Road Scholar knows that the pandemic has changed how people travel. “There’s definitely a desire to make up for lost time,” says Chief Program Officer Maeve Hartney. The non-profit educational travel tour company reports an increase in both international programs and longer-stay experiences. Also of note: its “round-the-world” programs that include multiple countries and more iconic sights have sold out faster than ever before.
New Round-the-World Programs from Road Scholar
In response to the pent-up demand, Road Scholar has announced three more round-the-world tours:
- World Academy on Queen Mary 2: Australia, South Africa, and Beyond: On these three-to-five month trips, guests living aboard either Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 or Holland America’s ms Amsterdam as they sail to up to 25 countries on four continents, learning from academic experts along the way.
- Discover South America, Hawaii, Japan & Beyond: A 131-day journey living onboard the MS Zuiderdam, sailing from South America to the Pacific, Asia, Middle East and Mediterranean Europe.
- WWII by Private Jet, Boat & Train: A Pilgrimage Around the World: A 24-day program on which guests travel by 767 plane among historic WWII sites. Stops include London, the beaches of Normandy, Paris, Berlin, Auschwitz, Hiroshima, Pearl Harbor, and Washington, D.C.
TourScoop Takeaway
For retired people who had their travel plans dashed by the pandemic, this is an organized, value-driven, and educational way to extend travel without needing to take on excessive planning. The sheer scope of these trips make it more like a Semester at Sea or a highly mobile immersive exchange program. And knowing it comes from a not-for-profit organization means there’s greater comfort that the price reflects the cost of the trip, rather than the profit margin of the company.
