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Osprey Farpoint 40 Travel Pack Review: Built For Travel

February 19, 2018

The following article is a review of the Osprey Farpoint 40 Travel Pack. In this article, you’ll get a personal take on the pros and cons of this model along with some tips and advice if you’re looking at Osprey Farpoint 40 backpack or a similar backpack design.

Osprey Farpoint 40 Travel Pack Review

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Just recently our very own staff writer Julie Buckingham wrote an amazing article on Laptop Backpacks for Women, which made me think of one of my last trip to Germany. I bought the Osprey Farpoint 40 travel pack specifically for the trip, which was half business, half pleasure. We went for just over two weeks and because I had to fit in a Laptop and a small camera into the bag, I was concerned about the space. I was very close to getting the Osprey Farpoint 55 Travel Backpack, which is bigger, but I’m glad I didn’t.

One of the reason’s why I decided to stick with Osprey Farpoint 40 travel pack was that I was trying my hardest pack less. I was inspired by the documentary “Minimalism” which I had watched on Netflix leading up to the trip. Minimalism, in a nutshell, is the goal to just use your most essential items and not to carry around extra clutter in life. So for this trip, I figured I would force myself to do so by only carrying around a smaller backpack. To my surprise this the Osprey Farpoint 40 held a large amount of stuff, way more than I was expecting. My minimalism is goal remains on track in life, but looking back on that trip, I could have easily packed more items in the Osprey Farpoint 40 backpack.

Hotwire Review: My Personal Experience (Includes 7 Booking Tips )

February 14, 2018

Mike Patch

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Hotwire Review

For some people, booking a hotel can be a long and exhausting process. For others, it’s just paying for a room to sleep in while you’re out of town. Nobody wants to stay in a dump, nor do they want to pay too much. That’s why Hotwire has a really changed the game when booking a hotel room. The following is my personal Hotwire Review along with some hotel booking tips to ensure you get the best deal

How Does Hotwire Work?

Instead of researching and comparing rooms between dozens of websites, looking stock photos that never look like the room you stay in or reading fake reviews online, you can bypass all of the hassles with simply selecting a list of things most important to your stay. With Hotwire, you are presented with a list of priorities and some basic information to fill out. Things like the area, amenities, star rating, and price. From there you pay for your room but you are not told the hotel name until after purchase…and it’s non-refundable or changeable.

What Are The Benefits?

The benefits of booking with Hotwire are simple, you can stay in a beautiful room for a fraction of the price.

5 Airplane Toys For Toddlers To Keep Both You And Them Happy

February 9, 2018

Mike Patch

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Airplane Toys For Toddlers

Just recently I wrote about how my entire family took its first trip to Disneyland and the success of that vacation hindered on getting my kids their own luggage. Having your children involved in something as simple as being responsible for their own toys, gives them a task and allows them a sense of purpose throughout the whole traveling experience. Each kid had their own luggage, but we put those bags into the overhead compartment throughout the flight. To avoid having to get up 15 times throughout the flight, we brought a carry on bag for the entire families needs. In that bag, we included games and toys for the kids to keep busy along with snacks for them to eat.

In this article, I wanted to share with you some of the awesome airplane toys for toddlers that I picked up for the flight. Now I know what you’re thinking, who buys brand new toys for their kids just to behave on a flight…. well, I do. I didn’t break the bank at all, but I did find some awesome affordable toys online that made the 6-hour flight easily worth it. My kids were so well behaved, the wife and I got to enjoy a beverage and even got to play a game of scrabble (an app on her phone) while they played quietly.

Tip: To read about our trip and to get advice for Kids Carry on Luggage, I would suggest checking out my Best Luggage For Kids article. There you should be able to get some tips for your upcoming trip.

The following are 7 awesome airplane toys for toddlers. I didn’t buy all of these, but my step brother has 5 kids and made some suggestions to this article to give you more options. He was the one who suggested getting them toys when I mentioned our family vacation.

Best Luggage For Kids: 5 Suitcase Options Your Kids Will Love

January 30, 2018

Mike Patch

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Best Luggage For Kids

I think there are two types of parents in the world. There are the parents who envision the perfect family vacation with countless pictures and priceless memories, and then there are the parents who absolutely dread the concept of traveling with toddlers.

I happen to fall into the category of overthinking all the things that could go wrong. Sure, I want all the happy memories and good times with my wife and kids on vacation, but the idea of my kids throwing a meltdown on a plane or whining about the travel time makes me want to abort the whole mission.

Just recently, my wife twisted my arm and the whole family made it’s the first trip to Disneyland.

My wife, who is extremely organized took care of most of everything. I tried to help by offering “end of the world toddler scenarios” as she put it, but honestly, the trip wasn’t bad at all.

I do think the key to the success of our vacation was buying our two toddlers there own luggage. It gave them a sense of responsibility and encouraged them to stay organized. Kids love to feel involved in what everyone else is doing, so finding the best luggage for kids was tops on my list of things to do after remembering all the local day-trips we’ve done where Dad has had to carry everything.

Vegas On A Budget: Tips to Save Money and Still Have Fun

January 18, 2018

Mike Patch

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Las Vegas On A Budget

Ah, Las Vegas. Even if the good old Sin City has left you in alone in an alley, penniless and weeping in the fetal position, there’s something about it that always keeps you coming back for more. It’s probably not the promise of winning money from gambling (the odds are always against you in Vegas), but more of the promise of adventure and excitement. Vegas is a place we return to time and time again because we believe it’s somewhere that anything can happen. As adults, we’re taught to be polite, show restraint and constantly keep our desires, opinions and true nature at bay, but Vegas is the one place where we’re encouraged to drink (and drug) excessively, sleep around and most importantly, be our true selves.

Unfortunately, Vegas bankrolls all this fun and craziness by making as much money off visitors as they can (anyone who has been to the Subway across the Cosmopolitan knows what I’m talking about. Paying $12 for a gross sandwich is not unheard of on the strip), and you should be well aware of this fact before you try to make your next trip to Las Vegas. Luckily, with enough planning and creativity, an amazing trip to Vegas doesn’t have to break the bank. Here are some few Vegas on a budget tips to help you have fund without wasting too much cash.