Michael Alford; Travel Club Innovator

Michael Alford, who took people out of their complacency and sent them off to see the world with his innovative low-budget Unitours Club Universe, has died. He was 78.

Alford, who built a two-man operation into one of the world’s largest travel organizations and helped fuel explosive growth in worldwide travel, died Jan. 16 in Laguna Niguel, where he lived.

In 1958, shortly after his arrival from Europe, Alford set out to create, cajole and capture the as yet untapped low-budget travel market. By the time he sold the Los Angeles company 20 years later, he had sent 1 million travelers to Europe, Hawaii, the Orient, Africa, South America, Mexico and the South Pacific, and had done it economically.

He also had helped those regions develop affordable hotels and other travel businesses to serve the travelers he sent.

“Besides being a super salesman, Alford is a master showman,” The Times’ former travel editor, Jerry Hulse, wrote in 1976. “His operation is successful for a couple reasons: volume sales and a low profit margin.”

Before jets became popular, Alford chartered propeller-driven Lockheed Constellations, DC-6s and Boeing Stratocruisers to ferry people 13 hours to New York, and another 15 hours from there to Europe. When the going rate for independent travel to Europe was $2,000, Alford booked 30-day tours for $800. He unabashedly proclaimed his tours “the biggest bargain in travel” and nobody argued.

After he got crowds lining up for Europe, he began persuading people to go to Hawaii in 1960. A couple of years later, he became the first to charter planes to Tahiti. Then he pioneered cheap cruises to Mexico, luring other travel companies to jump on his bandwagon.

Because restrictions governing charters required those flying together to belong to some club or organization or have an official “affinity,” Alford created Club Universe, a club whose members had no common interest or purpose other than travel. He charged modest dues, initially $5, and in turn delivered newsletters touting available tours.

Born in Germany and educated in England, Alford was a British saboteur during World War II, parachuting into Germany to blow up factories, destroy railroads and the like. After the war, he worked as a European tour guide and huckster.

With that experience, he started his shoestring American travel enterprise with $1,000. Initially, he touted travel during lunch hours to employees of large operations from Douglas Aircraft Co. to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

By the 1970s, he was producing lavish stage extravaganzas at such venues as the Greek Theater and Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, featuring Polynesian dancers from Hawaii and Tahiti and Kabuki stars from Japan. He also took the shows on the road to 25 American cities. Free, they ended with invitations to sign up for tours.

Alford phased out the stage shows in 1975 in favor of cable television specials. Travel films remained available along with brochures at his Unitours/Club Universe offices.

He became a popular speaker and consultant in the travel industry, and served as president of two travel organizers’ associations.

Alford is survived by his wife, Diane; three children, Stephen, Jeff and Kim, and three grandchildren.

A memorial service is scheduled at 11 a.m. Saturday at South Shores Church, 32712 Crown Valley Parkway, Monarch Beach, Calif. The family has asked that any donations be made to the Michael Alford World Travel Education Fund, 30811 Concord Lane, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677.