Launching August 10th, 2009!

“With an overwhelming amount of travel information on the internet, OFF TRACK PLANET has done the work for you! Spitting out everything in fresh packaged articles with a concise and relevant summary of the latest must know travel tips, resources, advice, ideas and how-to guides for the low budget backpacker. But, we also include an entertainment value like no other guide…Fun, informative, and exciting articles, pictures, and videos covering sex, parties, and drugs from around the world and how to get YOUR broke ass out there!”…So who other than FEDORA TRAVELS to be their exclusive travel show?…

JOIN THE OFF TRACK PLANET TWITTER NOW FOR UPCOMING LAUNCH DETAILS AND TRAVEL NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW!

Side Note – We will have to delay the release of Fedora Travels upcoming ISRAEL episode for the release of OFF TRACK PLANET…There MAYBE  a launch party with an exclusive screening, join the OTP (Off Track Planet) Twitter to stay updated!

In my true, honest and humble opinion I believe this next episode of Fedora Travels will be the best yet. Look forward to its release next week!

NEW YORK RECESSION SPECIAL EPISODE!

To me, being broke means getting creative, and getting creative means having fun! (Read: Recession Does Not Equal Depression blog) – So for an upcoming Fedora Travels episode you decide what I do with…

For 1 Day in New York…

How would you use the limited resources to make it happen? Get creative and send me your wild ideas. You can watch the best ideas come to life in the next Fedora Travels episode….

Officious Guidelines & Rules:

• - Submit your idea, a list of ideas, a full itinerary, if you freaking want to, by simply commenting to this blog below…
• - All entries due by July 27th, 2009 . The episode will be filmed on July 31st. (There are always tons of free events around   New York…Check out websites like Freenyc.com, Myopenbar.com, NYCgo.com for for ideas on any possible events around   town that day!).
• - I will not take on anything that is…well, completely “illegal”.

Selections will be based on creativity… I’m looking for sites of interest, an adventure, people to meet, a possible challenge, an event to attend, where or how I eat, etc…Whatever sounds entertaining for the purpose of creating an interesting episode will be chosen.
The winner gets no money or prizes of any monetary value. Nothing, nada, zippo…You will however get creative control of my life, air time for your idea, your name credited to the episode, and the reassurance that you too can have fun when times get tough.

Ok, go!

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Current Latest News…

- Fedora Travels Contest #1 details will be posted tomorrow.

- A new TRAVEL JOURNAL section has been added…The words straight off the pages of my personal Travel Journal will be re-typed, and re-visited. You’ll get to read the back stories to the inspiration, pictures and video’s you see here! 

- A Photo Gallery for the website is in the works!

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         I’m sure you have noticed everyone freaking out about joblessness, homelessness and general lack of funds for necessary survival. Well educated, multiple degree-holding professionals have been forced to take odd jobs.  Street smarts have become worth more than book smarts, with people dusting off their high school spatulas to once again flip burgers and putting on their nikes to walk the streets distributing flyers.  I too have tapped into the odd job market recently promoting for the NY Rangers during the playoffs (where I rollerbladed all around Manhattan wearing an NHL refs uniform and throwing down face-offs on busy intersections with 15 other screaming Ranger promoters). 

        We’re all broke but that doesn’t mean we should just lay down and let it beat the piss out of us.  The recession can actually be an opportunity to get creative about the way we choose to live and spend our time. In my case, I’ve chosen to live in a hostel which is set up much like a dorm room. Up to 50 guests stay here at one time, mostly college-aged students, interns, and travellers passing through to live here for a few days or months. At 26, I’m considered fairly old for this environment and sometimes called “Poppa Hostel”…

          I’ve been sleeping on a bunk bed in a tiny room I’m currently sharing with Jessica, a New York Jets cheerleader. For the past couple nights Jessica’s friend (who is out here for the New York Knicks cheerleading squad try-outs) is sharing her bed above me. Yep, the three of us; really cheery in my room at the moment. Nothing like beating the broke ass blues with a few beautiful cheerleaders flowing in and out of here on a regular basis.

         In addition to cheerleaders, it seems I never lack free entertainment.  At any given time or day of the week, there might be a club forming in our living room as my fellow young resident assistants practice their DJ sets with PA speakers blasting and guests swing off poles and dance on top of the radiator heater.  When we manage to make it out of the house, you best believe we travel in a posse of at least 20.  (yeah you best believe it!) Sidenote: today we were planning out our tighty wighty twister party sponsored by Vodka.

          …And all this has been done on the smallest budget you can imagine.  Throughout, I have documented this partying and exploration on film.  I have spent countless hours in cafes and my cave-like bedroom editing footage to create videos for this project, for my passion and without a paycheck.  All gigs aside, I have respectfully worked my way up to “starving New York artist” status. I am happy to be here, penniless. (…for the time being)  Ultimately, Fedora Travels is a project meant to inspire others to follow their passion, so who am I to give up when times get tough and money gets tight? 

           Now that you know a snippet about my life and how I’ve lived it on a non-existent budget, how about I give you the reigns for a day?…Yes, something big is brewing…

The first-ever Fedora Travels Contest is a-comin! Digest the new blog and be ready for contest details on Wednesday!

Created & Written by: Freddie Pikovsky

      Co-written/Edited by: Anna  Starostinetskaya

Now available for your viewing pleasure, Fedora Travels Episode #2 – 24 hours in Philadelphia

Packed with pimps, cheap beer, and large objects on fire, WATCH IT NOW!

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!!

I’ve Re-released the Fedora Travels Brooklyn Episode into a 2 part series on Youtube…if you haven’t seen it yet, then you have not lived life! Click here, watch, now…

In celebration of the Re-release, enjoy my original custom photographed/designed postcard entitled

“Velcome, Little Odessa Babushki”

I would LOVE to hear what you think!  If you have been moved, inspired, experiencing vicarious traveling effects from this material, please leave me your thoughts, questions, feedback, or critiques… 

Thank you please,

Freddie P. 

I couldn’t resist a stop over to the Brooklyn Art Museum with my diverse group of friends from the hostel this weekend…we’re talking China, Chile, Russia, and France.  As we roamed through the museum, almost everyone had a chance to speak and share on behalf of their national origin and traditions feeling proud to be represented. Especially France…as usual  

We happened to partake in a musical performance which, for a commonly tame museum audience, got pretty out of control with a conga line and all…but this is Brooklyn and we indeed, go hard. 

Here is some footage and a few photos from the past weekend…Thanks Katia and Yecca for the footage! 

Written & Created by: Freddie Pikovsky

Co-written/Edited by: Anna Starostinetskaya

YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE MANY MORE REASONS TO SUBSCRIBE AND KEEP VISITING FEDORATRAVELS.COM AS OPERATIONS EXPAND MANG!

Loads of new material that has kept me locked away in the editing room to bring you MORE Fedora Travel episodes starting with “24 hours in Philly”…

There have been many inspiring Fedora Travel moments recently as my notebook fills up with many new scribbles materializing into MORE blogs…

A new Fedora Travels promo is in the works including MORE audience participation!

As operations expand, Fedora Travels officially welcomes a co-writing/editing intern who will help bring form, order, and and a bit of professionalism to my rambling thoughts…

With all this NEW and amazing FREE material you now get from Fedora Travels, it is YOUR responsibility to subscribe to the blog (Located at the top right corner of the HOME page) that’ll make it easy to stay notified on all this new great stuff as it happens…ESPECIALLY if we have crossed paths, there’s a good chance you will find yourself a part of the adventure! You may be surprised to find yourself in a video or blog…and as you become a part of the story, you’ll need to tell all of your amazing friends about it too!!

And now, a formal introduction to Fedora Travels brilliant co-writer/editor intern…

Hello…my name is Anna Starostinetskaya…

I know, looks a little crazy doesn’t it?  I usually have a speech prepared in response to all the questions thrown my way every time I pull out a credit card or ID.  Ready? 16 letters, its Ukrainian…Star-o-sti-net-ska-ya…syllables? let me count, six…yeah six.  Now that we got that out of the way, I will be your new co-writer/editor intern.  

You see, Freddie and I dated for two years before the Fedora project began.  I understand, and often share, his sense of humor and thought pattern. I also conveniently happen to be a damn good writer and have, for my own reasons, recently transplanted to Brooklyn from Los Angeles.  

Although we are no longer together, Freddie and I still get along great and I am very excited to be a part of this project.  I have a background in the legal field and am a meticulous grammar/spell checker (better than your standard word processing software).  All of the ideas will still be fresh from Freddie’s brain, I will just deliver them to you in written words.  New and exciting blogs and videos are coming your way so stay tuned and get involved.

-Anna Starostinetskaya

You can already check out freshly re-written material on the “ABOUT” page NOW! 

I was happy to get out of the hostel and head over to the east village to get a haircut by my old school Russian posses. Simply jumping into the subway cart was already making me feel better – Always so many different faces to see…My imagination goes wild as I begin to wonder what they do, where there from, and what they’re thinking of at the moment sharing this brief ride together. I notice this cart is particularly quite – it’s almost an awkward silence, as this thought processes –
BiiiiiiNG!
The strong pick of a single guitar string rings throughout the cart – It rings out for a few seconds until it is silent again…
BiiiiNG!
I can feel how everyone is hanging on to this note as it rings out again cutting through the awkward silence…
It’s coming from behind me and I don’t bother to look. We are about to head under the Hudson river for a straight 3 minutes without a stop. I smile and kick my feet up as I know this person has found the perfect moment to engage us in a performance –
he begins to play flamenco style in a minor key accompanied by a sweet spanish vocal ballad. It was really beautiful. The silence of commuters turned into the attention of an audience. It didn’t matter how many times this person played this song on this particular route before, he owned this moment and we all listened. The song ended as we approached the stop, the doors opened and people shuffled out. There was no applause, I never even saw who it was…
New Yorkers may take it for granted, but the performances we are treated to here in the subways everyday are one of the many special things that makes this a wonderful and unique place in the world and well worth shelling out a couple bucks for every now and then –
Its also what gives people here the comfort to feel, act, dress, say, and do whatever they want without any judgement…like the underground moving circus that occurred last week…
Next blog: From Bar Hopping to the Underground Moving Circus

P.S. – Here are some cool random websites to check out…
- How many people are dying and birthing right now?…http://www.breathingearth.net/
- Create your own Picasso masterpiece: http://www.mrpicassohead.com/
- Shoot monsters on the streets with your laser powered finger – http://www.tooncrisis.com/