Elderhostels
Elderhostel programs are friendly, very accessible, and an excellent way to
travel and meet new people. It is a secure way to explore new places and
challenging ideas. It is an independent, non-profit organization offering
short-term courses for those seeking adventure, information and techniques in
college level courses designed especially for Elderhostels. They are open to
people 55 and over. Participants can invite a younger spouse or companion.
Elderhostels don’t require any prior knowledge or formal training and there are no exams, grades or homework. There are thousands of learning adventures offered each year. One can go behind the scenes for an insider’s perspective on almost every imaginable topic. Some possibilities are eyewitnesses’ accounts of World War II liberation of Normandy, discussions of the heritage and culture of Navahos and Utes of the American Southwest, and performances with pre-concert lectures by the Sarasota Opera Company. An Elderhostel in Cuernavaca, Mexico offers hands-on cooking instruction.
Each program is a remarkable value. Local experts and leading academics offer stimulating lectures and lead field trips, excursions and other activities related to the subject. All costs, from classes and field trips to accommodations, meals, and gratuities are included in the price.
As an example, for $699 double or $919 single, one can discover varied culinary delights of the Southwest, including the cuisines of Sonora, Mexico and Tucson. Participants can learn the history of winemaking in Nogales, Mexico and the difference between gold and silver tequila. They will experience the colorful marketplace and Mariachi music of old Mexico. The weeklong program from April 4 - 10 may still be available.
A March 14 - 19 program for $767 double or $942 single explores the winter homes and gardens of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford in southwest Florida around Fort Meyer. They will visit a 1,100 acre wildlife refuge which includes 700 year old cypress trees, alligators and wood storks. Hotel accommodations are in the Fort Myers historic district.
One can experience a seven-day program of life aboard a tall ship off the coast of Southern California. There are three-week programs exploring many parts of Brazil. Prices range from $4806 to 5,036 double depending on the season.
The Czech Republic offers a 14-day program for about $2700. Another option is a ten-day program of theatre and music in London at around $2600. A six-day program in colorful Cincinnati is offered for $571, $711 single. History and culture and its relation to the mighty Ohio River will be examined.
The Fleming Fall Retreat Center/Camp Mowana is offering an Elderhostel about the study of nature along with hiking in the lush, rolling countryside of north-central Ohio. The time is April 25 - 30. The cost is $545 double, $710 single.
For all Elderhostels, the participant must pay their own way to and from the site. Singles may request a roommate upon application. That could be a saving of 25% or more. Most of the above programs are pre-season prices.
Quite a few of our friends have enjoyed Elderhostel programs. Marian and Duane Applequist participated in one at Pilgrim Pines Bible Camp on a small lake in New England. The week-long program featured two college professors, one was an expert in African Music and the second led a study on the life of Abraham Lincoln. Seminars were in the morning hours with afternoons open. They attended another Elderhostel at Lake Geneva in Wisconsin. It centered around biology and related nature studies. The program included nature hikes and the identification of flora.
Beth and Dave Noss have participated several times in Theatre in London Elderhostels. They were transported to and from shows, had excellent background lectures and were able to talk with principal actors. They attended another at a Biological Research Station in Bermuda where they studied the ecology and coral tanks of the island. Still another Elderhostel was about American Diplomatic Service from Ekerd College, St. Petersburg, Florida where retired highly-experienced diplomats led the discussions. They enjoyed another program aboard a 30 passenger private ship which featured the Greek Islands. Another voyage was five days aboard the Cunard QE-2. This featured U. S. Maritime history and a week at the Maritime Museum in New York was included.
Dorothy Hostetler enjoyed a five day Elderhostel based in Fresno, California where the redwoods were emphasized. The highlight was a visit to Muir Woods. Sedona, Arizona was the site of another Elderhostel she attended where a course in water colors was taught in an outdoor setting.
George and Marilyn Barlow have participated in ten Elderhostels. Cumberland Island, Georgia was the site of the first which featured nature studies, Okefanoke Swamp, Submarines, and Applachian stories and music. In St. Augustine, Florida, they studied history, architecture and economics. In Natural Bridge, Virginia it was Stonewall Jackson’s Shenandoah campaigns, geology of the valley and its earliest inhabitants. In Nachez, Mississippi, history, architecture and antebellum homes were featured. In the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania, it was the origins of the U. S. Constitution, media ethics, and mountain resorts in the Catskills. The people of the Middle Colonies in America, the home-front life during the Civil War, and concepts of Judaism was the focus of an Elderhostel at the College of William and Mary, Virginia. At Val-Kill, New York, the topic was Eleanor Roosevelt. In Duxburry, Massachusets, the title was ‘’What Happened to the Pilgrims after 1620?’’ For the last one and their favorite, they followed the Lewis and Clark trail for eighteen days, and 3,000 miles, traveling by bus.
This year in March, Mary and I will fly from Detroit to Honolulu, Oahu, and from there to Kauai. There we will join an Elderhostel, a seven-day program that meets for three days on Kauai, and four days on the big island, Hawaii. All the accommodations, including lodging, food and the flights from Kauai to Hawaii are arranged by the Elderhostel.
The trip is planned around birding opportunities and the natural beauty of Hawaii. We will visit Waimea Canyon, Koke’s State park, Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Of the 150 species of Hawaiian birds, 40 are endemic. We hope to see the palila, a very rare bird.
For information about Elderhostels, write to: Elderhostel, Inc., 11 Avenue De Lafayette, Boston, MA 02111-1746 or call toll free 1 (877) 426-8056.
– Percy