ELDERHOSTEL

babs, I've heard of "elderhostel" many times in the past, but I have never personally used their accommodations. What exactly did you wish to know about elderhostel? I"m sure some of my better traveled friends can provide some information. c.i.

They have an excellent reputation.

However, as I understand it, they are geared to a certain kind of person ie. one who loves learning and wants that to be a central part of their vacation.

The following link is an introduction to elderhostel.

http://www.elderhostel.org/about/

Have fun! c.i.

I have been on one Elderhostel. There are people in my area who have been on hundreds, and I have not heard anything negative about them.

You have to check the catalog (its online too) to get an idea about the specific Elderhostel. There are some that are specifically courses, while others are a combination of field trips and courses. I went to the one in the Everglades, where we learned about the area ecology, and went on field trips in the area. I loved it.

Most of the accommodations are in college dorms, conference centers, or local motels. Accommodations are satisfactory, but don't expect the Ritz. The course description will usually give you an idea of the type of place where you will stay.

From my experience, and what I have heard from others, you get a nice bunch of folks who are interested in learning at the Elderhostels.

Babs- Where you are in Florida, there are a lot of great Elderhostels in north Florida, as well as on some of the islands in Georgia. I understand that the most popular one is the one in New Orleans. I have heard that there is always a waiting line for that one.

In my community, they started an Elderhostel club, for folks who had taken trips with them, and wanted to share experiences with others. Maybe I will check it out!

Actually I GOT the current catalogue and it is HUGE!
So many places to go - destinations - education -
it appears that some are more of the educational
variety and others more geared toward touristing.
What do I want to know about it c.i. ? For starters,
does anyone know how the prices of travel with
the Elderhostel group compare to travels on one's
own - I DO SO MUCH LOVE to plan many of my own
trips myself... but when it comes down to it - with my
rheumatoid arthritis - even though I would no doubt
be considerably younger than many in a group of
traveling Elderhostelers - I am also considerably much
more limited physically than many of them are. So
basically I am just curious about the whole program
in general and specifically if I can find anyone who has
traveled with Elderhostel - what their experiences
were like. Do they rush you from here to there or
do you have some free time to do a bit of exploring
on your own. Was it an ENJOYABLE experience for
you and would you recommend it to others, and just
questions like that.

babs, Now that we understand your needs and concerns, I'll write to my friends to get information on Elderhostels. If you enjoy planning your own itinerary, and playing it by ear, you might consider doing a Eurail trip. A few years ago, I purchased a Eurail ticket at Shiphol Airport in Amsterdam, and traveled through Holland, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany on a 15 day ticket that can be used on any five days. On one stretch in Italy, from Venice to Milano, I paid the full train fare, because it was a short distance, and I wanted to save the one day travel on my Eurail pass. I used a sleeper for two nights, so that saved me two nights at a hotel. I used the train station Tourist Office at each destination to find accommodations for a small fee, and never paid more the $100 per night. You can pace yourself, and have the freedom to stay at any location as long as you want. Most good size citites in Europe have a good public transportation system, so you can travel to most important tourist sites without much difficulty, and you won't need to wait for fifty other travel companions to get on and off the bus - which gets very tiresome for me. I do most of my travel now with Overseas Adventure Travel of Boston, because their maximum group is 16 to all destinations they offer. I love it! c.i.

babs, I finally got one response from a friend. They personally did not like Elderhostel, because they said they spent too much time in class. They have friends who love it, and go travel with Elderhostel regularly. I know I wouldn't enjoy Elderhostel, because I'm too inpatient to sit in class for long periods, when the world out there is waiting for me to see and experience. c.i.

I am not sure that I would enjoy having my trip
so "totally planned and educational" - but I guess
I wouldn't mind trying it once just to see what it's
like. And I sure would love going to NewOrleans.
Thanks all.

I have an eighty year old aunt who goes on many Elder Hostel trips. She loves them. Last time she returned she told me she'd "met a gentleman". They are indeed geared to people who like to learn not for oldsters who just want to prop their feet up on the deck of a cruise ship and eat.

babs - i've run into ElderHostel groups on a couple of vacations. I've always been quite envious as they seemed to get into areas that 'regular' tourists couldn't. On one trip to Old Sturbridge Village, the ElderHostellers were getting a great behind-the-scenes tour and were going to be having hands-on experiences in a number of the living-history areas. They always seem to be lively, talkative and very active groups of people .

ehBeth, Your mention of Sturbridge Village brought back memories of when my brother and his wife joined us for a New England trip many years ago. I can still picture the old buildings with those huge old fireplaces also used for cooking their meals. c.i.