Our founder started his career in the travel business in 1959, as a freshman at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, by taking high school age boys and girls bicycling in England and Scotland. His father, Dr. Leonard D. Haertter, at the time was Headmaster of the John Burroughs School in Ladue, St. Louis, Missouri. His long standing reputation was instrumental in aiding the development of this bicycle program, known as the Hostel Trail. The program was immensely popular, with the leaders for the individual groups coming from the cycling clubs at either Cambridge or Oxford Universities, in England. The program continued for thirteen years. Participants for these programs came from all over the United States.

From the company’s inception in 1964, special emphasis has been placed on creating programs that featured Symphony and Opera. Over the years, programs were created for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Saint Louis Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and the Milwaukee Symphony, to name a few. These programs were created for Symphony and Opera Patrons who would travel with their respective society when their orchestra or opera would travel abroad or in the United States.

In 1974, the Leonard Haertter Travel Company moved into their own building, located in Clayton, Missouri, an exclusive business center, located to the west of the City of St. Louis, in what is St. Louis County.

Through the years, special programs were created for non-music interest featuring programs for the decorative arts that were done for the Saint Louis Art Museum, the Missouri Historical Society, and the Massachusetts Historical Society, among others.

Starting in 1985, the Leonard Haertter Travel Company became the exclusive agent for the American Horticultural Society, based in Alexandria, Virginia. The Travel Study Programs of the American Horticultural Society ranged from 8 to12 programs a year, traveling to a variety of destinations in the United States and abroad. Unique to these programs are the marvelous collection of private gardens that the American Horticultural Society features. Each program is accompanied by a horticultural expert, to enrich participants’ understanding of gardens, plants, and garden design.

With our company’s reputation for unique garden programs, we have also created garden programs for other clients, including the Bel Air Garden Club and starting in 2008, The Garden Club of America.

In 1995 the Leonard Haertter Travel Company was appointed General Sales Agent for North America by Paquet Cruise Line, the national French cruise company, based in Paris, France. Starting in 1965, Paquet become the innovator in the creation of the Music Cruise. This program was joined in 1970 by the sponsorship of the Saint Louis Symphony Society. In 1999, Paquet ceased operation and in 2001, the Leonard Haertter Travel Company revived this program by chartering selected sailings from Windstar Cruise Line for Music Cruises, not only in the Mediterranean but also the Caribbean. In 2008, the Music Cruise will also be scheduling a Music Cruises on selected sailings of Peter Deilman river cruises in Europe.