50th Anniversary

 
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Before Butterfield & Robinson had 50 years under our belt, traversed six continents, had affairs with over 80 countries (sorry, Canada) and made more friends than we could count, it was a trio of university students: Toronto law student George Butterfield, his high school roommate Sidney Robinson, and his wife Martha Butterfield (Sidney’s sister, of course). Like all young Europhiles, they had a dogged determination to be abroad, a love for the food, languages and culture, a sense of adventure, and no money.

“We decided the only way we could afford to get back to Europe was to develop a student tour program,” George now admits. “Our idea was to visit great cities, arrange history seminars and spend some time biking and hiking.” It worked, and a company – not to mention an entirely new way to travel – was born.

What doesn’t get said, but bears keeping in mind, is just how damn crazy this idea was in 1966...

The Trips

To celebrate our 50th year in business, we’ve dipped into the archive to craft new trips for 2016 that revisit some of our favourite corners of the globe.

Five Decades of Photos

    B&R's brand voice and distinct visual style was established by our co-founder Martha Butterfield, who wrote and oversaw the design of our earliest brochures. (Those distinctive brochure covers are all her doing.) Her passion for good design set the bar incredibly high and continues to permeate all aspects of the company; from our brand identity to our website to the personally tailored bespoke adventures we craft today. Scroll through the covers below to see how our emphasis on design has influenced our brochures over the past 50 years.

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    Click above to request our newest brochure, or sign up for our newsletter to get the kind of insight and advice only acquired after 50 years on the road. (And keep an eye out—our 50th Anniversary celebrations are just getting started, and we've got plenty more up our sleeves!)

    National Geographic Traveler | 50 Tours of a Lifetime 2013 T + L Smitty Awards Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards 2015 Pure Awards | Winner 2014
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