8-9 different states. We celebrate the pioneering women from 1929 who started this race, and all the ones who have come before us.”
— Donna H. from San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
“I’m embarking on a 2,000-mile solo, self-supported bike tour. Beginning in my hometown, Hamilton, Mich., and heading east to Canada, circumnavigating Lakes Erie and Ontario and then heading back west along both lakes. And then dropping down to visit my daughters in Ohio and Indiana before I return home about three weeks later. I will be camping along the way and preparing most of my own meals. It will be a big adventure!”
— Thomas B., from Hamilton, Mich.
“Not sure exactly — maybe date a younger man! Now that would be an adventure!”
— Pat C., from Wilmington, N.C.
And just one more …
“June 8 is my 80th birthday! So, whatever adventures happen, I am celebrating a milestone. I know that there will be family involved, and more than likely a meal — hopefully something Italian — with fennel flavored sausage and a red sauce made from my last-summer tomato sauce. When I think about celebrating this milestone birthday, I also celebrate that I am part of the lives of all of my grandsons — I am part of their cheering squad. If there is a concert somewhere near, I would love to partake — music provides creative energy for me. So, nothing elaborate, just a birthday full of family and things I love — and that is the best adventure I can imagine.”
— Julie M., from Edina, Minn.
That’s just a small sampling from over 1,000 responses to our question! It’s a wonderful reminder of how so many Road Scholars are seizing the day and continuing to lead lives of learning, exploration and personal growth. Keep aging adventurously!