Why are you changing the name?
To many, the Elderhostel name is a barrier they cannot get past — either because they don’t perceive themselves as “elders” or because the word “hostel” represents an inaccurate description of our accommodations. After great consideration and many conversations with our participants, providers and staff, we have decided on a new name for our programs and our catalogs. We’re actually not changing our name, since we’re keeping Elderhostel as the official name of our organization. The new name that we’re giving to our programs will reflect our identity while also introducing us to the many people out there who would benefit from our exciting educational experiences but haven’t discovered them yet.

As a not-for-profit organization, how do you take on such an all-encompassing project like changing your program name — especially in these challenging economic times?
As you might imagine for a non-profit organization as fiscally conservative as Elderhostel, the initiative to consider a new program name began many years ago and much of the work involved was undertaken in the earliest years of the project. Throughout the course of the study and research we’ve conducted, we confirmed that there is great reverence and affection for the name Elderhostel among our devoted participants. We also learned that the name is exceedingly off-putting for a majority of people who have no direct attachment to the program — so much so that these folks would not even consider a program we offered because the component parts of the name engendered such negative reactions. We believe our mission is so important to the healthy aging of our society that we are moving forward even in these difficult economic times with the launch of a new program name that we believe will eliminate many of the barriers of our organizational name, which, by the way, is NOT changing. We will continue to be the same Elderhostel organization that you have come to trust and rely on. Only the name on our catalogs and signage at our programs will be changing.

Why are you concerned about your name when people care more about the quality of your programs and how much they cost?
If people don’t open an Elderhostel catalog because the name concerns them, or if they are afraid to try an Elderhostel program because of a misconception created by their understanding of the words that make up our name, they will never have the chance to learn about the high-quality educational nature of our programs or experience the value our programs offer! Extraordinary educational adventures offered at remarkable value still is — and always will be — our mission. We know that there are some people who cannot afford even our reasonably priced programs, and we provide more than a quarter-million dollars in scholarship aid to hundreds of individuals every year. In addition, to better serve people from all walks of life, we are actively finding ways to decrease the cost of our programs without impacting the quality of the experiences.

Is this a brand new company?
No, it’s not a new company. Elderhostel isn’t going anywhere — we’re just re-naming our programs, our catalogs and our website.

When will I know the new name?
We are excited to share the news of our new program name with you in the fall of 2009.

Will the programs change?
No. We’re proud of our current programs and we continue to hear overwhelmingly positive things from participants about their experiences. So we will keep offering these programs while also dreaming up and creating great new adventures, as we always have. Be on the lookout for some exciting new types of programs that we will announce soon along with the new name.

Is the Elderhostel name gone forever?
Not to worry, Elderhostel is not going anywhere. The new name will refer to our programs, our catalog, and our website, but Elderhostel will remain the official name of our organization, carrying on our tradition of educational travel that began in 1975.

How is this going to change my communications with Elderhostel?
This fall, we will announce our new program name. As long as you’re signed up for our catalogs and e-mails, you don’t need to do anything — they will keep coming to you (don’t worry, we’ll make sure you know that they’re from us). If you’re not signed up yet, sign up for our catalog here and our e-mails here to make sure you’re among the first to know our new name. We’ll also have a new website that we will direct you to this fall.