This post is sponsored by Nomatic. However, all thoughts and opinions, are 100% my own.
I’ve heard the term, “Backpacking through Europe,” countless times in my life, and up until recently, I honestly thought it meant people were taking a tent, sleeping bag, and a backpack, and literally backpacking across the mountains in Europe. It wasn’t until our trip to Europe two years ago, where I finally understood what was meant by “Backpacking through Europe.”
Traveling in Europe can be difficult, especially with a large family. Many of the streets are cobblestone, trains don’t have a lot of room for luggage, hotel rooms are small, and large taxis/Ubers aren’t readily available to fit a family of 5 along with their large amounts of luggage.
Europe Trip 2017
When we went to Europe two years ago, I was unaware of these difficulties. Each of us packed a full size suitcase, as well as a carry-on size piece of luggage. To say we had a difficult time getting around would be an understatement. When we were in London, each time we went to or from the Train Station, we had to take two Taxi’s, because there just wasn’t a taxi large enough to fit us and our luggage. The hotel room was so small, that we literally could barely open the door, because our luggage sat on all available floor space.
So fast forward two years and we once again, decided to vacation in Europe. As soon as we booked our trip to Italy, I knew there was no way we could make the same mistake with our luggage as we did last time. I knew for this trip, we needed to find a way to consolidate all our stuff into two suitcases, or better yet, backpacks.
So back to Backpacking through Europe. If you’re smarter than me, you probably already knew that the phrase, “Backpacking through Europe,” does not mean what I had envisioned. What it actually is, in place of a suitcase, the traveler uses a large backpack (bigger than your school backpack) so they can easily travel on planes, trains, taxis, and not have to roll their suitcase over bridges, stairs, and cobblestone. Genius!
I began scouring the web trying to find the perfect travel backpack for our trip. There were many options, some too big, a lot too small, but I finally came across the backpack I knew would be perfect. There is a company (and it just so happens to be in Utah, where I live) by the name of Nomatic that specializes in backpacks for travel. They have many options, but the one I was interested in, is their Nomataic 40L Travel bag. This bag is carry-on size, fits 3-7 days’ worth of clothing, has pockets for your laptop/tablet, shoes, socks/underwear, and water bottle, as well as a safe pocket that you can lock (think passports). The backpack is waterproof, has a sternum strap, as well as a waist strap, for easy backpacking. Also included, is a laundry bag, so you have a place for your dirty clothing. The bag also has handles, if you choose to carry the bag by hand. It’s perfect and I had to have it.
Now let me tell you a trick I learned from a friend. If you roll your clothes instead of folding them, you are able to fit a lot more in your backpack or suitcase. The Nomatic 40L Travel Bag claims to have enough room to fit clothing for 3-7 days. However, with my rolling technique, I was able to fit all my clothes for our 11 day trip. Yes, you read that right! Eleven outfits along with all my underwear, socks, a swimsuit and coverup, a jacket, laptop, and a pair of sandals.
I still don’t think I took full advantage of all the different pockets and compartments for organizing all of my stuff, but I intend to use this backpack for a long, long time so I will have plenty of opportunities to make the most of it. I can’t recommend this highly enough as the best way to travel, whether by plane, train, or automobile, it is the best solution for luggage.
Nomatic has been generous enough to offer my followers a 10% discount with code: MINDIE10. This code is good from now until September 3rd.
Fashion and Sense of Style is something that is different for everyone. We all have our “favorite” pieces, whether that be a dress, a t-shirt and jeans, or tennis shoes and sweats. When it comes to fashion, I’m all about finding unique pieces that fit with my sense of style. What is my sense of style? That has taken me some time to determine, but here is what I came up with. For me, I tend to lean toward looks that are modern, classic, fun, slightly elegant and trendy. I feel more comfortable in a pair of jeans paired with a wedge or heel than jeans and sneakers. I much prefer a skirt and tee to a pair of sweats and tee. That’s just who I am.
On my recent trip to Paris, I had the opportunity to collaborate with Lilith, a women’s clothing boutique. This was such a fun experience, and one that I will definitely never forget. The greatest part about Lilith, is the clothing here is exactly how I define my style, full of unique pieces that are built upon classic, elegant, and trendy looks, which is why I specifically sought them out.
I met with Elodie, the manager of the Lilith shop in Paris, and we spent a couple hours together talking about the brand and trying on tons of beautiful clothing. Elodie was so sweet and went above and beyond in working with me on this collaboration. Currently, they have their summer line in store, and each line is focused on a theme. The summer theme being “Myths and Fantasies.” I learned that Lilith was founded in 1987, and is a women’s creative and original brand. Their”offbeat fabric blends and mixtures of non-traditional colors set the tone of Lilith collections.” The thing I love about the brand, is the attention to detail. Each piece is unique and the detail you find is amazing. Lilith promotes ” a different type of fashion, genuine and creative, funny and humane, singular and audacious, elegant and free.”
One, if not all of these adjectives, describe to a tee the pieces that I styled from Lilith. The overalls are definitely fun, creative, and even somewhat audacious. The skirt is creative, elegant, and unique. The black button down shirt is a classic with a twist, making it unique, fun, and creative.
Lilith Overalls || Tee (similar) || Gold Sandals (similar) || Earrings ||
Lilith Blouse (similar) || Jeans || Block Heels (similar) || Bow Clutch ||
Lilith Skirt || Lace Top || Heels
If you will be in the Paris area, stop by the Lilith shop. It’s cute , quaint, and so much different than any other shop you will come across. If you won’t be traveling to France anytime soon, they also have a shop in San Francisco as well as New York.
A special thank you to Fanny and Elodie! You both were wonderful to work with and went above and beyond in accommodating my schedule. Thank you Elodie for taking time (on your day off) to share with me information on the Lilith brand and for allowing me to shop for a couple hours. It was a pleasure to meet you and I loved every minute of my time at Lilith.
