Bertie de L’Arbre was a banker living in Belgium in 1947 when he moved to California and founded the Santa Barbara Travel Bureau in its current downtown headquarters. Over the decades, the company has steadily grown, today offering both personal travel arrangements as well as servicing corporate needs.
In 1974, Bertie’s oldest son Charles joined the company and took over management in 1980. That same year, Charles’ youngest brother, David de L’Arbre, entered the family business, and helped it gain international recognition for incredible service, experience, and knowledge. Today, David is chief operating officer and co-owner of the Santa Barbara Travel Bureau, which is consistently named best travel agency in the area and was honored by American Express with its Excellence Award.
David is also very much involved with the wellbeing of our city, frequently volunteering his time with the Downtown Organization and its safety committee. David is very direct, so when he speaks, people listen.