Smithsonian Journeys v. Road Scholar

 

Smithsonian Journeys v. Road Scholar

My husband no longer travels, and at age 75 I typically opt for group travel, unless I’m going to a city I know well, such as Paris, Rome or Florence, or I’m opting to take my daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren away for spring break.

For starters, don’t assume group tours are for unsophisticated people, or that you will stick out like a sore thumb as a solo traveler. Prioritizing privacy, I happily pay the single supplement, approximately $100 per day for my own hotel room. As for meals not covered by the tour, I’ve never had trouble finding other solos willing to dine with me — unless I chose to dine solo.

Between 2017 and 2025, I’ve taken three tours organized by Road Scholar, and two by Smithsonian Journeys. Hands down, I much prefer Smithsonian for a variety of reasons. This could start with the fact that it’s impossible to reach Road Scholar on the phone without being put on hold for what seems like a lifetime. 

Having loved my Smithsonian trip to Normandy in the fall of 2024, I signed up for Smithsonian’s tour of the Italian lakes region almost as soon as I got home. There Smithsonian put us up at the Hotel De Palma in Stresa on Lake Maggiore. One feature of Smithsonian is that they select comfortable, centrally located hotels with delicious buffet breakfasts featuring items like smoked salmon and fresh fruit.

This trip included a day in Milan, where we got to see Leonardo’s The Last Supper and La Scala in Milan, preceded by a highly informative lecture given by Catherine B. Scallen, former chair of the Art History Department at Case Western Reserve. We also visited the Borromeo Islands on Lake Maggiore, Lake Orta and Lake Como. 

For me the high point of a Smithsonian Journey is the quality of their tour directors. On the Italian Lakes trip, Antonio Mattesini exceeded the gold standard, going above and beyond to cater to the whims of some 17 well-traveled, demanding customers. At the opening reception, a small group of us expressed a desire to go to Locarno, Switzerland, just over the Italian border. Though this was not part of the official itinerary, Antonio lined up a driver to get us there and back.

I’ll admit to being an inveterate shopper, and approached Antonio on day one of the trip to request his help in locating Via Solferino in Milan during the free time we had after our morning itinerary. He told me there was a small group intent on exploring Pinacoteca di Brera, and that he would be walking them there. He suggested I join them because Via Solferino was a continuation of Via Brera. This made my day because I was able to come away with a magnificent Italian sweater.

Here’s why I’ve sworn off traveling with Road Scholar. They pretentiously describe themselves as an “education company,” and to that end my trip to Thailand in February 2023 provided what felt like a Bataan death march — stopping at every temple, both significant and insignificant. The Road Scholar lectures left me with eyes glazing over, and imposed on me the agony of discussions often dominated by one traveler assuming they were the smartest person in the room, knowing more than the “local expert.”

The high point of that trip was a three night stay at the Katiliya Mountain Resort & Spa in Chiang Rai, where I tasted the most extraordinary coffee of my life, and enjoyed hearing the chanting of monks while viewing magnificent sunrises from my balcony. There were several low points to that Road Scholar trip — starting with a tour director who neglected to count the number of travelers and left one traveler behind at one of the aforementioned temples. 

The other low points included a stay at a fleabag hotel in Phuket. Never mind that the tour
director previously told the higher ups at Road Scholar that the hotel was a dump. My litany of woes could start with being served only partially cooked chicken (Salmonella, anybody?) In the hotel’s dining room. The trip also included a sea cruise with a flooded bathroom and inadequate handwashing facilities for food preparation. 

One low point of all three of my Road Scholar trips. . . Interminable multi-course lunches of heavy, unappetizing food.

My next group trip will be a tour of Turkey by Smithsonian Journeys in October 2026. Need you ask why?