The Fore family's tradition for travel began in 1876,when CM. Fore's grandparents first traveled from the East and settled in Nacogdoches, the Gateway to Texas. This tradition was carried on by James E. Fore (CM.'s father), who began his travels around the turn of the century as a peddler, living and selling from a covered wagon.
CM Fore and his new bride, Marie, continued this family tradition of travel through numerous family vacations, and as their family grew, requirements for a suitable vehicle changed. They went from cars to station wagons, and even used a small fold-out trailer during the early days of the RV industry in America. CM. and Marie finally decided that if they were ever going to own the perfect vehicle for family travel, they were going to have to build it themselves.
It began as a high school Distributive Education project for their son, Ray, and soon turned into a real family endeavor. They began working together to build the first Foretravel motorhome, a 21' class "If; built from lightweight aluminum on a Dodge chassis, which weighed less than 4000 pounds. Upon completion, they promptly drove their new creation to Washington state for a visit with their eldest son, Roy, who was stationed there in the military. The Fore's "coach" generated so much interest along the way, that by the time they arrived back home, they had also concluded there was definitely a need for high quality motorhomes such as theirs. $0 they decided to go into the business of building motorhomes under the "Foretravel" name. The Foretravel Super Luxura.
The original production facility was a small building located on the family property, and for the first five years, the company manufactured and sold units at a loss. However, in 1973, their firm commitment to quality and success led them to make their first major exterior design change. The Super Luxura boasted a fiberglass front cap, rear cap, and side panels, which sparked great interest across the country. Foretravel continued to grow during the 70s and by 1974 had pioneered the first use of a diesel engine in a conventional motorhome.
In 1977, Foretravel celebrated ten years in business with the introduction of the FTX(Foretravel Ten). The FTX offered features not common in the RV industry at the time... TVs, VCRs, dual roof air conditioners, icemakers, central vacuums, and more. The FTX was truly "the" way to travel in style. Also, by October of 1978, the FTX became the first conventional motorhome to be powered by a rear engine diesel.
During the late 70s and early 80s, Foretravel purchased the manufacturing rights to Travco and GTC (Avco) motorhomes. In model year 1986, Foretravel introduced an innovative new motorhome with aerodynamic styling and an unusually spacious interior. Because of its grandeur and beauty, Marie Fore dubbed it the Grand Villa, and it quickly became one of the best-selling motorhomes in history. During model year 1987, Foretravel introduced the Grand Villa Unihome... the first conventional motorhome to utilize a monocoque chassis design, an eight-bag outboard suspension system, and an air leveling system. This innovative design concept revolutionized the motorhome industry and quickly set the standard by which most quality motorhomes are built today.
In 1992, Foretravel proudly introduced the luxurious 102;' wide-body Unihome and at the same time, celebrated their 25th year in business with the introduction of the Silver Anniversary Unihome U300.
The all new Foretravel Unicoach was introduced in 1994. With this new coach, Foretravel was able to integrate the high 'U performance, smooth ride, The Foretravel Unicoach U270. and easy handling characteristics of the Unihome, but with massive bus styling, which provided greater interior space. The Unicoach quickly became Foretravel's best-selling model. In model year 1996, the Unicoach U270 was introduced, which provided the Foretravel quality which consumers have come to expect, but in a more affordable coach.
Foretravel has always recognized the importance of customer satisfaction and customer retention. As a result, Foretravel was one of the first in the industry to recognize the importance of an owners' club. The Foretravel Motorcade Club was born with the merger of the Foretravel Travelers and the Travco Motorcade Club. The Travco club was one of the very first owners' clubs in the nation and dates back to 1965. There are presently more than 2,000 families enjoying the fun and fellowship of membership in the Club. Membership is exclusive to owners of Foretravel, Travco, or Avco motorhomes, and provides numerous benefits and travel opportunities.
In 1991, Foretravel embarked on a mission of product and process improvement called the Total Quality Process, through which all Foretravel employees are involved with customer satisfaction and product and process improvement. This revolutionary process provides the tools people need to do their jobs better, by allowing and encouraging them to control the quality of their own work, and then holding them responsible for it. One result of this new attitude toward employees is an extremely low turnover rate, which enables Foretravel to produce a quality product more efficiently in a very labor-intensive industry.
Over the years, Foretravel and the Fore family have continued their commitment to quality and customer satisfaction. Since building that very first motorhome 30 years ago, Foretravel has grown to become a recognized industry leader in quality, innovation, and customer service.