Amid a Sea of Vouchers, Road Scholar Offers Cash

It’s a nonprofit

With its status as a nonprofit organization, Road Scholar has a cushion that commercial travel operators don’t have. It has received tax-deductible donations over the years that help offset trip planning, help low-income travelers and provide grants for family caregivers. Road Scholar is now launching a crowdfunding campaign to ask its community to help the organization during the pandemic.

“We exist to inspire and empower older people,” said Mr. Moses, not to deliver profits to a shareholder. When the travel disruption began, Mr. Moses said he sent a set of “guiding principles” to his employees. The first instruction was “to be kind to people who are calling, recognize their fear and anxiety, and do everything you can to help them,” he said.

The organization is paying group leaders whose trips were canceled, and working with other providers to get refunds or credit for unused trip activities.

It’s got a loyal customer base

Two-thirds of Road Scholar’s current customers are return travelers, according to the company, including some that have been on more than 25 trips. “The participants build intense relationships because they are on these holistic learning experiences together,” and come back with a feeling of ownership, said Mr. Moses.

Ken Gallaher, a retiree from Bartlesville, Okla., has been on 10 Road Scholar trips in the United States, Europe and Asia. He’s a repeat customer, he said, thanks to the programs’ experiences, local lecturers and the company of other curious travelers. He also said that when things go wrong, like mismatched airline schedules, the organization makes it right.

From watching the news, he was expecting his April trip to South Korea to be canceled, but when he received a personal call from Road Scholar just one day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned against nonessential travel there, he was impressed with the organization’s efficiency.

“They really take responsibility for everything they do,” Mr. Gallaher said.

Mr. Gallaher was offered a full refund, including the plane fare he had booked though Road Scholar. He opted instead to put the money toward an August trip to Europe he had signed up for with his wife, which he hopes won’t be canceled, plus a future trip.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/12/travel/coronavirus-road-scholar-refunds.html