We here at the OCNA blog first noticed on December 30th, 2014, that if you typed www.travelfleas.com into your web browser of choice, that you were redirected to www.geofleaz.com. There we found a new website, with a new name and a new design; all for the same great product, of course. The change was announced on social media (and even via email if you were an existing customer) a couple days later, and we asked Mike and Karen from GeoFleaz™ if we could do a blog post. We agreed that rather than a long drawn-out interview on the re-branding of their product, that we could just copy and paste some of the information on who they are, why they started the business in the first place, and why they changed their name, from a couple different places on their website, and repost it here. After all, we’re both busy!
About the launch and the new website:
We are excited about this launch and hope you are too. Our new website offers some great improvements for the user experience. Some of those highlights are:
• A more Geocaching friendly name
• Responsive design that adapts for any screen resolution, including mobile
• Easy, intuitive navigation for information and communication
• More streamlined e-commerce experience with credit card or PayPal
So, as you should expect nothing but the best when it comes to our products, we feel that you should get nothing but the best when it comes to our website. By design, for you, our valued customers and future customers.
Who are the people behind GeoFleaz™, why did they start the business, and why did they change their name?
One day our tech geek, Mike was surfing the internet, as usual, and came across something called Geocaching. Being the inquisitive type he immediately did some research on the subject and thought, that sounds like fun.
Wanting to share his new found game with his girlfriend (now wife ), he ran home to tell her about it. We downloaded a Geocaching app on the smart phone and away we went. The very first cache we found was hidden in a tree just about 100 yards outside our backdoor.
Within days we were addicted to Geocaching and spent many hours discovering new places in our community. We bought little trinkets to leave in the caches. We started to notice that many of the items left behind somehow contained the identity of the Geocacher, whether it was a piece of paper stamped with their name, a picture, or a business card. The problem was that they were always dirty and falling apart. We started thinking about what type of item could withstand the elements but still be cute and functional (you know, leaving your name so everyone knows who you are).
Well, we came up with the idea to make little metal tags in eye-popping colors personalized with the Geocachers Username. What better way to leave your mark?
Then we discovered trackables and thought it would be great fun to attach our name to them. That way when we watched them travel on their individual missions we were going with them. What fun to watch our name being spread world-wide! Hence the name “TravelFleas™”.
After about two years of most folks thinking we were a travel agency or a pest control company we decided it was time for a name change. We wanted Geocachers to know that our cute, little, metal tags were their answer to leaving their mark and to go “Along for the Ride” on a trackable. So our new name became GeoFleaz™. Get it?…Geo for Geocaching and Fleaz because your tag hitches a ride on a trackable like a flea on a dog.
Geocachers liked them so much that many are collecting them and starting their very own Fleaz Circus.
Now a little bit about each of us if you are interested.
Mike is an engineer by trade. Guess who came up with the size of our little GeoFleaz™ tag? He plays the piano, writes music, and loves good food. If you have a technical problem or comment, he’s your guy.
Karen is a trained chef and entrepreneur. Loves to travel, cook, and get involved in social causes. Contact her for information on partnering, events, marketing, or business issues.
Our goal is to make sure our Geocaching customers are completely satisfied with their GeoFleaz™ experience, so if you have any problems, concerns or comments please do not hesitate to contact us at any time at geofleaz at gmail.com.
Our Continued relationship with GeoFleaz™ at the OCNA Blog:
We gave away a $10 gift certificate for the then Travelfleas™ when we first interviewed them in June 2013, and we have also had two annual holiday giveaways for $10 gift certificates. We have every intention of making that a 3rd annual GeoFleaz™ holiday giveaway for another gift certificate in 2015. We also have a $12 Gift Certificate with free shipping, which we will be using as a prize for our still unannounced OCNA centric contest running the entire month of August, 2015 on our website. Stay tuned.
I am so happy that I found your site (totally accidentally). My son and I have been caching for about three years. I nabbed a travel bug about 3 weeks ago and it had the cutest little tag with another cachers name on it. Then, like the good cachers we are, we soon had it it on it’s way once again. Well, I kept thinking and thinking about the little tags and how cute they were and that Shorty and I just HAD to get some of our very own! I searched the Internet for things like “travel bug hitch-hikers, personalized geo name tags, mini metal name tags” etc, etc with absolutely no luck. Well, eventually I forgot about them. Tonight, I was surfing geocaching on Pinterest and suddenly, there they were GEOFLEAZ….BRILLIANT! Can’t wait to get them. Thanks so much… more geo fun to come!!