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Road Scholar has a rating of 1.85 stars from 113 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers complaining about Road Scholar most frequently mention customer service, non profit, and trip insurance problems. Road Scholar ranks 6th among Student Travel sites.
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4,577 reviews
No positive highlights yet
Enrollment in the program was quick and easy! I was able to navigate in on the website without any problems.
Leaving for an Antartica expedition in 4 weeks and still don't have final packet with instructions. Have been getting conflicting info since we booked. This last call to ask about final packet took forever to get a response which was vague and unhelpful about when we would have materials, including what we need to bring. Completely unresponsive to our requests for medically necessary adjustments to accommodations and ignored our airplane seating requests. Do not seem to have any interest in customer satisfaction once they have your payment. Hope the tour itself will be better. It is handled by a subcontractor (Albatross) who has been responsive. This is our third booking with Road Scholar and are surprised and disappointed so far.
Leaving for an Antartica expedition in 4 weeks and still don't have final packet with instructions. Have been getting conflicting info since we booked. This last call to ask about final packet took forever to get a response which was vague and unhelpful about when we would have materials, including what we need to bring. Completely unresponsive to our requests for medically necessary adjustments to accommodations and ignored our airplane seating requests. Do not seem to have any interest in customer satisfaction once they have your payment. Hope the tour itself will be better. It is handled by a subcontractor (Albatross) who has been responsive. This is our third booking with Road Scholar and are surprised and disappointed so far.
Booked an end of April 2024 in the USA with full intentions of enjoying my first vacation since Covid. Turned out that due to work and personal reasons I was unable to attend the trip. Have been trying for nearly a month to cancel my place on that trip. Several emails to RS got the impersonal responce that due to security they could not cancel my reservation via email. Spent several hours (or more) on hold for a live person to pick up at their end to cancel my place on that trip. Nothing. I was just on hold for another 50 minutes and finally had to hang up at 4:55 so I could do other work. I cannot pick up a call-back if I'm working or driving. Needless to say, I haven't paid the balance due for that trip (due today) because I'm not going. Obviously RS is too big for it's britches and doesn't have enough staff.
My on-hold times were twice as long (or more) than every time I've needed to contact my corporate-owned primary doctor's office. I'd like to give RS a Zero rating overall, and for customer service.
Dear Annie,
We are sorry to hear you will not be able to attend your adventure and for your troubles in trying to connect with us. We are not able to process cancellations by email request, but our office did respond to you providing instructions on how to cancel yourself through your online account. We do also offer a callback feature to help avoid long wait times. Once selected, you will be contacted as soon as someone is available. It is a busy time for us, but we do work hard to ensure we get to every call. We see that your cancellation has been processed and hope you reconsider joining us on a different program sometime in the future.
Sincerely,
Road Scholar
My husband and I just returned from a Road Scholar program and experienced issues which the administration of this program refused to help with from day one including flight issues and a Covid Outbreak. The educational content is excellent but if something goes wrong the travel service and Covid Response team will provide inadequate support. At least 8 of our small group are positive with Covid due to lack of comprehensive protocols.
Dear Betty,
We are sorry to hear that your recent experience with us did not meet your expectations. Our Covid support and travel teams are available to provide guidance and assistance when the unfortunate situation of testing positive for Covid arises on one of our programs. Covid exposure remains a possibility during many daily activities, and unfortunately international group travel is not free of this risk.
We can see that our office, Road Scholar’s travel team, and your group leader were in communication with you on several occasions to try and help address your questions and requests. We know how disappointing it can be when a planned adventure is disrupted and wish you well.
Sincerely,
Road Scholar
I booked a trip and put a deposit of $500 down. At the time I thought I was told that if I had to cancel that money could be used towards another trip.my knee went bad and I now need knee replacement surgery so I have to cancel the trip.when I did this I was told that there was a cancellation fee and that my money will not be refunded.I'm not worked with a company that did not honor the ability to cancel or transfer within certain time frames be careful
Dear Mary,
We are sorry you needed to cancel your program.
As a not-for-profit organization, our cancellation and transfer fees are not meant to be punitive. They cover the commitments we have made on your behalf with our providers and the administrative costs associated with your enrollment. Transferring at no cost is a possibility for some programs, but not all, depending on the adventure and the time of the requested transfer. Our transfer and cancel policy is reviewed during enrollment before the deposit is requested, and is included in the enrollment confirmation notice/email. We also offer an optional trip protection plan for one to purchase to help protect themselves if they find they have to cancel.
We wish you the best with your surgery.
Warmly,
Road Scholar
Road Scholar is the most "deaf" organization I've ever dealt with. First, they never think of the customer, just their bottom line. All rules are to their benefit. I cancelled a trip almost 1 year in advance and they could only say, you agreed to lose your $1200, too bad. How about referring your friends or giving us a donation? Also, provide us all your friends & families emails so we can bombard them as well. I'm so done with this company/non-profit. Buyer Beware!
Tip for consumers:
Don’t sign up unless you are ready to lose all your deposit money if you want to make a change over 130 days BEFORE your trip.
Hello!
Thank you for the feedback!
The Transfer & Cancellation policy is posted on each program's 'Dates & Prices' tab directly below the "What's included" list. The policy is reviewed during enrollment before the deposit is requested, and the policy is included in the enrollment confirmation notice/email. The policy is for participant-elective cancellations. Due to the policy, we encourage participants to purchase trip protection.
The cancellation and transfer fees are not meant to be punitive but cover the commitments we have made on your behalf with our providers, and the administrative costs associated with your enrollment. Road Scholar generates income through enrollments and contributions. Though we are not in business of making profits, we do need this income to stay in business and continue offering exceptional learning experiences. When someone cancels from one of our programs, the fee covers the administrative costs and commitments made to our providers. If we waive that fee, we have lost this income.
For referrals, we only ask for the name and postal address. By law, we cannot accept an email address from anyone other than the owner of the email address.
Please feel free to call us at 877-426-8056 or email us at contact@roadscholar.org if you have any questions or concerns.
Warmly,
Road Scholar
Keep in mine that once RS has your money, almost no force on earth can get it all back for you. We had a cruise around the coast of Italy planned for the first 10 days of June 2020. Beginning in mid-March, we and scores of other registered participants were in a panic about being elder on-board participants during the Covid-19 pandemic, so we contacted Road Scholar and said that we had looked on the web site and were stunned that the trip had not only not been cancelled, but that RS was still looking for sign-ups! Finally, RS cancelled the trip -- but because it was cancelled in April, not in June, RS kept our $1800 down payment sent in the fall of 2019 and refunded the rest of this $10,000+ trip. RS had astronomical liability exposure -- imagine its attempt to defend wrongful death suits. I wrote a letter to the CEO, James Moses, sent it certified mail return receipt requested. But, in the end, the technical terms of the trip meant that RS got $1800 for providing NOTHING and we got holding the bag.
We have been on several trips with RS over the years, but we have vowed that RS is a bunch of mealy-mouthed goniffs who will NEVER get any of our money again.
Dear Gerald,
We are puzzled by your claim that you were not refunded in full for your Road Scholar program. On March 19th, Road Scholar suspended all Aegean Odyssey programs through mid-September. All participants who were enrolled at the time of the program suspension had received a refund, including yourself. We directly communicated with you on March 23rd that you would be receiving a full refund for the program. Our records indicate that we processed a full refund on March 24th back to your original payment method--a paper check for $8,398 and a e-refund of the deposit directly to your checking account for $2,400. The Trip Protection Plan was also refunded.
Sincerely,
Your Friends at Road Scholar
I am a new widow. I cxld my trip. They said I could go another time. My hubs is not coming back another time. I called AON. Said they need his death cert. What? Invitation to fraud. They also kept $200- which I need as dead husbands are expensive. THEY DO NOT TELL U ON THE APP THEY NEED documentation. They shelved my app and never told me! We are RS's target market. I hope ur trip goes well, but if not, expect the worst! I'm
Dear Jill,
We are very sorry for your loss.
We will be contacting you directly to get some further information and would like to assist in getting your claim resolved.
Sincerely,
Road Scholar
Road Scholar will only issue medical exemptions with a doctor statement indicating that the vaccine should NOT be taken. This is an unreasonable and dangerous position as there is a widespread difference of opinion as to the safety and efficacy of existing mRNA vaccines. In the meantime, I am out $2400. Exercise caution before committing cash with these people!
Dear Kurby,
Road Scholar currently requires all participants and Group Leaders to be fully vaccinated against COVID and have at least one booster shot, if eligible. If one is fully vaccinated but is ineligible to get the booster they are still welcome to attend our adventures. We do see that you have a credit of $2,400 on your account that can be used on a future program. We would like to discuss this in more detail and will be contacting you directly.
Warmly,
Road Scholar
Had emergent urological issues, unable to urinate, sepsis, high white cells and lactic acid, hospitalization and emergency surgery.
Tried to transfer funds to another program for a small fee; the small reasonable fee per contract is 100%. I'll truss up my testicles and wear incontinense diapers, I will NOT lose $10,000 - period.
Dear James,
We are sorry to hear of your recent health issues and hope you recover soon.
As a not-for-profit organization, our cancellation and transfer fees are not meant to be punitive. They cover the commitments we have made on your behalf with our providers and the administrative costs associated with your enrollment. Our transfer and cancel policy is reviewed during every enrollment before the deposit is requested, and it is included in the enrollment confirmation notice, that is sent shortly after your enrollment. We also offer the optional trip protection plan that can be purchased to help protect one's investment should the need arise. The cancel and transfer schedule can differ depending on the adventure. We will be sending you a private message to ensure you are aware of your options.
Sincerely,
Road Scholar
We were extremely dismayed and surprised to find out that - after paying over $1800 for Cancel for Any Reason travel insurance from AON / RS for a 3 week Road Scholar trip scheduled in Sept / Oct 2020, and after cancelling our trip in this unprecedented Global crisis in March - we have not been given any kind of prorated rebate on the insurance premium we paid, essentially for services unrendered.
We had the policy for less than 3 months and it was well in advance of the trip. It is certainly not fair or reasonable for AON / RS to take such advantage of this Global crisis to make a profit because of something that we couldn't control.
All we ask for is a significant rebate on the Insurance premium, not unlike many other Insurance companies actions that have been taken voluntarily in support of their customer base. For example, If I had paid my annual auto insurance in advance and then sold my auto a few months later I would be given a prorated rebate. I don't understand how Aon / RS can think to do otherwise.
If this can't be resolved fairly then we will never agin book any travel with ROAD SCHOLAR.
Dear Don, Cancel for Any Reason Coverage is a benefit that allows our participants flexibility to cancel or change their program dates for reasons uncovered by the Trip Protection Plan. We reviewed your order and when you canceled your enrollment, under the Cancel For Any Reason Coverage benefit, you received a credit for the Road Scholar cancellation fees you incurred to use toward another learning adventure. Your credit can be used for up to three years on any Road Scholar adventure of your choice. When you opt to cancel with the Cancel for Any Reason Coverage, you are using your insurance to receive the credit, and cannot receive a reimbursement for your insurance premium as it was used to cover your cancellation. Sincerely, Road Scholar
Road Scholar offers trip protection plans from AON Travel Insurance. DO NOT BUY those plans. Read the reviews of AON Travel and you will see why I say that. We bought a plan and before we filed a claim we called AON and were told it would take 4 - 6 weeks to receive payment. It has now been 128 days and we are still waiting. When we contact the company we always get the same reply of "please give us 30 days". Whether we call or email, the reply is always the same.
Dear John,
We apologize for the length of time it is taking to have your claim processed and for any frustration this may have caused. Since the resumption of widespread travel in 2022, the number of travelers affected by COVID plus the extensive travel delays from the spring and summer travel season have resulted in an extraordinarily high number of travel insurance claims. Please be assured that Aon is working diligently to process all claims received. We would like to assist you and will be sending you a private message to get further details.
Sincerely,
Road Scholar
My wife has been on a few Road Scholar trips and has generally enjoyed herself. However, she booked another trip several months ago and paid for part of it then (as she recalls). A few months later, Road Scholar contacts her via email to ask if she is interested in seeing what a flight would cost booked through them. My 69-year-old wife, who does have a few memory issues, thought it would be good to get a quote from them to compare to the cost of the flight she had already booked. Another week or more goes by, we are at our daughters wedding in Mexico, when she gets a bill from them. She thinks it is for the cost of the trip, not to book a flight. She pays over $2,000. When we get home and she reads all of her emails, she discovers it was for the flight she had already booked with someone else. She calls RS and, after first refusing to return anything (they claim she agreed to the booking even though she never agreed or signed anything) they refund everything g but $500, which is a lot to a retired couple. When she tells this to her friend, the friend responds that the same thing happened to her sister-in-law! It makes me wonder if Road Scholar isn't intentionally taking advantage of older people? Regardless, we will never go on a trip with them again and we will encourage all our friends to avoid them as well. Good luck if you elect to deal with them!
Dear Mike,
We are sorry you feel this way. We try to be as transparent as possible in our communications to avoid any confusion. When one selects custom flight arrangements we do note during the online enrollment process, as well as, on the enrollment notice, the cost of the airfare is not included in the program cost initially. We will send an air itinerary and cost approximately three months prior to the departure. Once the air itinerary has been finalized an email is sent outlining the cost of the airfare with instructions on what do if one wants to make changes. The tickets are then issued once payment has been received. The airline cancellation fee is not meant to be punitive but covers the commitments we have made on your behalf with the airline.
Sincerely,
Road Scholar
For two days I have attempting to contact customer service and the travel department to no avail. I keep receiving the tired old message that due to increased interest, we are to leave our telephone number and wait to hear from them. Obviously, they do not have adequate staff to respond to our inquiries. I am a veteran traveler and have traveled with other companies who are much better staffed. There is no excuse for their lack of service. The management needs to address this grievance.
Hello Janice,
We appreciate your patience with us while we work through these busy times. We understand your frustration and we are actively hiring and training our staff to improve our level of service. We can assure you if you request a call back you will be contacted. Please disable call blocker if you have it installed on your phone line, we do call from a 800 number.
Sincerely
Road Scholar
After my wife came down with Covid (along with several others), Roads Scholar asked us to leave the tour. They left us in the remote town of St. Anthony, Newfoundland, last June, to find our own way home (no offer of assistance). So far they have ignored our effort to recover any of our tour costs and the considerable expense of getting home.
Dear John,
We are sorry to hear you and your wife got Covid during your Road Scholar adventure. We do hope you are both feeling better. We have a team in place to offer support when a situation such as this arises. We would like to discuss this with you and will be reaching out to you directly to gather some further details.
Sincerely,
Road Scholar
My grandson and I paid $12,548 for a grandparent/grandchild tour in Iceland. We were stranded in the Chicago airport along with 11 other people trying to get to Iceland for Road Scholar tours on July 1.
The emergency phone number just kept all of us on hold for hours in the wee hours of July 2.
My grandson and I got sent to Dulles, to Amsterdam, and then were refused the Iceland flight. We spent a fourth day in Amsterdam and then begged to return home. Our luggage was lost for a week.
They offered a $500 credit for their failure to deliver us to Iceland for the tour.
Tip for consumers:
I am very disappointed.
Products used:
nothing
Dear Karin,
We understand how frustrating flight cancellations can be and are sorry you and your grandson were not able to attend your Iceland adventure.
Our emergency travel team is available to provide assistance, however, once you are checked into your flight it is best to work directly with the airline. It is unfortunate that there was confusion between Iceland Air and United, which prevented you from boarding your Amsterdam flight.
As a not-for-profit organization, our cancellation and transfer fees are not meant to be punitive. They cover the commitments we have made on your behalf with our providers and the administrative costs associated with your enrollment. We explain our cancellation and transfer policy on every enrollment call as well as describe it on our website and in our program materials. We highly encourage participants to purchase the optional trip protection plan to help protect their investment, so if they do need to cancel they can file a claim to receive cash reimbursement, for a covered reason, or a credit towards a future program, for a non-covered reason. We understand that you did not purchase the optional protection plan through Road Scholar but if you do have it through another company we would encourage you to file a claim.
Sincerely,
Road Scholar
Scheduled WINTER IN SICILY trip. Program #*******. We were ready to go, received an email of final preps, not a call. Both of us were covid tested on Wednesday, received our negative results Thursday
Email said to be tested 72 hrs ahead. To us that was 3 days, we leave Saturday, felt good. Upon arriving at airport, we were told we had been out of compliance testing by a couple of hours. NO BODY TOLD US THE AIRPORT COUNTS 72 HOURS AS TO THE EXACT HOUR WERE SUBMITTED OUR TEST! We panicked with only about 1.5 hours tobe tested again. Left airport, went to 3 locations - all closed. So, we missed our flights. Tried to contact roadscholar, called, offices closed for weekend due to being short handed. As seniors we felt betrayed. Days later roadscholar contacted us. Eventually they gave us some credit for another trip. Not near what we shelled out for the trip Plus loss of thousands of dollars in air flights. They contend it is our fault, nobody told us how airlines count the test hours.
Leery of another trip with roadscholar after this huge disappointment.
A friend and I are supposed to complete payment for our trip by Sept. 30, but we can't get anyone at Road Scholar to give us our flight information. Flights are included in the package. I am quite reluctant to pay $4600 for a trip to Cambodia when I don't know how long my layovers will be. The fastest flights are almost 24 hours Others are 30 hours and above. My friend has called, emailed and left voice messages multiple times in the last few weeks, all to no avail. This is not acceptable.
Dear Joanne,
We are going to send you a private message regarding your adventure and travel plans.
Warmly,
Road Scholar
The Primary Group Leader was excellent. The secondary group leader introduced politics 3 times during the trip then sent this email after the trip. This was our 14th and probably final trip with RS. I don't want political commentary on vacation!
Hello Road Scholars once again,
During our Great Deserts tour, I spoke briefly about issues w e face concerning water. Attached is a 1-page digest of what 4 other scientists and I have proposed. I ask that you read it and that you then contact your State and National Representatives and Senators asking that they work to implement advanced technology pilot plants so that we as a nation can address the current human and environmental health issues associated with synthetic compounds in our water. I recommend to your reading Dr. Shanna Swan, 2020 Countdown. Most of the chemicals she talks about are already in our water and our water infrastructure is not able to destroy and/or remove them.
Take care and please contact NAU Road Scholar (aka Bruce Banker) if you'd like to do another tour with me or any of our other exceptional leaders.
Bryan
Avoid tour if Bryan is involved!
Hello Paul,
Thank you for letting us know about your experience thus far on your program. We’re sorry to hear it hasn’t been pleasant for you. We would like to address this and speak directly with the study leader on the program, so we ask that you please contact us directly with additional information regarding the program you are attending. We'll look forward to hearing back from you soon.
Best,
Your Friends at Road Scholar
I had thought I was all set for a trip for myself and companion - we're less than 6 weeks out. However, after paying in full over a month ago, I was sent email with no explanation to pay more. It took over 5 hours to receive a call back, and then they said it's just additional airfare charge - look for the current airfare price on our site. The current airfare charge on their site is twice what airfare cost back when I booked, and 50% more than the current price for similiar flights on travelocity. Seems like a bait and switch to me, with uncaring folks on the phone today. Agents are unable to say why I was shown as paid in full, with 2 reservations, until this morning.
Hello!
Thank you for the feedback!
Could you provide us more information about this, please? Please email us at contact@roadscholar.org.
Please feel free to call us at 877-426-8056 or email us at contact@roadscholar.org if you have any questions or concerns.
Warmly,
Road Scholar
Just landed for a road scholar trip, in a strange city, running late and worried you'll miss your transfer shuttle?
Who ya gonna call?
Not Road Scholar! They place no importance on this important aspect of customer service. At least they didn't when I took my trip to Santa Fe. The "emergency" call center didn't know who was supposed to meet us at the airport-didn't have any names-didn't know if they were still there or when they were leaving.
Really? I think that is what technology is for. Unforgivable, Road scholar. You can do better.
Dishonest. Others have ranked Road Scholar as poorly as I have. My partner and I were initially placed on the waiting list for a trip to coastal Maine. To hold our place we needed to make a $200 deposit. Not being told that we were accepted for the trip, we made other arrangements. Only yesterday, when I phoned Road Scholar to cancel the reservations did I learn that we had been accepted for the trip. I was told they would notify me later of the change. But they forfeited the $200 with alacrity.
Dear Bruce,
Thank you for your feedback. We'd like to research this further for you. Which date of our Coastal Maine: Portland to Bar Harbor program were you enrolled for?
Sincerely,
Road Scholar
In a short while you will hear why,
Fortunately I have not spent a dime yet.
In shorttheir customer service stinks, they don't answer questions in a forthright manner they are impersonal and they are Heavy $$$$manipulators and Not Non Profit
Who do they think They are kidding
Us seniors are sharp as knives when it comes to dough
Hi Serena, Road Scholar offers thousands of programs on a variety of topics and price points. From our search box on the web you can view 97 adventures in the United States at or under $750.00. That cost include lodging, group leader, instruction, field trips, taxes, gratuities and most meals. We strive to offer great customer service and are anxious to improve your experience. If you would If you would like to learn more about how to find trips within your budget, send us a private message with your phone number here on SiteJabber so we can reach out to you by phone. Sincerely, Your Friends at Road Scholar
We just returned from our second Road Scholar trip
First was last year to Cinque Terra- no problems and no change in flights and/or itinerary
This most recent trip was from Antarctica- fabulous destination, largely run by a different company on the ship = antarctica 21
However, we were fogged in for 2 extra days
R. S. rebooked us from what was a non-stop to a 3 -stop trip home from Santiago, Chile
Initially we were told by our guide they wouldn't retry
However, when we prevailed and said we would pay ourselves AND showed them that our original flights were available, they changed them
This took 24 hours of wrangling and was upsetting obviously
HOWEVER, our upset was compounded by the lack of any interested response when I tried to speak with upper management once we returned home
The insular culture of this company is frightening and akin to an inbred fraternity.
Customers have no ability to accurately verbalize their frustration
We were not seeking renumeration, but rather simply attempting to understand why the so-called "custom travel" department was so insensitive to the individual traveler
We'll never travel with them again nor would we recommend them
I’m sorry you don’t feel we have been responsive in understanding your concerns. We researched your problem and learned that a member of management working in the Office of the President has reached out to you personally several times and has been available by phone or email to learn more about your experience. We value feedback from our participants and strive to be responsive. We are sorry that we have fallen short of your expectation.
1) activity level ("on your feet") was way over-stated! Mostly we sat at educational lectures and on buses. Visits to museums took zero effort.
2) much of Road Scholar's written communication was factually inaccurate and/or had non-stop discrepancies from one page to the next. EVEN OUR CRUISE SHIP'S NAME WAS WRONG (including on post-program survey)! $uch $loppy unprofe$$ionalism is unacceptable.
Hello Ellen, We are eager to review your concerns and make immediate improvements to our communications. Unfortunately, we don’t have enough information to do so. Please contact us via private message and let us know which program you are referring to. We would like to discuss your experience further so we can improve our future programs. Best, Your Friends at Road Scholar
Please read the Only reasons for cancel for any reasons with insurance.
I lost $1100 due to the COVID crisis. Road Scholar cancelled the trip and I lost all my airfare costs. Gratefully I did not have a lot prepaid to RS because I wasn't refunded my deposit.
I will NEVER book a trip with RS again. The insurance mentioned on their website is SO misleading.
Dear Margaret,
Unfortunately, there is not enough information available here to address your concerns, but if Road Scholar suspended your program and you did not initiate the cancellation, you are entitled to a refund of your deposit and we encourage you to contact us at 1 (800) 454-5768 and we'll be happy to review your options over the phone.
When the program is suspended, your insurance costs are also refunded. If you purchase independent airfare, we have found that airlines are waiving fees for their passengers, even if the policy is not posted on their website. If you haven't already done so, please contact your airline carrier and investigate their reimbursement policy.
Sincerely,
Your Friends at Road Scholar
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Road Scholar, the not-for-profit leader in educational travel since 1975, offers 6,500 educational tours in all 50 states and 150 countries.
Dear Sari,
Getting ready to venture off to Antarctica sounds amazing! We apologize for any frustration we may have caused during your recent interactions with us. We do see an email was sent today to help address some of your questions. The final information packet is being finalized now and will be available shortly. As soon as it is available, to view through your online account, you will be alerted via email. We would also like to connect with you to ensure you have everything you need. You will be hearing from one of our representatives shortly.
We wish you well in your travels.
Sincerely,
Road Scholar