The Story of Elderhostel

Aging, Fall, 1994

The Story of Elderhostel by Eugene S. Mills, with a foreword by Rosalynn Carter. University Press of New England, Hanover, N.H., 197 pp. 1993.

Clara and her husband, Paul, both in their early 70s, say they have added a new dimension to their lives by participating in Elderhostel, an international network of educational programs for people of retirement age that now operates in 50 countries and has 236,000 members. Commenting on what they seek in Elderhostel trips and courses, Clara really gets to the heart of the program as it was conceived by its founders. "Many older people have stopped thinking about issues in a fresh way. I suppose they have developed a habit of just extending old judgments, carrying their views and their prejeudices into whatever problems they face. But Paul and I like to think about things in new ways. The world is changing and the old and familiar points of view are not enough anymore."

To expand their horizons, Elderhostlers can go canoeing in British Columbia, bike across Holland, visit a Greek museum, study wetlands in the Adirondacks and creeks along Maryland's Eastern shore. They can also travel to college campuses for residential programs to study such topics as The Brain and Behavior, Painting and the Glorious West, Trees -- Guardians of the Earth, Exploring the Top of the World, and The War of 1812. The price of international programs includes round-trip fare, all travel within each country, full room and board, academic instruction, and course related excursions. For example, in 1994, a 3-week Elderhostel trip, leaving from New York City, to Great Britain was $2,448, or you could attend a 3-week program in India for $2,965, in Scandinavia for $2,985 and in the former Soviet Union for $3,436. Tuition for week-long programs at colleges and universities averaged $315 in 1994, including room and board. (Contact the address below for updates on trip costs.)

The book describes the key players in the founding of Elderhostel, the staff members who keep the organization running, the teacher and program coordinators, and most important, the hostlers themselves.

For information about Elderhostel programs, including catalogs listing courses throughout the year, write or call: Elderhostel, 75 Federal St., Boston, MA 02110-1941. (617) 426-7788.