For more than four decades, Larry and Lorna Hundt have shaped not only a company but an industry innovator. What began as a young university student’s weekend bus runs between Waterloo and Toronto evolved into one of Canada’s most creative and admired motorcoach and tour operations.
After 42 years, Larry has stepped into retirement. As he reflects on a lifetime in the industry and the legacy of Great Canadian Holidays & Coaches, the through-line is unmistakable: entrepreneurship, innovation, and a devotion to people — passengers, partners, and employees alike.
Larry’s connection to motorcoaches started unexpectedly. As an 18-year-old first-year university student, he saw a need: nearly half his classmates were from Greater Toronto, and every weekend they needed a way home.
Larry arranged buses, filled them, and soon was moving 250 busloads annually. In between, he ran pubs, movie nights, a record store, and even an ice cream shop — ventures that all thrived.
School fell to the wayside. Business did not.
“I realized I was getting an entrepreneurial education, just not the one my geography degree was supposed to give me,” he said with a laugh.
All in on motorcoaches
When he left university, the bus company he’d been working with offered him a temporary summer job. He never went back to school. Instead, he entered the coach industry full-time and never looked back.
Alongside Larry was Lorna, who would become his partner both in business and in life.
“We had very different strengths,” Larry explained. “I was the dreamer, and Lorna made those dreams happen. She’s the doer.”
Immediately after leaving school in 1984, Larry and Lorna launched Great Canadian Holidays & Coaches. For six years, they operated tours using equipment from other carriers, until frustration with inconsistent quality led them to a defining decision: they would purchase their own coaches.
That decision changed everything. Their first motorcoach was a brand-new Prevost H3-40, the first of its kind in Ontario.
Most visitors to industry shows looked at the H3-40 and saw a bold, European-inspired design. Larry saw something more — the expansive picture windows that would transform sightseeing for his clients. He knew instantly he had to buy it.
The coach’s reliability proved exceptional. Prevost’s customer support and parts network cemented the relationship. It began a decades-long partnership built on trust, innovation, and shared commitment to operator success.
Coaches that made a statement
That first Prevost, with its smooth fiberglass shell, didn’t just upgrade Great Canadian’s fleet – it helped define the company’s identity. Gone were the days of the narrow signboard above the stainless-steel luggage doors. Suddenly, the coach was a moving billboard to design.
Larry and Lorna seized the opportunity.
Working with an airbrush artist, they created a remarkable series of coaches featuring iconic Canadian themes, from national landscapes to inventions, comedians, athletes, and historic moments.
In 1995, as Québec’s referendum on independence approached, Lorna had a powerful idea: create a coach dedicated to national unity. That coach, Canada 1: United From Sea to Sea (#1867), became the flagship vehicle at a massive Montreal rally and also led a parade of more than 35,000 people at a Toronto rally.
Great Canadian’s fleet became a travelling celebration of the country’s heritage. The coaches drew crowds in Niagara Falls, turned heads across North America, and became brand ambassadors in their own right.
“Operators have 100 feet of billboard,” Larry noted. “They could be very creative and powerful in their message.”
Great Canadian chose to make every coach meaningful, and passengers loved it.
New twists on touring
While the fleet drew attention on the road, the tour program made Great Canadian unforgettable. In 2018, Larry and Lorna received the Meritorious Service Medal, one of the highest levels of distinction an individual can receive in Canada.
Larry and Lorna built a business on creativity: fresh destinations, new concepts, and unforgettable experiences. Diversity in tour offerings became one of the company’s greatest competitive strengths.
Among the most popular innovations were the Mystery Tours, itineraries where passengers boarded a coach without knowing where they were going.
They started as an experiment. A three-day tour wasn’t selling, and on a whim, the Hundts rebranded it as a mystery experience. They hoped for one or two busloads. They got 28.
The concept exploded, eventually leading to annual Mystery Tours still running 30 years later. Some passengers return year after year.
Equally legendary was the January Reunion Tour. This reunion of Mystery Tour travelers was a logistical marvel involving up to 18 coaches and 850 passengers traveling simultaneously to a surprise destination. Every detail, from color-coded luggage tags to synchronized arrival schedules, was choreographed by Lorna with military precision.
“It was an engineering feat,” Larry said. “But people absolutely loved it.”
Women play key roles
One of the quiet truths behind Great Canadian’s success is that it has been shaped by strong female leadership. Lorna was Larry’s partner from the beginning, but the company’s management team is also dominated by women, including their daughters – Michelle, who now leads the tour division, and Andrea, the creative director who developed the coach branding – as well as Caroline Ravazzolo, who heads coach operations.
“In a largely male-dominated industry, we’ve benefited immensely from women in leadership,” Larry said. “We need more of that in the motorcoach world.”
Like every travel company, Great Canadian weathered the challenges of COVID-19 and emerged ready for recovery. While the rebound brought new hurdles, including a temporary dip in Canadian tourism to the United States, the company hasn’t lost sight of the strong demand that has always driven its cross-border travel.
At one time, nearly two-thirds of Great Canadian’s tours ventured south of the border. Although only a few operate today, in part because of strains in Canada-U.S. relations, the foundation for future growth remains strong.
“Our clients, especially seniors, just want to feel welcome and comfortable,” Larry said. “And we know that when they’re ready, they’ll come back. These are loyal travelers.”
Throughout the slowdown, many U.S. tourism partners have continued to show unwavering support, attending Canadian industry events not to sell, but to stand by long-time relationships and express confidence in the return of travel.
Larry believes those decade-long partnerships, built on trust, respect, and shared success, will help spark renewed cross-border adventures when the moment is right.
Coming through for customers
Through every challenge, every innovation, every painted coach, and every Mystery Tour, Great Canadian has remained true to its core purpose: serving people.
Prevost motorcoaches and support played a critical role in the company’s growth. Bold branding and creative tour design set it apart. But at its heart, the company’s success stems from an entrepreneurial spirit and an unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional experiences.
After 42 years, the story isn’t just about a business. It’s about passion, pride, resilience, and a fleet that carries the heart of a country across every mile.
Having sold his company and moved into retirement, Larry now looks back on a lifetime shaped by buses, ideas, and the thousands of customers and colleagues who filled the journey with meaning.
“It’s been a heck of a ride,” he said. “And I’m proud of what we built — not just a company, but something people could feel part of.”
