Motivations and Benefits of the Travel Experiences of Older Adults

Abstract

The motivations and benefits of educational travel among individuals aged 55 years old and over were examined in this study. A total of 136 older adults enrolled in Elderhostel programs participated in this study and reported their perceived benefits and motivations for engaging in educational travel experiences. Correlation analyses were used to explore relationships between the adults' perceived benefits and motivations. Analyses of variance were conducted and significant differences in adults' motivations for educational travel were found by gender, education level, health, and activity level of the program. The findings from this study are discussed in terms of successful aging, and implications for organizations offering educational travel programs are provided.

Acknowledgments

Elderhostel has officially changed its name since this manuscript was written. This organization is now referred to as Road Scholars.

Notes

Note. There were 4 items per subscale with a total 20 items (4 ∗ 5 = 20) for the instrument. Each item was scored on a 7-point Likert scale, ranging from (1) does not correspond at all to (7) corresponds exactly.

Note. Cronbach's Alpha = .875, culmulative % of variance = 64.995.

Note. *p ≤ .05, **p ≤ .01, ***p ≤ .001.