STL founded by Micha Battsek and Harry Baum. Offices in Marylebone High Street and Paddington Street. 

ACFEA founded simultaneously to operate musical and educational tours. 

First Choir tour operated. Penn State University 6 week tour in including homestays 

STL contracts with The National Union of South African Students (NUSAS) to handle major annual Christmas European tours for large groups of South African students.

For more about NUSAS click here (external website)

Neal Robinson, member of Penn State 1955 tour, becomes ACFEA representative in USA

 Specialised Travel obtains a license from IATA

STL partners with STOP Tours of Berkeley, California to operate major series of student tours throughout Western and Eastern Europe.

To read a newspaper report on Knox Choir's 1958 tour click here

Archive photo of Bucknell University on their 1959 tour of Venice. 

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Baum discovers “Incentive Travel” in the USA and introduces the concept to Europe. STL becomes UK partner of Maritz Travel

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STOP Tour 6932 to Paris

Baum develops the concept and name “DMC” and launches Euromic, the first DMC consortium

Having outgrown the Marylebone office, Harry Baum decides to relocate Spectra to Hanger Green, West London.

First travel arrangements for professional choir/orchestra – the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

ACFEA operates first St Moritz Choral Festival, directed by Richard Savage. Conductors later involved include Sir Neville Marriner, Karl Richter, Helmut Rilling and Robert Shaw

Specialised Travel and Spectra separate to concentrate on their own specific business areas.

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ACFEA operates Mormon Tabernacle Choir tour of UK and Baltic, solving the logistical problems of a tour for around 800 people by chartering a cruise ship to use as a floating hotel.

Richard Savage becomes owner and MD 

STL sells Spectra to its staff by MBO

ACFEA operates second Mormon Tabernacle Choir tour; to Eastern Europe and Russia.

Click here for a larger image of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the Kremlin

ACFEA operates third Mormon Tabernacle Choir tour for 800+ people visiting the UK, Belgium and the Mediterranean on the chartered cruise ship MV Rhapsody.

The acquisition of Travel for the Arts, a tour operator specialising in classical music, opera and ballet appreciation holidays has enabled Specialised Travel to operate tours for music-lovers as well as practicing musicians.

Reunion lunch by Eurostar to Lille attended by current staff and 68 tour leaders from the period 1955 - 1970 

Further strengthening the company's breadth and coverage in the amateur music tour market