Road ScholarReviews of roadscholar.org

When I signed up for the Wonders of Costa Rica at a slower pace. The hotel listed in the itinerary for day 8&9 was a 4 star hotel on the beach called the Punta Leona. I'm not sure when but Road Scholar changed the Punta Leona hotel for the 3 star Villa Lapis Jungle hotel. I was shocked when we drove up to this dump. Others in the group wanted to leave and find another hotel. I had black bugs under that shower mat and the shower did not drain, Spiders on the wall and roaches coming out of the cracked in the bathroom. The bed was a thin mattress on a board and was hard as a rock. The food they put out was covered with a wrap but 15 minutes after the plastic wrap was removed it was covered with fruit flies. I passed on the open food bowls. The walls were real thin and the neighbors were real noisy until 11:30 pm. Others in the group complained about the late night noise, spiders and toilet seat being broken. I'm not sure where this place gets 3 stars. After I saw the roaches, I give it a 1 star. Road Scholar put us up in beautiful hotels and then they take us here. You can do better than this Road Scholar. The end the story, Road Scholar customer service called me about my concern and said they have never used the Punta Leona, (I sent her my itinerary that said PUNTA LEONA). She also said they haven't had any complaints about this Villa Lapis dump. After her call, I'm not sure if I'll ever travel with Road Scholar again. Enough said....

We had to reschedule a Road Scholar trip and were told the $500 penalty could be transferred to another trip by Aug 15. Because we were out of the county, it wasn’t until Aug 13th, when I called to schedule a new trip. I was told I missed the transfer date by 2 days, and that I had lost the $500! — I asked them to review our previous telephone call... two days later I received a note from Road Scholar, which updated our vouchers and gave us ample time to apply the $500 to a new trip - I applaud Road Scholar and Trust Pilot for allowing this to happen!!

I recently went to Ireland (Ireland At a Slower Pace). The program, itself was fantastic, but the flights were horrible. Road Scholar arranged the flights and apparently has a deal/contract with United Airlines on international flights. Flying with United was horrible. On the outbound trip on 6/1, we sat on the tarmac at Minneapolis-St Paul for an hour because that United flight didn't have a flight crew & also because of bad weather in Chicago that delayed our flight. It was hot in the plane, yet we were never offered a drink of water. For every connection both going to Ireland and returning to the US (on 6/11), United was late/delayed, used old planes that had no storage for carry on, and flight attendants were less than accommodating. Every participant in this program on these dates who had Road Scholar arrange their flights flew on United and had similar problems. Road Scholar, please start using a different airline and NOT United. They have a bad reputation even in the US. So, why put your program participants through hassles by using them for flights you arrange for participants? It's so convenient for you to arrange the flights, but is negated by using a horrible airline like United. Please contract with another airline-- there are plenty that fly to Europe that are far better than United (KLM, Delta, Air Canada, to name three).

I have been on 3 RS trips. They were all great experiences. They are expensive but you know. I went to Ireland for two weeks which during my time was my birthday. They gave me a bodhran (an Irish drum) and card and wished me many more. In New York, they made me a cake and sang. I did have a vacation cancelled due to the virus but had no problem getting insurance or small deposit back. I will be going to Cape Anne this summer and can't wait. PS: I rescheduled my European vacation but not sure I will go.