Full Circle: A Second-Generation Road Scholar's Story
"I've become my parents — this is horrible!" Road Scholar Judith F. laughs, recalling the moment in 2016 when she discovered she had accidentally enrolled in a program with Elderhostel, by then known as Road Scholar. The irony wasn't lost on her — her parents had been among the very first Elderhostelers back in 1975, the year Elderhostel was founded and the same year she was married.
Judith (on the far left) with other Road Scholars
That connection to Road Scholar's earliest days begins with a story of missed opportunities transformed. "My parents were New York City kids," Judith explains. "They went to New York University, but they never had the chance to live in a dormitory and experience campus life. They were commuter kids, and they had always regretted that."
As educators themselves — her father became a professor, her mother a Brandeis scholar and teacher — they watched with a touch of envy as their children went off to "sleepaway" universities, including Judith's brother at Cornell.
When they learned about a new program called Elderhostel in 1975, offering the chance to have a learning experience while living in a university dormitory, her parents jumped at the opportunity. Their excitement was palpable.
"That was, I think, one of the highlights of their life up until then," Judith remembers. "That they had that opportunity as educators to be educated in such an environment — sleeping in a dormitory, eating in a cafeteria."
Cornell University
Their enthusiasm sometimes good-naturedly exceeded their daughter's patience in the midst of wedding planning. "They called me saying, 'We are in the same dormitory as your brother David was!'" Judith recalls with a laugh. "I said, 'Who cares? I have a fitting for my wedding dress next week! But I’m glad you’re having fun.'" They even sent her pictures of their meal cards, thrilled by every aspect of campus life.
Four decades later, in 2016, Judith, now a teacher herself, was searching for a summer learning adventure before her son's first child was due. "Everywhere I had looked, things were booked," she remembers.
While scrolling through options with her son, he spotted something. "What's this thing, Road Scholar?" he asked. When Judith saw the fine print mentioning Elderhostel, she realized she had come full circle.
That "horrible" realization turned into a love affair with learning and travel that would have made her parents proud.
Now approaching her 15th Road Scholar program, Judith, too, resonates with Road Scholar’s educational mission. Her adventures have taken her from Scotland to China, from the Danube to Egypt, where an uncomfortably hot trip inspired an idea for her next big adventure one day: Antarctica.
Antarctica
As a solo traveler, Judith particularly appreciates Road Scholar's approach. "They embrace the solo traveler of any age," she notes. "You're included, not isolated." She values the balance between group experiences and personal space. "I enjoy being with the group, and then I also enjoy having the opportunity to go back to my room."
But what truly sets Road Scholar apart, Judith believes, is the same thing that drew her parents to that first Elderhostel program: the dedication to learning. "The educational component of Road Scholar is exceptional," she emphasizes. "If you want to learn something and you want to see something new and have somebody who is a true expert teach you, then Road Scholar is your organization."
She loves that other Road Scholars share this passion for learning. "I've never met anybody who was not truly eager to learn and embrace the knowledge that Road Scholar offers," she says, describing the impressive backgrounds and life stories she encounters on her programs.
Looking back at her parents' experience in that first Elderhostel program, Judith sees the same spirit that drives Road Scholar today. They didn't need fancy hotels — the dormitory experience was the draw. The cafeteria food was "fabulous" simply because it was served in a university cafeteria. It was all about the joy of learning in an academic setting, a value that has remained constant through 50 years of evolution from Elderhostel to Road Scholar.
As Road Scholar celebrates its 50th anniversary, Judith's story bridges past and present, showing how the organization's core mission of lifelong learning continues to resonate across generations. From those first excited pioneers with their precious meal cards to today's global adventures, the passion for learning remains unchanged — even if it sometimes takes us by surprise.