Name Change

Beginning now, as we celebrate our 35th anniversary year, Elderhostel has extended the Road Scholar name to all of our learning adventures across the globe. We will no longer use the Exploritas name.

A number of you have written to ask why this is happening so soon after the first change.

Here’s what happened …

Not long after the first Exploritas publications were mailed last fall, Elderhostel was sued for trademark infringement by a commercial tour company that thought the name Exploritas was similar to theirs. Elderhostel scrupulously followed federal law in registering the Exploritas trademark and was legally granted ownership of it by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and we were shocked by the complaint. We were further surprised when it was decided in court that use of the name Exploritas created “confusion."

We believe the impact we have in people’s lives is far more critical than the name we call our learning adventures, and the pursuit of our mission is much more important than the pursuit of an appeal. As a result, we have closed our brief Exploritas chapter and we have extended the Road Scholar name to all of Elderhostel’s educational experiences.

I have dedicated my professional life to Elderhostel since 1979 and I am proud to say that Elderhostel today is the same organization that has earned your trust and respect throughout the years. As we celebrate our 35th anniversary year, we remain dedicated to you and to our educational mission. You can count on that.

We believe Road Scholar best captures the vitality and excitement of our educational experiences and we know that all of our participants are energized by the Road Scholar program name, from the new generation of 50-year-olds to our seasoned lifelong learners in their 80s.

“Road” connotes a journey and real-world experience, and “Scholar” reflects a deep appreciation for learning. Together the words capture the heart of our program experience: learning from expert instructors, enhanced by direct discovery of an idea, issue, subject or place. Our educational experiences range from snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef with a marine biologist to immersion in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival with a noted professor.

Elderhostel’s co-founder, David Bianco, and I think Road Scholar is a great name and we are excited to extend its embrace to all Elderhostel programs. Elderhostel will, of course, proudly continue to be the name of our organization, and we will continue to offer a great variety of programs and activity levels across North America and around the world.

All of us at Elderhostel are dedicated to you and to our not-for-profit mission — creating innovative educational adventures. Caring staff members are eager to assist you, expert instructors have a world of knowledge to share, and the warmth and camaraderie of fellow lifelong learners await you!

We look forward to welcoming you on a Road Scholar learning adventure very soon.

Sincerely yours,

James Moses
Elderhostel President

NICE Meeting

I led off the meeting with a brief movie of our active, outdoor Exploritas program, Florida's Fragile Coastal Treasure: Snorkel the Coral Reefs




I was followed by Joe who showed photos and described their experiences on Art History in Belgium and Holland...


Next Les showed photos and talked of their program in Albuquerque New Mexico’s Conversos and Crypto-Jews detailing the Jews who fled to New Spain in the New World and secretly practiced their religion after being driven out of Spain in 1492...



The meeting ended with Bob's movie showing his adventures in Arizona Hiking the Slick Rock, Slot Canyons and Red Rocks of Lake Powell, as well as his beautiful photos of his independent guided hike of Upper Antelope Canyon's magnificent slot canyon...




As usual, the group then adjourned to nearby Hillside Family Restaurant for lunch and more conversation...

Our next meeting will be Saturday, August 14th at 10am. If you have an Exploritas program you'd like to share with the group, call Pete at 847-549-1659.