New Horizons was born from a few 8th grade trips that Kathy LeTarte planned for her children’s classes.  The first one (to Mackinaw Island) was planned totally herself. The following year, working as a Speech Therapist did not permit her the time to plan a similar trip for her daughter’s class, so she turned to the husband of one of her colleagues who had recently started a Student Travel Company.  The trip was not well planned, with several components not as “promised”. 
On the way home from Mackinaw Island the owner of this company sat beside her and told her how impressed he was with her and thought she would be an excellent addition to his company.  That fall she began working as a Sales Representative, often spending 14 hours traveling to schools and then late at night typing itineraries on a portable typewriter.  She quickly became disillusioned when information on the itineraries was incorrect, the pricing unnecessarily high and the apparent undermining of quality.  She was beginning to believe that you had to be dishonest to be in business. In spite of all this, she really loved working with school, teachers and music educators and the process of planning exciting and meaningful trips for students.  During this first year, she realized that her efforts were making a direct impact on the students, and in the case of music groups on their music programs.
In June, 1986 New Horizons Tour & Travel, Inc. was born, opening our doors in the basement of her accountant’s building in a 10 by 10 foot office, with Kathy as the only employee.  Awareness would come only from word of mouth and whatever meager marketing she could afford to do. Most important was the realization of the foundation of what would become New Horizons’ unique sales strategy; the philosophies of honesty, integrity and quality, the original reasons New Horizons was founded.

THE FIRST YEAR
That first year, it was evident that no other company was offering what we called “Customized Tours” that were uniquely designed to meet the needs of each individual group.  The original approach was understanding that the teacher was ultimately responsible for the tour, and therefore the tour needed to  be designed to meet their goals and interests as well as those of the students, and that costs should reflect the financial constraints of the community and parents.  While other companies were simply offering “standard” tour itineraries from brochures, New Horizons began to establish a niche and a brand from the very beginning based on honesty and integrity and quality, and a sales approach built on developing relationships through the understanding of customer needs.
At the end of the second season Kathy and her staff of two was exhausted!  Of course they had been busy…but when they finally paused and accounted for all of the tours, they realized their volume had doubled…without adding any staff.  This pattern would continue for many years…until 2001 and 9/11.  As a result, NHTT was adding staff and moving into new offices every year.  The building on Spring Arbor Road, which has been home since 1999, was the 8th move for our company!

CONTINUED GROWTH
Growth continued at a rate of 15%-25% per year as we added new sales staff when qualified individuals presented themselves, and employed support staff as needed.  Through the years, 90% of our sales staff came to us wanting to work for New Horizons. Additional support staff were hired based on the recommendations of current staff who recognized the to represent NHTT.  Our reputation extended from our customers to our vendors, as an outstanding Student Tour Company, and also as a great place to work!  

MOVING ON…
In 2006 Ms. LeTarte knew that it was time to move on to another stage in her life.  She felt confident that the company was extremely solid and that the management staff was positioned to take New Horizons to another level in the future.  "My biggest concern was maintaining the core of the company that has been there since the beginning.  I felt an enormous responsibility to our employees and customers," said Ms. LeTarte.  In 2006,   First Choice Student Travel was drawn to NHTT based on the history, values and reputation of New Horizons.  In 2007 Kathy LeTarte transitioned full ownership to First Choice.  But while NHTT was joining First Choice, FIrst Choice was being acquired by TUI Travel, PLC.  The current NHTT management team was kept on board and the company has continued to grow.  As part of TUI Student Travel, New Horizons is now part of the world’s largest travel provider.  This puts us in a position of strength in dealing with vendors and businesses to ensure that you receive the most bang for your educational buck.  New Horizons, as part of the TUI family, partners with events and companies to bring your group an unparalleled level of access to events and destinations everywhere.  NHTT, with its sister companies, National Events and Travel Adventures, has begun producing high quality events for music, dance and drama that produce a bigger world for every student.