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Elderhostel targets younger members

Attention, baby boomers:

Those AARP cards in the mail that herald your 50th birthday aren't the only sign you're entering your golden years. Now, you're being targeted by Elderhostel.

The 29-year-old Boston-based tour company, which dominates the business of educational trips for seniors, is launching offerings aimed squarely at the soon-to-retire generation.

Dubbed "Road Scholar" tours, the itineraries will offer less structure, more free time and smaller group sizes than traditional Elderhostel programs.

The program does away with Elderhostel's famously structured learning forays.

Unlike traditional Elderhostel trips, limited to those 55 or older (though younger companions and spouses are allowed), Road Scholar tours are for anyone 21 or older. Group sizes will hover around 20, about half as many as a traditional Elderhostel trip. Sample offerings include a trip to Cambodia to meet Buddhist monks and a West Virginia rafting trip that includes education on Appalachia. Call 800-466-7762, or see www.roadscholar.org.

Digital photography advice

If you love to take pictures while on vacation but you haven't yet made the leap to digital photography, check out the May issue of Consumer Reports.

The magazine explains the pros and cons of various features, and rates 61 different models on everything from print quality to battery life and weight.
 
Its "best buy" recommendation is the Kodak EasyShare CX6330, at $205. The full report, including an interactive feature to help you decide which model is best for you, can be read online at www.consumerreports.org.

Springtime in New York

The New York Botanical Garden is hosting an indoor spring-flower show now through June 13, with three phases representing the progression of the season.

The show will be held at the Enid Haupt Conservatory. Visitors will find flowering cherry trees, magnolias, crab apples, azaleas, rhododendrons and many other specimens on the grounds of the park, which is in the Bronx. An antique garden furniture show and sale is also scheduled at the garden, April 30 to May 2. For more information, call 718- 817-8700 or see www.nybg.org.

It beats camping

Here's a unique alternative to staying in a tent, RV or motel on your next trip to a park: a houseboat.

Houseboat rentals can be found in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Nevada; Lake Amistad National Recreation Area in Texas; Trinity Lake in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest in California; Lake of the Ozarks and Table Rock Lake near Branson, Mo.; and many other national parks, forests and recreation areas.

Rates start around $1,500 to $2,000 for a three-day weekend, to around $3,000 to $6,000 for a seven-day stay aboard the largest-style boat. For information, call 800- 255-5561 or see www.foreverhouseboats.com.

Virtual road trips

It's the 21st-century version of opening a road atlas to a random page and planning a trip there in the spirit of adventure: You go to a Web site, enter your ZIP code, and get a list of destinations, maps, hotels and local attractions.

The site is www.hotels.com and the feature is called "Road Trips." Decide how many hours you're willing to drive, and the program will produce a list of destinations you can get to within that amount of time. Some of the places may be familiar, but some are sure to get you dreaming about a weekend away that you might not otherwise have considered.

The program also can be useful if you know you'll be somewhere on vacation and you'd like to find out what else is nearby. For example, if you're planning to spend a few days in Miami but you have time for a side trip, the Web site can quickly show you how long the drive would be to the Keys, Jacksonville or Orlando, along with suggestions for places to stay and things to do.

Williamsburg celebration

A celebration is scheduled for May 15 at Jamestown Settlement in Williamsburg, Va., to mark the 397th anniversary of America's first permanent English colony.

The event, called Jamestown Landing Day, will feature maritime demonstrations and interpretive activities related to the first contacts between European and Indian cultures in Virginia. Jamestown Settlement is on State Route 31, just southwest of Williamsburg. For details, call 888-593-4682 or see www.historyisfun.org.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company