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Learning Vacations

Summary: Travel enables Boomers and Retirees bring celebrate their interests in learning about culture, politics, history, art and a wide variety of subjects.  Intergenerational programs offer opportunities alongside children. Most major government funded universities offer either subsidized senior’s learning programs or free tuition for credit courses.

| by Kristi Nielsen

Travel enables Boomers and Retirees bring celebrate their interests in learning about culture, politics, history, art and a wide variety of subjects.

What does travel mean to you? Do you go to see only the touristy hot spots, or are you more interested in learning how people live, and experiencing the culture of the region? Do you want to combine your travel with an opportunity to learn intellectual subjects or artistic subjects? The options abound. Travel can be one of the greatest ways to expand the mind, keep the heart young and open your mind to the ever changing world we are a part of, in ways we could never experience at home.

Travel can be an opportunity to see and experience new ideas, activities and/or regional cultures. Adult education and travel come together to make learning vacations and educational adventures the fastest growing tourist sector—perhaps due to the age of the Baby Boomers. Whether it is travel within North America or around the world, the opportunities to learn through travel are endless. It can include history, modern architecture, arts and cultural education, studies of trends, business or sociological studies of local cultures. The opportunity to travel with others who share the same or similar interests often adds to the enjoyment of the vacation and in some cases is the beginning of long-term friendships.


Most major universities have a seniors educational program and often offer at least a few courses each year that include travel. Elderhostel is perhaps the largest and oldest educational travel organization world wide. It is a not for profit organization that offers learning adventures to nearly 160,000 mature adults each year.

They offer more than 8,000 programs in more than 90 countries. It is an opportunity to learn and keep the mind active, to exchange ideas and to explore destinations close to home and around the world. Trips include facilitated instruction from qualified instructors and may include lectures, field trips and cultural excursions. Lively discussion is encouraged and at the end of the trip, most participants feel they understand issues and topics focused on broadening their world view to include new horizons.  

Whether it is through Elderhostel, a similar organization or a major university, history comes alive with trips to Monet’s home and viewing his masterpieces in Parisian museums or the works of Shakespeare in England. Book Air + Hotel together and SAVE with Travelocity The music lover can explore Early American music from Spiritualists to Blues to Jazz on a Mississippi River paddlewheeler, or visit cities from Memphis to New Orleans. If eastern cultures fascinate you, a trip to India to learn about 2000 years of history and culture will bring you to ancient forts, temples and palaces. Explore the history of early American pioneers, or literature in London. Cycle the rim of the Grande Canyon or conduct research to protect endangered species or visit an archeological dig.

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Travel enables Boomers and Retirees bring celebrate their interests in learning about culture, politics, history, art and a wide variety of subjects. Elderhostel is perhaps the largest and oldest educational travel organization world wide.

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In addition to the learning opportunity, vacations of this kind are well organized making it stress free and taking the hassle of planning and arranging your trip away so you can relax and enjoy yourself. Many intergenerational programs offer eco-tourism opportunities alongside energetic children. For people who love children or those who fondly remember their days as teachers or working with children, this can be an opportunity to enjoy the youth-giving experience of interacting with children.

Life-long learning of course, does not need to be limited to vacation time. Most major government funded universities offer either subsidized senior’s learning programs or free tuition for credit courses. Free tuition after age 60, have enabled many people to complete university degrees in fields where they can continue to contribute throughout their retirement years. Part of the rationale of offering free tuition to adults over age 60, is that it is assumed they bring with them life-experience and knowledge that contributes to a rich learning experience for their usually much younger classmates.

It can be very rewarding. I was attending an alumni celebration a few years ago, and there was a woman there who was in her third year of a degree; she was 78. Her husband did not yet know that she was attending university. He assumed she was just out spending a lot of time shopping, having tea with her friends and volunteering. She stated that she had no intention of telling him, because he would go ballistic and they would have a big argument about how senseless it was for a woman her age to be attending university. She said “I just prefer to do my own thing, and let sleeping dogs lie. I am not doing it for him. I am doing it for me.”

The world is your oyster. You have the opportunity to enjoy a diverse retirement and continue to learn and contribute to the betterment of our world. The choice is yours.