Off Track Planet

Between the Heinekens, pay-to-play girls bathed in red light, and the bevy of hash cafes, your wallet suddenly appears a pale shade of empty. Believe it or not, as broke as you may be, you can still find entertainment in the land of wooden clogs and bikes. Get on the...

Black pudding, blood pudding or blood sausage: Whatever you call it, it's bloody and the rest of the world thinks it's crazy tasty. Usually in the form of a coagulated animal-juice filled sausage, its exact origins are up for debate. Rumored to have been invented by some ancient Greek chef...

Once upon a time, London's culinary reputation consisted of boiled meat, mushy peas and soggy potatoes. These days, London is known not only for its Michelin restaurants and innovative cuisine but also for street food with amped-up flavor. OTP...

So, you've been lying awake at night, tossing and turning between lucid dreams of getting ridiculously high in Tibet with the local monks and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro barefoot. Well, before you strap on your backpack and take to the sky, learn a thing or three about Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS),...

A heaping serving of slop, Bunny Chow is the South African bread bowl to America's melting pot and a nod to South Africa's diversity. Nothing to do with rabbits or Hef's favorite snack, this cultural mash-up is one part Asian curry, one part Euro-bread and one part apartheid.

The...

In Spain, laziness is a cherished activity right up there with futbol, bull fighting and looking all Latin lover-ish. OTP's rounded up a list of budget ideas to help you get your Spanish do-nothing on while in Madrid.


The capital...

No need to sell your entire ABBA vinyl collection in order to have a quality good time in Stockholm. There's plenty of culture and nature to explore and, lucky for you, OTP has uncovered the best of this expensive city without spending a single öre.

Move Like Jagger... On Ice
...

Famous for its cheap beers, thrills and tequila, Mexico has put forth some crazy effort to solve one of the world's oldest drinking problems: la cruda.

The magical culture of Mexico has given the hangover an identity of her own: a nasty, head-splitting auntie that gives you hurts you for...

We've got the stars and stripes, the Fourth of July and the Liberty Bell. But nothing screams America more than hot dogs, our national culinary pride and joy. Not only is August 26th National Hot Dog Day, we bet you didn't know about the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council, a...

If you have ever flipped through the Spanish channel to see balloon-breasted women dancing the meringue for no apparent reason, you know that people around the world are entertained by wildly different things. A country's popular television show is a unique (but limited) glimpse into the culture of its viewership.

When it comes to Southeast Asia, everyone has the same guidebook and the same itinerary. Chances are you've island hopped through Thailand, trekked through Laos, hit a tranny bar here and there and you still haven't left the crowd behind.

You're stuck on the Banana Pancake Trail. It's time to...

A hell of a lot more permanent than a hostel hookup, travel tattoos are a great reminder of your life-changing adventures abroad. OTP's pinned down what you need to curb that international ink craving.

Brief History
Tatting has been drawing blood before recorded history. Statues of Japanese...

Famous for its super secret Swiss banks and having the world's best quality of life, Zurich's beautiful nature, polished culture and utopian transportation comes with a huge price tag. Don't skip off to somewhere cheaper just yet. OTP's here to help put some of Zurich on sale.

Window...

The Berlin Wall toppled over more than 20 years ago, turning the whole city into a street art stronghold that still stands tall today. Like the city it decorates, Berlin's street art speaks to the creative, free spirit of its people who fight control by coloring the machine's monotony. Don't...

Hostel-shower acoustics can only go so far and those boxed-in music venues aren't any better.

If you like your tunes live and loud, these spots turn the decibels way up. Pack a lighter, hop on the OTP tour bus and raise a bottle to toast the Top 10...

Weird things are for sale out there and making them yours for a good price takes some courage and finesse. Luckily, haggling is a part of every culture and only those afraid to bargain get gypped. OTP is here to beat the sissy shopper out of you so you...

We've all seen our fair share of landing strips: big rugged ones, skinny, barely-there ones and some that just look too dangerous to approach. The purpose of this information isn't to deter you from going to these destinations. None of these places are Jurassic Park, and you'll very likely set...

When your budget approaches the big "O" halfway across the world, everything becomes less peaches and sunshine and more hunger pangs and angry fits. Luckily, you don't need a trunk of Portuguese gold to turn the situation around. As long as the motivation didn't disappear with your cash (and you...

Subways aren't just a means of getting from point A to point B. The dark nether regions that swallow millions of people daily are often bright and creative spaces to be explored.

Across the globe, there are entire sub-cultures bubbling beneath your feet. Waste no time: under space awaits you.

Arguably the greatest party on the planet, Rio's Carnival falls right at the top of every partier's puke bucket list. Every February or March, from the Friday until the Tuesday before Lent, thousands of bodies flock to join Rio locals (called cariocas) for this five-day exhibition of excess. (This year,...