How the Luxury Adventure Vacation Was Made

Published by The New York Times | By Shivani Vora

“Biking- and walking-focused vacations might be common today, but when George Butterfield, 77, co-founded the active travel brand Butterfield & Robinson 50 years ago, they were practically unheard of. He started the Toronto-based company with his high school friend, Sidney Robinson, with the idea of offering biking trips for students around Europe.

In the 1980s, the pair dropped the student angle and decided to go after adults by selling biking and walking getaways emphasizing stays in small, upscale hotels and savoring local food, wine and culture. Today, B&R has over 400 group, private and self-guided trips a year to more than 80 countries but is still a family-run business. Mr. Butterfield is involved in the day-to-day operations and guides at least one trip a year, while his wife, Martha, helps with marketing. (Mr. Robinson is still a member of the company’s board but is no longer active in the daily enterprise.)”

See the full story in The New York Times.