Redefining Aging: Muffie T.’s Road Scholar Story
Road Scholar has become more than a travel program for Muffie T. It is a catalyst for redefining what aging, learning and connection mean.
Her journey began in the early 1990s, when her aunt and uncle — recent retirees embracing a new desert life in Arizona — introduced her to a profound idea: "Life doesn't end at 65. Who knew?" This insight would become a guiding principle for Muffie, inspiring her to see retirement not as an endpoint, but as a beginning.
“My aunt and uncle were frequent Road Scholar participants when it was Elderhostel, which I learned about when they came to visit us during a Glacier program — it always stayed with me how cool both the programs and my favorite relatives were,” she recalls, laughing.
That experience stayed with her, becoming a launching point for Muffie that invigorated the years that followed. “I told myself then, when I retire, I’m going to go to all of these places and see things I never thought about.”
In 2019, Muffie decided to embrace that philosophy fully. "I really wanted to go somewhere where we didn't speak the language and immerse myself in that experience," she recalls. Her first Road Scholar program took her to the hidden villages of the Italian breadbasket — a journey that was just the beginning of an extraordinary adventure.
Each subsequent trip became a deeply personal exploration. On a Canadian Maritimes program, she discovered a poignant family connection, throwing flowers into Gulliver's Cove in the Bay of Fundy where her great-great-grandfather, a sea captain, had perished in a shipwreck. "Those are the stories and experiences you can't duplicate unless all the planets line up," she says. "It was perfect."
That Road Scholar made it possible for her to walk, quite literally, in the steps of previous generations held huge meaning for her. “It was powerful,” she says, “but the rather hilarious thing was, we weren’t alone! Almost everyone on the program had Scottish heritage. We were having the best time bonding over that and tracing the communities our great-grandparents lived in,” she laughs.
What sets Road Scholar apart, according to Muffie, is the unique ability to create meaningful connections while embarking on our learning adventures. "There's no other organization out there like this," she explains. "You know you're going to meet interesting people who may have lived different lives, but you all share the same interests and level of engagement. That energy is hard to describe — it's really special."
Her passion has become a family legacy. Muffie has introduced Road Scholar to three sisters and two grandsons, creating a three-generation tradition of learning and exploration. Whether it was walking on beaches in Chincoteague, watching turtle eggs being laid on Jekyll Island or meeting people from across the country, these experiences had true impact.
“You want these experiences to be stepping stones to greater interests, to teach my grandsons that there’s so much opportunity in life. I want to keep them open to possibilities.”
Muffie's own life reflects the Road Scholar spirit of continuous reinvention. After a successful career as a bank president, she transitioned to grant writing at a hospital, driven by passion rather than convention. Now retired and living near her grandsons in Colorado, she's planning her next adventure: a program in France's Loire Valley, a journey that will honor a cherished friend's memory.
"We're just going to keep going until we can't, making connections and mapping heritage," Muffie says. “Road Scholar makes that not just easy, but extraordinary.”
As Road Scholar celebrates 50 years, Muffie's story embodies our core mission, proving that learning is lifelong, adventure knows no age and the world is always waiting to be discovered.