For the second year in a row, the Nomading Film Festival (NoFF) is hosting it’s summer festival right here in New York City next Saturday, JUNE 23, from 1pm-7. 

NoFF believes that travel stories are some of the most entertaining, educating, beautiful and authentic, and that these stories should be shared thru the power of film, acknowledged and awarded. NoFF sees travel less as a leisure activity and more as a chance to explore the planet and engage those living therein. NoFF believes that traveling shapes us, traveling defines us, and that above all, traveling connects us. 

We at Holstee also recognize the power of travel to push one’s cultural, emotional, physical, mental and spiritual boundaries, all in an effort to discover, grow and connect. 

Travel often; getting lost will help you find yourself. 

If you happen to be in New York City next Saturday (June 23), don’t miss out. 

We’re also giving away an 8-day trip to Guatemala with G Adventures, if that floats your boat. All we need is your email. All you need is a bit of luck. Entries close Tuesday, June 19.  

Cheers to love, adventure and the road less traveled. 

-The NoFF Boys (Andrew, Bassam, Mikey + Josh) 

I have been experiencing an extreme case of wanderlust ever since Claudia wrote in to share her story with us a few weeks ago. Claudia and Tassio have been sailing the world as a part of a long-term independent film project to capture the stories and inspiration from the nature around them and the people they meet. Perfect? I thought so, too. Here’s a note from Claudia:

The more I get to know and love something, the more I respect and connect with it. This is a thought that pushed me to move on a sailboat and get out there to meet the world, powered by the wind. My voyage with Tassio is a search of happiness for myself and consequently for others around me. Inspiration is everywhere along the way, with the people and nature that fuel our beings with positive thoughts. Sharing these stories is one of our ways to help transform this world to be happier and therefore a better place—we are dedicating our journey to it. Hopefully, it will leave you more inspired and motivated to keep walking with your dreams.

You can find more about Terra D’Agua on their website and check out the blog to follow their exciting voyage.

We are thrilled to share this guest post from our friend Brady Paron. Brady has long been a rockstar member of the Holstee community and we have been super excited to see him traveling and living the dream in South Korea. He wrote to us last week that the Manifesto had been on his mind through his travels and put together this post to share with us. Thanks Brady!

Travel often; Getting lost will help you find yourself… For the past one and a half years, I’ve been living on a volcanic island called Jeju-do, which is off the Southern coast of the Korean peninsula. Before I came here, I was working at home in Canada (shout out!) but wanted a change. I didn’t know what my next career choice would be, but I was ready for something new and I also wanted to travel.

I made the decision to move to South Korea to teach English and to travel. When I made this decision, I had been dating my girlfriend for only a few months, and we decided to go to South Korea together.  Because of both of these decisions, I faced some resistance from people close to me, who only wanted the best for me but didn’t understand why I was making these decisions. I also got a lot of support from friends, family, and even strangers who I met while working.

Now that I’ve been here for 18 months, I can confidently tell you that living abroad has been the most educational and life-changing experience I’ve ever had. My adventure has taught me many things as I’ve dealt with the many challenges that you face while you are in a country other than your own. But I’m not writing this to tell you about my own learnings. There have been many, but that’s not the point.

Just as the inspiring quote on the Holstee manifesto suggests, travelling will push you to your edge and allow you to grow in such a way that you feel clearer about your values and more confident with your interests and passions. It has a profound effect on you, if you let it.Here’s the catch, though: you need to be ready to take it on. Just like everything in life, when you commit fully to something, you learn from it. You need to be open, and accepting, and adventurous, and bold, and shy, and scared all at once. The beauty of the experience is the ups and downs. Usually the things that make you think “If only this wasn’t happening right now…” are actually the things that teach you the most. If you let them.

Challenge yourself to step outside of your comfort zone. If you want to travel, do it now. Be unreasonable with yourself and make it happen. In fact, make it happen often. I promise. If you are ready and you are open…you will learn much more about yourself and the world than you ever expected. And isn’t that just the best?

photo of fields and Halla Mountain on Jeju Island by Britt Neufer

Happy Friday! Dave is headed off to Berlin this weekend for Hello Etsy, A Summit on Small Business and Sustainability, where he will be joining a panel of brilliant minds including Matt LeMay (Bit.ly), Caitlin Coble (TOMS), and Charles Festa (Formerly of Threadless). The panel will discuss topics including how to use social media for social good, best practices, and how to build community for brands large and small, moderated by Etsy’s amazing Dave Brown. 

We are thrilled & honored to have Holstee represented at such a great event, and Dave is stoked for all of the creativity, energy, and great food (of course :) to be found in Berlin this weekend. He will also be visiting Prague and Rome on the trip, so if you know of any stores that would dig the Holstee vibe, be sure to connect with Dave through email or twitter. Thanks!

Do you have a question for the panel to discuss? We’d love to hear them! Post a comment here or tweet using the hashtag #helloetsy.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

We are off to Burning Man this wkend with open minds, arms and hearts, and will be bringing with us this giant 10 ft. Manifesto recreation by #Agent99 that is inspiring us to stay on our A game, especially since this past month has been one of the best yet.

Our entire Holstee family finally got together for a looooong overdue celebration, we’re happily expanding the family, and we’re on one of the biggest forward kicks in terms of community growth and outreach, thanks to the collective efforts of our team and, in particular, Mr. Agent 99 himself- Ilya Spektor.

Now, we’re off to Burning Man thru Sept. 5 with the intention of following our genuine intuition and continuing to spread our mission + values. 

To all our fans near + far, old + new, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU.

Your amazing support + encouragement keeps our collective dream alive and adds fuel to the fire burning in our hearts for a more conscious lifestyle with all those we touch. 

Best wishes + let’s keep this RockNRollstee Holstee train movin’ movin’ + groovin’! 

:D