Boulder's Intrepid Travel named No. 1 place to work in U.S. by Outside magazine.

• Author: Ray, Dan
• Position: WORKPLACE - Company rankings

Even for a company designed to lead people "off the beaten track," Intrepid Travel's employment policies are a bit hard to come by in the work-a-day world.

Four weeks of annual paid vacation, free public transportation passes, paid days off for volunteering, monthly potluck lunches, weekly at-work happy hours and even a "bring your pet to work" day are among the reasons that Intrepid Travel's Boulder office has been honored by Outside magazine as the best place to work in America.

Outside compiled its second annual "Best Places to Work" list after a yearlong research process, involving the Outdoor Industries Association and the Best Companies Group. The process involved confidential surveys about employment policies, salaries, benefits and overall satisfaction

"Everybody loves what they sell, so they love what they do," said Tiffany Richards, president of Intrepid Travel's Boulder office.

Intrepid employs nearly 1,000 workers in 100 countries worldwide, but its U.S. branch - based in Boulder - has only been open since December 2007. The company focuses specifically on finding unique travel experiences for customers, or what is sometimes called "adventure travel."

"It's all about learning about people and understanding their culture," Richards said. "And we think that philosophy needs to carry over into work."

Part of Intrepid's philosophy regarding travel doubtlessly plays...