Get to know Junior Tours

Founded in 1976 by Marty Abrams, a former Brooklyn school teacher, Junior Tours began with a heartfelt belief that travel could open a young person’s world in a way that textbooks alone never could. Marty started this company with nothing more than a classroom full of students, a vision, and a determination to give them experiences that would stay with them forever.

From the beginning, he poured his whole heart into this work. If you met him, you would remember his big bear hugs and deep belly laughs. He was a man who made everyone feel welcome. Marty built Junior Tours on values he lived every day. He would often say, “Lead with honesty, treat people like family, and always do what is right.” These were not business strategies. They were who he was.

What began as one teacher’s idea has grown into a family-led company serving educators across the country, still rooted in the same values that started it all.

Today, 50 years later, Junior Tours is proudly led by Marty Abrams’ family, including his son Rich and grandsons Alex and Noah. We continue this work not simply as a business, but as a family legacy. Every trip we plan reflects the care, intention, and personal attention Marty brought to his very first tour. We stay by your side from start to finish, handle every detail, and treat everyone with honesty and respect just as he did.

With decades of experience and a hands-on approach, we remain committed to making student travel easier, more personal, and more meaningful for teachers and students alike.

Our mission to create unforgettable journeys

Our mission is to create meaningful travel experiences that bring learning to life for students, while giving teachers the support they need to make those experiences possible.

For more than 50 years, we’ve helped trip leaders turn bold ideas into thoughtfully planned trips that inspire curiosity, build connections, and create unforgettable memories.

Popular Destinations

Years of Travel Experience

Customer Satisfaction

Happy Customers

What Sets Us Apart

Student travel, done differently

Every detail is designed to give teachers more confidence, students richer
experiences, and schools a travel partner they can rely on year after year.

Travel With Competitors

Owned by Banks & Biig Cprporations

Run by Aggressive Salespeople

Endless Phone Prompts When You Call

Combines Different Groups Together

No Free Fundraiser

Lots of Fine Print and Red Tape

Higher Overhead Translates to Higher Prices

Travel With Junior Tours

Run by Tour Professionals

Family Owned

Live Person Answering the Phone

Private Customized Tours

Free Fundraiser

You Choose the Dates & Itineraries

24 Hour/Day Tour Guide

Timeline

Junior Tours is Born

NYC Added

East Coast Expansion

Second Generation

Company Rebrand

Joined SYTA

Rewards

NYC Theatre Growth

10,000 Groups

New Destinations Abroad

Third Generation

50th Anniversary

1976

Marty Abrams led his first student trip to Washington DC and Junior Tours was born.

1980

Junior Tours expanded to New York City and planned its first NYC trip.

1988

Expanded itineraries to include all major East Coast student travel destinations across the United States.

1995

Marty’s children, Debra and Rich, joined the company, officially making Junior Tours a second generation family business.

2000

Junior Tours refreshed its look with a new logo and company rebrand.

2002

Joined the Student and Youth Travel Association which strengthened partnerships and industry standards.

2010

Launched our teacher loyalty program, JT Points, to reward and thank long-standing clients.

2012

Acquired Manhattan Tour and Travel which expanded our Theatre Arts programs in New York City.

2013

Celebrated our 10,000^th group to successfully plan a trip with Junior Tours.

2016

Introduced international travel opportunities with new educational tours in Europe.

2025

Debra’s son Alex and Rich’s son Noah joined the team, proudly marking the beginning of the third generation of the family business.

2026

Junior Tours celebrates 50^th anniversary of serving teachers and inspiring students through travel.

Meet the Leadership Team

Portrait of Rich Abrams smiling; name 'Rich Abrams' and title 'President' displayed.

Rich Abrams has spent most of his life thinking about how travel shapes young people.

As President of Junior Tours, the company his father Marty founded in 1976, Rich leads a business that sends nearly 15,000 students and teachers each year to destinations like Washington, D.C., New York City, and historic cities throughout the East Coast.

But the story did not begin in an office.

Rich grew up around Junior Tours, watching his father build a company from scratch through hard work, integrity, and the belief that relationships matter more than anything else in business. After graduating from Tulane University with a degree in Business, Rich spent two years at Prudential Securities on Wall Street as a Financial Management Trainee. The experience was valuable, but it taught him something important: he was not built for corporate life.

He wanted to work directly with people, build something meaningful, and continue what his father had started.

Rich joined Junior Tours in 1995 and learned the business the same way his father believed everyone should, from the ground up. He guided tours through New York City, worked directly with schools and teachers, and learned every part of the operation firsthand.

Thirty years later, he still approaches the business the same way: personally, directly, and with the belief that no client should ever feel like just another account.

In 2012, Junior Tours expanded through the acquisition of Manhattan Tour & Travel, a company specializing in theater and performing arts trips to New York City. The partnership brought a strong community of drama teachers and theater professionals into the Junior Tours family.

Family has always been at the center of the company. Rich worked alongside his sister for most of his career, and today his son Noah and nephew Alex represent the third generation of the family business.

Rich lost his father three years ago, but his influence remains part of the company every day. “I can still picture sitting across from my dad, learning how to run a business and treat people right,” Rich says. “Now I’m on the other side of the table with Noah and Alex. I know my father would be proud, and that means everything to me.”

Outside of work, Rich is an avid golfer, a passionate poker player, and a world-wide traveler. He lives in New Jersey with his wife Jennifer, daughter Samantha, son Noah, and two miniature schnauzers who run the house.

Portrait of Alex Gamza smiling in a white zip-up jacket; overlay text reads 'Alex Gamza' with 'Executive Tour Director'.

Alex Gamza officially joined Junior Tours in 2025, but his connection to the company stretches back much further.

Growing up around the family business, he gained an early appreciation for the culture and values that have been central to the company's success for nearly five decades.

Whether visiting school groups in New York City or joining office trips to destinations throughout the East Coast, Alex developed a firsthand understanding of the relationships, accountability, and personal service that continue to define Junior Tours today.

After graduating from the University of Michigan in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Studies, a concentration in Economics, and a minor in Business, Alex chose to build experience outside the family business before eventually returning to it.

Alex spent seven years in financial services in client-facing roles focused on relationship management and investment advisory. He began his career at DWS Group, formerly Deutsche Asset Management, where he supported capital-raising efforts for alternative investment strategies. He later joined Partners Capital, advising endowments and foundations on investment strategy, asset allocation, and portfolio management. At Brown Advisory, Alex worked more closely with family offices and private clients, helping them navigate investment decisions and long-term planning. Across each role, Alex developed a passion for building long-term relationships, helping clients achieve their goals, and serving as a trusted advisor – an approach that continues to shape his work today.

Today, as Executive Tour Director at Junior Tours, Alex works closely with trip leaders throughout every stage of the travel planning process, supporting both longtime clients and schools traveling with Junior Tours for the first time. In addition, Alex plays an active role in marketing, client communications, and strategic growth initiatives, helping expand the company's presence in destinations such as Orlando and Europe while supporting the continued evolution of the Junior Tours brand. In addition to his office responsibilities, Alex is a licensed New York City tour guide and leads select student groups throughout the city, allowing him to stay closely connected to the experiences the company creates every day.

Outside of work, Alex spends much of his free time staying active through golf, tennis, running, and skiing. Alex has lived in New York City for the past eight years with his wife, Kay, and together they enjoy traveling and exploring new restaurants.

Alex is proud to help carry forward a family business that has been creating meaningful travel experiences for students and educators for nearly five decades.

Portrait of Noah Abrams smiling, with his name displayed in large text and the title 'Executive Director' (or 'Executive Tour Director') at the bottom.

For as long as he can remember, student travel has been part of Noah Abrams' life.

As a third-generation member of Junior Tours, the family-owned student travel company founded by his grandfather Marty Abrams in 1976, Noah grew up surrounded by the people, places, and experiences that shaped the business.

Some of his favorite childhood memories are of traveling with his father, Rich, to visit school groups, meet teachers and tour guides, and see firsthand the impact travel could have on people. Long before he understood the business itself, he understood the value of new experiences, shared adventures, and meaningful connections.

That foundation followed Noah into college, where his own travels deepened his appreciation for seeing the world. While attending Syracuse University, Noah studied abroad in Barcelona and backpacked throughout Europe, broadening his perspective and reinforcing his belief that travel has a unique ability to bring people together. Those experiences also gave him a renewed appreciation for New York City, helping him see a place that had always been close to home with refreshed eyes and a deeper understanding of its place among the world’s great destinations. Today, Noah has the privilege of serving as a licensed New York City tour guide, helping student groups experience the city’s energy, history, and culture for the first time.

After graduating from Syracuse University with a degree in Business Entrepreneurship, Noah joined Junior Tours full-time as an Executive Tour Director. In this role, he works directly with schools and group leaders to plan educational travel experiences throughout the United States and abroad. As part of the third generation of family leadership, Noah is also helping guide Junior Tours into its next chapter, bringing a younger perspective to marketing, branding, technology, and the overall client experience.

Outside of work, Noah’s passions include travel, golf, music, and entrepreneurship. As a DJ, he enjoys the creativity and planning that go into bringing an event to life, as well as the memories people take from it. That same appreciation for thoughtful, memorable experiences carries into his work at Junior Tours.

As Junior Tours enters its third generation of family leadership, Noah is proud to build on the foundation established by his grandfather, father, and aunt, while working alongside his cousin Alex to help carry the family business into its next chapter.

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