# Mike Putman

> Mike Putman is the founder and CEO of Custom Travel Solutions, a private-label travel technology company founded in 2015. Based in Greenville, South Carolina, he previously founded 11thHourVacations.com, held a senior role at OneTravel.com and served as president of Rovia. He also co-hosts the travel podcast No Tourists Allowed with James Ferrara and publishes Mike’s Musings.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at Custom Travel Solutions
- **Organizations:** Custom Travel Solutions, 11thHourVacations.com, OneTravel.com, Rovia, Putman Travel, Travel Team Consulting, No Tourists Allowed, Travel Startups Incubator, Chic Retreats
- **Education:** BA, Business Management, Furman University
- **Known for:** Founded 11thHourVacations.com in 1995 and later sold the business to OneTravel.com., Helped develop a white-label travel operation that his personal biography says powered more than 6,000 private labels and co-brands., Founded Custom Travel Solutions in 2015.

## Career timeline

- **1980s** — Began in the travel agency business with Putman Travel.
- **1995** — Founded 11thHourVacations.com.
- **2001** — Sold 11thHourVacations.com to OneTravel.com and became a senior vice president there, as described in his personal biography.
- **2004** — Founded Travel Team Consulting; Crunchbase lists the role through 2014.
- **2007-2015** — Served in leadership at Rovia; Crunchbase dates the founder/president role from December 2007 to April 2015.
- **2015** — Founded Custom Travel Solutions.
- **2021** — Custom Travel Solutions won the World Travel Tech Award for World’s Best White Label Travel Club Provider.
- **2022** — Co-hosted No Tourists Allowed with James Ferrara; an August episode featured Steve Kaufer.
- **2026** — Discussed RouteStack.ai and AI booking infrastructure in interviews.

## Achievements

- Founded 11thHourVacations.com in 1995 and later sold the business to OneTravel.com.
- Helped develop a white-label travel operation that his personal biography says powered more than 6,000 private labels and co-brands.
- Founded Custom Travel Solutions in 2015.
- Led CTS when it won the 2021 World’s Best White Label Travel Club Provider award.

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Appeared on the Airside Labs Travel Tech Podcast to discuss AI agents, travel distribution and booking reconfirmation.
- **2026-05** — Featured in Hospitality Technology discussing his career and leadership approach.
- **2026-07** — Discussed direct supplier APIs and the booking challenge for AI agents in a Phocuswright Europe interview published July 9.
- **2026-08** — Co-hosted an August 5 No Tourists Allowed episode about airline competition, river cruising and airport lounges.

## Links

- Website: https://www.mikeputman.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeputman/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/mikeputman
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/putman2

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/mike-putman
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-20