Untours' founder, Hal Taussig, was raised on a cattle ranch in Colorado. After a less-than-successful foray into the ranching business on his own, he moved to Pennsylvania to study for his doctorate in American Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. After a brief career as a college professor, he wrote a book called Shoestring Sabbatical that has long been out of print. In his book, he described ways that teachers and professors could live for an extended time in Europe without spending a fortune. His book and European travel experience led him to create Untours

Untours was founded in 1975 by Hal Taussig and his wife Norma as a way to introduce Americans to as a way of experiencing Europe deeper than the standard superficial bus tour. Hal called this new type of travel, the "Untour". At the time, Switzerland was the only destination Untours offered. But Hal attracted a devoted group of travelers fervently convinced that this was the best way to see Europe. These "Untourists" weren't content to see only Switzerland and demanded that the company expand to new destinations, which it has done in the intervening years. As far as we know, Untours was the first U.S. company to promote the concept of staying in private, furnished vacation rental apartments.

The RIGHT Vacation Rental is the second product line to be launched by Untours. The RIGHT Vacation Rental, like Untours, is a profit-making venture, which, in turn, gives virtually all of its profits to charity. It is directed by Marilee Taussig, daughter of Untours' founder, Hal Taussig, (pictured here with her daughter, and Hal's granddaughter, Elizabeth, in their native Colorado.) The purpose of The RIGHT Vacation Rental is to offer high-quality vacation rental properties throughout Europe that capture the best of the "Untour" spirit - independent, intelligent travel for people seeking excellent vacation rentals at reasonable costs. The Untour concept was born when Hal Taussig took his wife, Norma, and daughter, Marilee to Europe for a sabbatical year in 1968. They learned they could live on ½ of a teacher's salary ($5200) by staying in apartments, instead of hotels. Ever since then they have been trying to find ways to help Americans explore other cultures, and save money at the same time.

Hal is an unusual entrepreneur in many ways. In addition to his dedication to connecting people from different cultures in meaningful ways, he has never wanted to become wealthy. In fact, he gives away nearly all of the profits from the company to a charitable organization he established called the Untours Foundation. For this policy, Untours was named, "The Most Generous Business in the U.S." by George Magazine and Newman's Own in 1999. The company strives to pay above-average salaries and provide a challenging and positive work environment for its employees. In addition to its commitment to its employees, Untours attempts to minimize its environmental impact in every way possible. For example, the company uses only renewable energy to run its U.S. office in Media, Pennsylvania.

Hal now devotes most of his time to the foundation, but is actively involved in strategic issues affecting Untours as well. He is excited to see the success of Untours' newest venture, The RIGHT Vacation Rental.