Road Scholar is offering tours in the US that include educational background on the history and culture of the areas visited. JoAnn Bell, vice president of programming at Road Scholar, says, "In designing our educational programs, Road Scholar draws on various aspects of culture, natural beauty or historical events that have made each destination unique but at the same time have added to the fabric of the American landscape. With most of our U.S. programs and particularly our On the Road selections, we try to choose features that will allow program participants to connect with the locale they are visiting, while gaining new knowledge specific to that destination."

The not-for-profit company’s stated mission is “to inspire adults to learn, discover and travel. Our learning adventures engage expert instructors, provide extraordinary access, and stimulate discourse and friendship among people for whom learning is the journey of a lifetime.” The company offers 4,000 programs and claims to have carried 5 million participants. The programs are created by Elderhostel, which works on a direct-to-consumer sales model and does not pay commission to travel agents.

The company said it has 4,000 programs in its selection. Examples include Ride Colorado's Historic Railroads; Iconic Lake Michigan: From Door County and Mackinac Island to Traverse City; Exploring Historic New England Coastal Towns; The Great Smoky Mountain Railway: An Appalachian Adventure; Keys and Everglades: Human and Natural History Outdoor Studies; and On the Road: Washington's Mount Rainier, North Cascades and Olympic National Park.