Hi everyone, <BR> <BR>I recently found an interesting tour that I am thinking of taking with ElderHostel. I was wondering if any of you have used their services before and would you use them again. It seems to me that the prices and activities offered in the catalogs are excellent. Thanks for you thoughts. <BR>Lesli <BR>

Hello Penny: <BR>I hated! However all people who I met there loved it and many of them use Elerhostel many many times. There was one lady on her 47th trip with this organization. What did turn me off was a fact that everybody was the same age. What I like about traveling indepndently is interacting with people of every age. Besides I was disappointed with a pace of this particular program which supposed to be hiking in Sedona area. Well, there was not much hiking unless a slow walk about 1 mile long is considered a hike. This is my very personal opinion and as far as I know I am only one who dislikds and refused to travel with Elderhostel. Maybe you should ask them many detailed questions about activities. Good luck. <BR> <BR>

Lesli, I have traveled internationally with Eldwerhostel several times, both with my spouse, without and with a female friend. First of all the value is superb. Secondally, when you are ina foreign environment it is sometimes nice to be able to eat without worrying about where to go, the cost, and the healthliness of what is offered. After you feel comfortable in an area and want to strike off for a meal in a local establishment you can pop off and go without worrying about the lost money on the meal you are forfeiting...things are so inexpensive with Elderhostel, who cares! The knowledge base you are provided is fabulous..and if you want to skip a class..no one cares! The free time is well planned. I only prepared to the baccalaureate level,my husband has a docturate, and we are quite comfortable financially and always are surrounded by folks(granted of a similiar age) who are of a socioeconumic background that makes being with them a high spot of the trip. It is easy to add and subtract to this type of trip. In reply to Penny...our Elderhostel to the Grand Canyon(contracted to Northern Arizona University) turned out to be exactly as billed in the catalog. I did not go with EH to Egypt however, but they were not going when I wanted to be there and I wanted to be on the Nile longer, and did not want quite to much academia. Later, I was sorry that I did not wait and go with EH and get my trip in to AbuSimbel somehow. I think I would have like the knowledge base available to me. I'm rambling but just wanted to say I think EH is certainly worth a try if you want to go with a group and they are going where you want to go. Jodi

Lesli,
I just took my first Elderhostel trip and really enjoyed it. The name of the tour was called 'Northwest Currents' and we spent 3 nights in Seattle, 3 nights in Victoria, and 3 nights in the San Juan Islands. What I enjoyed most about this tour were the lectures before our actual touring of the different tourist sites. Of course one could customize the trip within reason going to the talks/lectures/entertainment or not.
At 55 I was one of the younger people in the group. I thought the pace of the tour worked--in Seattle we were really busy and on the go and the pace was more relaxed in Victoria and the SJ Islands.
I will definately travel with Elderhostel again.

I've taken two Elderhostel tours. One was wonderful, but the second was disappointing. Lectures were scheduled at odd times (mid-morning or mid-afternoon) so if you wanted to get out and see something of the locale, you had to make a choice of going off on your own or staying in the hotel for the lecture.

I talked to participants who had taken many EH tours and heard that some are definitely better than others, so if you write what tour interests you, you may get a response from someone who has experienced it. You could also check the web site www.elderhostel.org to read trip reports and visit the forum to read feedback about specific tours.

As one poster writes, ask a lot of questions before booking, particularly about the size of the group. Based on my first experience, I will very likely book another trip with EH, but will ask questions first and check the web site for travelers' comments.