Whether you’re financially capable of luxury travel to anywhere on the planet or you’re not, what better journey to take at the stage of your life than one that enlightens and educates you en route? If you’ve heard of elder hostels and assumed they were strictly for the over-90 crowd, you have been sorely misinformed. Check out www.elderhostel.org, and you will be both surprised and delighted by what you discover.

The website is quick to tell you that as a nonprofit organization its mission is to provide “extraordinary learning adventures” for people 55 and over. “Whether you want to stay close to home or venture around the world, you will find programs that meet your interests, activity level, budget, schedule and lifestyle.”

Your choices of destination are endless. You can find lots to see in your very own state, or travel across country, or cross borders to Canada, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, Australia, the South Pacific and Asia. Where have you never been that you’ve always wanted to go? That’s a good place to start investigating.

Consider, for starters: bird watching in Puerto Rico, kayaking on the Columbia River, fly fishing in the Bahamas, and nightlife in Paris.

Besides having the opportunity to see those places you’ve never had a chance to visit until now, you will enjoy comfortable accommodations and expert speakers. Plus, there is always the chance to meet a lone stranger within your tour group with whom to share the adventure.