If you’re looking to book a learning travel experience this year, take note: the biggest player in the industry is undergoing its second re-branding in the past year.

Elderhostel, the industry’s largest lifelong learning travel organization, will be using its existing Road Scholar brand name on all of its educational learning programs. Exploritas, the program name launched last October by Elderhostel, will no longer be used.

Elderhostel says it decided to stop stop using the Exploritas name following the verdict in a trademark infringement lawsuit filed against Elderhostel by a commercial tour company for high school students.  ”Although Elderhostel had scrupulously followed federal law in registering the Exploritas trademark and was legally granted ownership of it by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, its use of the name Exploritas was found to create confusion,” according to an Elderhostel press release.

The Road Scholar name was trademarked in 1992 and has been used by Elderhostel since then for travel programs targeting baby boomers.

“In the end, the powerful impact we have in people’s lives is far more critical than the name we call our learning adventures, and the pursuit of our mission is much more important than the pursuit of an appeal,” says James Moses, president and CEO of Elderhostel.  “We have closed our brief Exploritas chapter and we are excited to extend the Road Scholar name to all of Elderhostel’s educational experiences as we celebrate our 35th anniversary year.”

Tags | lifelong learning