Road Scholar Reimagining the Experience: Destination Evaluation and Vacation

For over four decades, adults with a passion for learning have experienced life-changing educational travel adventures provided by Road Scholar. The not-for-profit organization sustains a compelling mission: “to inspire adults to learn, discover and travel.” In fact, approximately 2,000 “Road Scholars” are embracing adventures at this very moment in 150 countries around the world.

Needless to say, offering diverse opportunities to over 100,000 participants annually is no easy task; technologies, user preferences and expectations continually evolve. The bumpy road leading into the digital age prompted Road Scholar to undertake a major project to overhaul its digital marketing platform, including the website: www.roadscholar.org. The project required replacing the market-facing digital tools, repairing the information architecture and reimagining the design. To help with the extensive implementation and to develop new eCommerce capabilities, Road Scholar partnered with Valtech. 

Since implementation, Road Scholar has seen an influx of over 10,000 new visitors to the site.

Valtech was asked to implement the digital platform using the leading technology from Optimizely. This selected system would enable Road Scholar to launch a new website with improved eCommerce capabilities, leveraging integrations to existing backend systems and third-party services providers,along with giving Road Scholar a scalable and flexible platform to meet future digital needs. The new and greatly improved site attracts new visitors and keeps existing customers coming back for more. Since implementation, Road Scholar has seen an influx of over 10,000 new visitors to the site.

Together, Valtech and Road Scholar were able to transform the design vision into a technical and functional reality. The full-feature site seamlessly displays across all screen types, showcasing beautiful design work, user-friendly navigation and high-utility features. Even more impressive is the 50% increase in performance speed on the website, despite having several backend integrations and lots of engaging and rich content. The new user experience, spanning the online path to purchase, is equally dynamic as it is streamlined across devices.

Road Scholar CIO Eric Bird congratulated Valtech on the success of the project, commenting:

…we are continually impressed by nearly everyone with whom we interact.