#Road scholars trips free

When we gathered on a Sunday afternoon at the base hotel, a modest La Quinta in Flagstaff, we met our fellow oldsters from across the country (two other couples, the rest single grandmothers) and discovered we were the only first-time Road Scholars. My husband and I hadn’t seen the Grand Canyon ourselves for more than 40 years, and, for Ben, it would be a real change from his Washington scene. The course description of five days in Arizona for kids age 9 to 12, including the rafting and the canyon, sold Ben, us and his parents. For kids 10 and older, there even are a few foreign destinations, such as Switzerland for hiking.

There are physically active trips that focus on snorkeling or kayaking or even flight instruction, as well as some to Disney World or dedicated to topics of study, such as robotics and archaeology. They accept kids age 8 and up for most trips, although a handful of tours will take those as young as 6, even to camp in the Adirondacks.

“With the oldest boomers turning 69 this year, we expect big growth,” said a spokeswoman. Road Scholar - the “lifelong learning” tour group formerly known as Elderhostel and mostly aimed at older adults - expands its intergenerational tour listings by 10 percent each year. We chose the Grand Canyon trip from a list of more than 60 very reasonably-priced grandparent-grandchild possibilities, from Hawaii to Yellowstone, Chicago to Chincoteague. I confess that my second or third thought upon hearing that he’d broken his arm skateboarding was that he might be sidelined from his competitive golf and soccer long enough to travel with us.

#Road scholars trips free

The trick for us had been finding a free week in Ben’s hectic summer sports schedule. We had heard raves from friends about similar Road Scholar “intergenerational” trips that provided a rare bonding and learning experience by cutting out the middlemen: the parents! We were on a five-day Road Scholar tour for grandparents and grandchildren, which also included rafting on the Colorado River. And don’t look up till I say so.” But when the guide said “Now!” my husband, Dave, and I were more focused on Ben, our 12-year-old grandson, than on than the magnificent canyon suddenly spread out before us. Our group of nine children and their grandparents all obeyed the tour guide: “Walk looking down. Walking up to the Grand Canyon’s edge that July day was as suspenseful as creeping downstairs on Christmas morning.