Road Scholar

I've been on 3 RS trips and have no complaints. I also see that some people are upset as the Covid crisis caused difficulties for them. I booked and paid for Beyond Band of Brothers and the went bankrupt and I doubt I will see a refund. I have accepted that and moved on. It wasn't their fault that this Covid thing affected their business as all tour programs are struggling. Again, once has to accept and move onward and upward. I look forward to a RS trip in 2022.

Road Scholar switched hotels on us after we had booked their tour of Southern Spain. The reservationist assured us that "the hotel change would cause no extra walking" during our trip. NOT TRUE! As we walked by the Hotel Ingleterra, Seville, on at least 6 occasions -- and were still several blocks from our new hotel -- it was clear the reservationist was either ill-informed or lied to us. The hotel switch caused as least and extra 6-7 miles in Seville alone. Complaints to the president of Road Scholar have gone unanswered so I guess the reservationist isn't the real problem with this travel company.

This is the worst tour company that you could possibly consider - if I could give them less than 1 Star I would - have you ever worked with someone that was so stupid that they made stupid look smart well Road $#*! fits the bill. They don't return calls - they don't return emails, they do nothing - I am out over $1,000 because they are incompetent - after many many many phone calls Brandy said she was just reviewing my complaint and was just going to call me to tell me that that did't do a thing and she would call me back after 2 months. But she played the death in the family card - that should give her what 2 weeks - ok what about the two months - if you were screwed out of $1,100.00 because Road Scholar booked your flights advised you to cancel because they was no way the Safari was going to happen. Then you get charged $1,100.00 for flights that were unable to fly. But that's my fault because Road Scholar told me to cancel flights before they were canceled. $#*!ING IDIOTS.

I paid in full for the inspirational England tour, and at no time has Road Scholar contacted me and I am sure none of the other paid persons going on this trip about the terrorist concerns in England and also Manchester England which is part of this trip.
Both taylor and Ellen at Road Scholar that I contacted regarding the terrorist problems, were very cavalier about it and said their office in England would let them know if there was a concern. Well, I am sure their main concern is the $$$$ they would lose if the trip got cancelled.
I travel all the time, world wide, and have never experienced the terrible customer service and total lack of regard of the safety of the tourist who book with their company.
This trip should have been cancelled, or offered to be rescheduled at a later date or a different trip somewhere else offered, or money returned.
Our retirees at RESDC are being told by me of this total disregard of the tourist.

I have taken two trips with Road Scholar in the last year. Peru & Patagonia. I booked a trip to Tibet, Nepal & Butan over 6 months in advance. When I canceled the trip within 2 weeks the kept the entire $500 deposit, No refund and no consideration for transfer. I called back within 2 week to rebook the Tibet trip and the told me I would have to pay another $ 500 deposit. I should have know better after my Peru trip. A woman in a walker and a wheel chair was permitted to go with us on this trip! This caused numerous hours of delay. Road Scholars did nothing.

Booked a Safari Sept 2020 - Road Scholar could not tell me in July if they were going or not, flights not flying, 14 day quarantine in Kenya? Booked British Airways through Road Scholar $4,000 lost $1,700 on flight. They were no help "oops" can't help you. Rebooked Safari to 2021 for 6 people after everything was guaranteed I was sent letter that I was 2nd on waiting list. No wonder they are non profit - because of poor service they couldn't make a profit

My 82-year-old mother signed up for an RS "experience" in New England. The second she signed up, they were hounding her to sign up for more expensive $12,000+ tours in Europe. She then discovered that RS was planning to charge $180 ONE WAY from Manchester NH to their "hotel" just 15 minutes away. She had the foresight to buy their "Trip Insurance" but found out when applying for a refund, that they made her fill out a 5-page explanation as to why she decided against the tour. Roads Scholars are SCAM ARTISTS exploiting the elderly. This makes them FIRST CLASS SCUMBAGS, taking advantage of the vulnerable like our elderly. Shame on you! "NON-PROFIT"? Right! You hide behind that designation. Just crawl back under that rock. There is a special place in hell waiting for you.

My recent RS trip to Australia and New Zealand was great. Holland America provided comfortable amenities and our RS sponsored shore outings were filled with exciting adventures. Our team leader, Ngaire Douglas, shared her vast expertise with us and gave us wonderful insights into the history and culture of both countries. Ngaire offered options for our various levels of physical fitness so everyone could benefit from all the shore outings. This was my 14th RS trip and certainly near the top if not the top of my RS trips.

Ruthanne DeWolfe.
Evanston, Illinois

My trip to Japan with Road Scholar would have been excellent but for the unusable wifi "provided" (or really, not provided) by the Daiwa Roynet Hotels in which Road Scholar placed us. I was completely unable to work with colleagues in my home office because the wifi was usually so slow as to be unusable. The guides for our trip were superlative, but I couldn't enjoy the trip because I could not fulfill my work commitments, and people had been depending on me. The Daiwa Roynet Hotels claim that they provide wifi, but it has been unusable for me, for my wife, and for many people on our trip. I consider their claim that they provide wifi to be a fraud, under California law, and it ruined my trip.

My wife and I participated in the Yosemite Valley program in September 2017. The tour was well organized and well staffed. The on site director "made the trains run on time" and the tour expert was in fact an EXPERT.
Meals were very good and on time.
I RECOMMEND this program to anyone who wants to tour a national park.

Excited to see Alaska... so excited about this trip! Catalog said "Moderate Pace". OK... good... means we are going to move our bodies. Well, what a disappointment to learn this certainly was not going to happen! Unfortunately not all travelers could even do a low paced activity... a real damper for those of us eager for actjvity. Shame on you Road Scholar for misleading us to think this would be such an adventure. Some people had difficulty getting on and off the buses... walking for some was difficult! Pretty unfair tactics. A couple meals were served in hot, windowless hotel conference rooms. Hotel in Anchorage was pretty horrible and not clean. Have diet restriction and on 2 occasions group leaders (2) had not taken this into consideration... and I don't think they really cared! One leader, I felt, could not wait until she returned home! In making my arrangements with Road Scholar I was asked on several occasions to get in touch with someone with my question... representatives for RD just didn't seem to have their information at hand... these were pretty basic questions. A very disappointing trip... too bad for RS... friends who travel were waiting for my critique... they won't be traveling with Road Scholar.

A recent hiking trip with RS to the Canadian Rockies was a huge disappointment. First, people who could barely get on and off the bus were allowed on this trip. Ridiculous. Only 4 of us could go on daily hikes they called "motivated" or harder than the others -- all of which I considered easy to very moderate. The hiking pace was also crazy slow. The catalog/website descriptions of the trip were way off base. Simply not truthful.

The majority of meals were served in a windowless hotel conference room. Very mediocre food. Breakfasts were the worst. Restaurant meals for dinner were way better, but certainly not terrific restaurants I would go to again. A couple of us younger, energetic folk purposefully left the group on two evenings just to get away and have some time to chat and eat at GOOD restaurants.

RS is clearly not for people, like myself, looking for true rigorous activity with other happy, young at heart people. It was clear to me that RS attracts a much, much older crowd, which is fine, but that's false advertising in their materials. Their original name of ELDERhostel fits their group way better. Nothing wrong with being older, but it sure isn't fun being around grumpy, negative retired folk who have a very "old and tired" mentality. I won't be going on another RS trip. Lesson learned.

I write this while I am in quarantine in Quito after traveling with Road Scholar on Tip Top II where 9 of 11 passengers were diagnosed with COVID. I have 4 inoculations as I am immunocompromised due to treatment for cancer. Road Scholar does not require passengers to get tested prior to boarding the ship! 2 passengers were hacking and coughing and not wearing masks from the first day. The first passengers tested positive 3 days after embarkation. Another 6 tested positive a couple days later. The 2 hacking coughing passengers refused to get tested or wear masks consistently, and the director said she could not force them to get tested or wear masks. Prior to returning to US we were tested as a requirement to enter US. That's when both hackers/coughers and I were found to be positive. All 9 of us are now in quarantine in Ecuador and must stay until we test negative. At our own expense. Please only travel with a company that insists everyone must be tested for COVID immediately prior to getting aboard.