Our Story

The Beginning

Several years and thousands of flight miles ago, co-founder Jim Kaese first started thinking about a site like this while enduring monotonous laps around a Las Vegas Strip hotel parking lot. Somehow this concrete slab exposed to Nevada's searing desert heat sparked an epiphany. How could the hotel concierge recommend this half-mile perimeter rectangle as a "good running route"?  This incident (one of many) was a brutal reminder that the hotel and travel industry are often clueless about the needs and desires of athletic-minded travelers.

The Search

Since this wasn't the first time that Jim and many of his traveling colleagues had been disappointed by so-called "running routes" or "state of the art" gyms or "olympic-size" lap pools or "healthy" restaurant recommendations, they set out to find a reliable resource that would help them find athletic-minded places to stay, eat, play, and go, while on the road. Despite the vast number of travel sites and books available, they could not find ONE offering information and recommendations tailored to athletic-minded travelers.

The Initial Solution

So, what do a bunch of entrepreneurs who can't find the information they want do? Create it themselves, of course! After months of research and more than 90 days of first hand accommodation and facility tours across North America, Jim Kaese and Paul Huddle (with a helpful team of others) co-authored, The Athletic-Minded Traveler--a 450-page travel guide recommended by Newsweek and Men's Health magazines (among others) that quickly hit best seller lists. Corporate America soon learned of the book and many large businesses began purchasing it for employees and customers (e.g., Nissan, Janus Capital Group, Sempra Energy, Jamba Juice, etc.).

The New Solution

As more people began purchasing the book and providing feedback, it became clear that while the information in print was necessary and useful, travelers also wanted the data and recommendations in an online format. In addition to the convenience, a web version would make significantly expanding the book's content feasible--not only new cities, but also new categories of information such as restaurants and retail stores. Real time updates and additions would also be possible, as well as user driven content from travelers who share common interests and lifestyles.

The Future

What began as a simple idea has blossomed into the largest and most comprehensive healthy travel site on the web. We continue to add new recommendations weekly and maintain our objectivity by not charging a listing fee for any of the businesses that make our cut.

In addition to managing the web portal, our business has expanded into licensing content to corporate wellness programs, providing athletic-minded consulting services to the hotel industry, and contributing travel expert opinions and advice to national and international publications.

We appreciate every customer and hope that our service satisfies all of your expectations.