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.
I received tickets in exchange for a review on the Museum. All opinions are my own.
Al Capone, John Gotti, Bugsy Siegel, Machine Gun Kelly, Don and Michael Corleone, Tony Soprano, all familiar names, all mobsters. Whether they be fictional characters, or real life mobsters, these are men who were involved in organized crime in some form or another.
The Mafia, or Mob first made its appearance in the United States shortly after Prohibition started in 1920. These men seized the opportunity to make money and control the underground world of alcohol thanks to this new law. Another way of making money for these men, was gambling. Gambling had always been an important part of business in the Mob. They operated many illegal gambling operations throughout the United States and because law enforcement agencies were on the Mobs payroll, they turned a blind eye to what was taking place.
In 1931, the state of Nevada legalized gambling, but it wasn’t until the 1940’s that the Mafia realized the potential for Las Vegas. Meyer Lansky, who didn’t want to be blamed if the first Vegas Casino didn’t do well, enlisted the help of Bugsy Siegel. Bugsy raised money and hype from Mafia families, and in December of 1946, the first gambling casino, The Flamingo, opened. However, due to the mafia pushing for an early opening, and not much interest from tourists, the Flamingo ended up losing money, and Bugsy ended up being shot.
Just off Fremont Street, in old Las Vegas, is one of Vegas’ newest attractions, The Mob Museum. The museum is officially titled, The National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement and shows the history of the Mob not only in Las Vegas, but throughout the entire country. The tour starts on the third floor and you work your way down from there. Throughout the entire museum, are interesting bits of Mob history, such as the blood stained wall from the Saint Valentine’s Massacre, exhibits, video clips, and actual photos and artifacts.
The museum is actually a piece of Mob history in and of itself. In 1950, a Senate Committee called the Kefauver Committee, was formed to expose Organized Crime here in the United States. There were 14 Kefauver hearings that took place throughout the United States, including one here in the Las Vegas Federal Courthouse that is now home to The Mob Museum. The courtroom is set up to look as it would have back then.
Thankfully, the Mob is not what it used to be. After the Kefauver hearings, the state started to better regulate gambling and illegal activities. Large Corporations started buying casinos and resorts thus attracting tourists, and not as many mobsters.
If you’re in Las Vegas, be sure and take some time to tour The Mob Museum. It was very interesting to learn more about Organized Crime, how it came to be, as well as the downfall of the Mob. We took our entire family with us (kids ages 12-17) and they found it to be of interest. I don’t think kids younger than 10 or 12 would enjoy this tour. It’s a lot of reading and history, and I just don’t see young kids finding it fun. We took about 2 hours exploring the exhibits. I’d say plan on allowing yourself at least an hour at the museum, but closer to 2 or 3 if you really want to get the full experience.
Mob Museum Details:
The Museum is located at 300 Stewart Avenue, just off Fremont Street. There is limited parking in the lot next to the museum for $7 for the first three hours. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online. Prices are $26.95 for adults, $20.95 for seniors, law enforcement, and military, $16.95 for teens (ages 11.17), and children 10 and younger are free.