New Changes for Elderhostel, Ireland's Rental Car Policies

Elderhostel, a dominant force in educational travel for seniors since 1975, decided it outgrew its name. From now on it's Exploritas. The press release says the new name "focuses more on the excitement of lifelong learning and exploration and less on age." I generally have a problem with manufactured names that require a pronunciation guide—it's "ek splôr´ i tahs," says the release—but some new features fortunately come with the new name.

New this year:

• Independent Explorations programs in key destination cities, including Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Santa Fe, and Washington, will combine structured lectures and activities with time for participants to explore their own interests at their own pace.
• More flexible international programs, with shorter increments that participants can combine back-to-back if they want an extended stay. Typical new programs are eight-night Hidden Rome and Hidden Florence.
• A social networking tool on the Exploritas website that, presumably, opens up the forces behind Facebook and similar websites for the older set.

Overall Exploritas will continue the mainstream Elderhostel tradition of an extremely wide choice of programs, in interesting settings, at generally attractive prices. Study/travel area options range from Adventure Afloat Study Cruise and American Studies & History to Train Treks and World Studies & History. You can study a language here in the United States—Swedish in Bemidji, Minnesota, for example (six nights, $660 per person)—or in a country where the language is native, as French in the French Riviera (14 nights, $3,995 per person), or in Quebec (15 nights, $1,589 per person).

Rail-travel programs range from five nights centered on a tourist railroad in the Great Smoky Mountains to a 27-night rail marathon in Australia that includes both the east-west and north-south transcontinental trains. I only found one disappointment: When I clicked on computers and technology in the current program menu, I got a doleful "your search did not match any programs" notice.

This year Exploritas is running some 200 programs in culture and the fine arts, 87 programs in crafts, and dozens of outdoor adventures ranging from bicycling and birding to water activity and winter sports. As usual, most programs are based in various U.S. institutions and last five or six nights. For the most part, domestic-program prices, including accommodations and meals, are very attractive to budget-minded travelers. Overseas programs can be pricier.

Everyone I've ever known who took an Elderhostel program raved about it. I see no reason to expect anything less just because of a name change. Log onto Exploritas and start planning a great trip.

Ireland Updates Its Rental Car Policies

With essentially no publicity or fanfare, the Irish rental car industry has done away with the previous 70-year age cap on visitors who want to rent cars in Ireland. Now travelers of any age can rent, although travelers 70 or older may have to pay a surcharge.

Over the years I've heard from many seniors who wanted to rent in Ireland and were told no, despite outstanding driving records and excellent skills. According to folks in the business, local insurance companies were worried that somehow seniors were more likely than younger travelers to run into trouble (or each other) on Ireland's narrow, winding back roads. Certainly many Irish highways wouldn't qualify as bicycle paths in much of the rest of the world, but I'll take my chances with a careful senior over a macho 25-year-old any day. Apparently that viewpoint finally prevailed.

Despite the lifting of the age ban, travelers of any age will face some additional risks in Ireland. It's one of the few countries where most credit-card collision coverage does not apply, so if you want to drive, you'll probably have to pay for the rental companies' rip-off-priced collision-damage waiver.

If you're interested in driving in Ireland, check with one or more rental companies. You might also want to check with AutoEurope to locate companies with the lowest senior surcharges.