Off track Planet is a fun site for young travelers (read: You, college-age students heading off to study abroad!). Who is Off Track Planet?

In the summer of 2009, a passionate young group of travelers from a hostel in Brooklyn, NY were bound together by a common goal: to communicate the awesomeness of travel to their A.D.D.-ridden peers by creating something cool, fun and relatable that would inspire more young people to wanna get their asses out into the world and travel! Thus, OTP was born.  Since then, our growing team has published a magazine, website and social community that now reaches over 1 million readers worldwide, quickly becoming a trusted brand in independent and youth travel resources created for, and by, GEN-Y.

Current articles on their site include:

Top 10 Sexiest Greeks of All Time
OTP’s Guide to Street Art: Rome
Top 10 Coolest Music Venues Around the World
Top 10 Things to Do in Malaysia on a Backpacker’s Budget
5 Volunteer Programs for Broke Ass Travelers in Taiwan
The 5 Best Places to Teach English Around the World
OTP’s Guide to Lounging in Venice: 7 Ways to Spend the Perfect Day Doing Nothing
OTP’s Guide to Street Food: Penang

Hooked? Off Track Planet also has a new magazine. You'll want to get your hands on it!

We received a review copy of Issue #2. I couldn't put it down.

In this issue, you can read:

Why NOW is the time to travel abroad
Getting rid of first flight phobia
Tips on Couchsurfing like a pro
Street art in Colombia
Tips on volunteering and working your way around the world
Teaching abroad
A brief (whew!) history of Vegemite
A global street smarts chart
Top 10 backpacker destinations (beaches? Croatia! Wildlife? Zanzibar!)
Top 10 party hostels around the world (I'm really too old for this)
OTP's Guide to getting laid in Brazil
Extreme sports in extreme places
Guide to Street food: China (really, culture on a stick?)
Running of the Bulls

And more - WAY more than I expected from a new magazine. It's full of trendy tips, funny stories, excellent writing, and fantastic photos that make you want to BE THERE. I can't imagine that college students are interested in traditional travel magazines (Conde Nast Traveler, Islands, etc.) - and there hasn't been a magazine for this travel niche since Glimpse stopped publishing their print magazine.

From art to parties, movies to food, culture to learning and volunteering, Off Track Planet's new magazine is a winner.

Details:

offtrackplanet.com/

You can purchase individual issues for $4.95 or a yearly subscription for $15 on the OTP Shop on their site.

There's also a limited-edition, hand-printed t-shirts designed by Barcelona-based artist, Ramon Maiden, on their site.  A 15% off promo code for the t-shirts is available to all of their Facebook fans.

Note: We received a review copy of Off Track Planet Magazine Issue #2, Summer 2011. Thanks!