Polytechnic Touring Association

The Polytechnic Touring Association was a travel agency which emerged from the efforts of the Regent Street Polytechnic (now University of Westminster) to arrange UK and foreign holidays for students and members of that institution. The PTA became an independent company - though still with close links to the Polytechnic - in 1911. Later it changed its name to Poly Travel, before being acquired in 1962 along with the firm Sir Henry Lunn Ltd. A few years later, the two firms were merged and eventually rebranded as Lunn Poly (and later on as Thomson Holidays). The PTA was one of a number of British travel agencies formed in the latter part of the 19th century, following on from the pioneering efforts of Thomas Cook.

Members of the Polytechnic had taken holidays at the homes of its founder, Quintin Hogg (1845-1903), including Holly Hill in Hampshire, but increasing numbers meant that this became impractical. In 1886 trips for members were arranged to Switzerland and Boulogne. In 1888 a party of boys from the Polytechnic School toured Belgium and Switzerland to see the mountains they were learning about in geography lessons. In 1889 arrangements were made for Polytechnic parties to visit the Paris Exhibition. In subsequent years, the tours were opened up to those who were neither students nor members of the Polytechnic. Cruises to Norway began in 1892.

In 1894 the Director of Education Robert Mitchell (1855-1933) acquired chalets by Lake Lucerne which were to become the most famous centre for the Polytechnic Touring Association. A notable achievement was the organisation of a series of trips to Chicago to see the World's Fair in 1893: more than 1,000 people made the month-long journey. By 1894 the Continental tours had more than 3,000 participants, increasing to 12,000 by 1903. The steam yacht "Ceylon" was purchased in 1896 for cruises of the Norwegian fjords. Polytechnic employees acted as guides. However, in 1896-97, the travel firm Thomas Cook and Son sent several complaints to the Department for Education regarding the tours being subsidised by governmental grants.

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