‘Gosh, I really like your travel backpack! Where did you get it?!’ 

For the umpteenth time, another person was complimenting my grey Novaya Backpack from Arcido Travel.

And you know what?

I disagree with their statement. I don’t really like this backpack. I really, really, LOVE the Novaya backpack!

 

 

It’s been a month since I had this travel backpack and it’s already firmly rooted on my back as my companion for day to day life, weekend city breaks and short holiday destinations. The Novaya backpack from Arcido Travel is professional enough for my day work as a Marketing Manager storing my papers and equipment; it safely holds my laptop and other travel blogging essentials such as my camera; it’s even big enough to easily place my size 13 trainers alongside my Gym bag; and still has enough space to hold my other daily essentials such as the all important hair wax to keep me looking good!

So let’s find out why I’ve fallen deeply and madly in love with the Novaya backpack.

 

 

The Novaya Backpack from Arcido Travel 

 

On Arcido’s website, they advertise the bag as:

‘No gimmicks, no corporate black bag, no wheels – just hands free, intelligent travel. Designed for the smart traveller the flexible storage means you can travel with all your kit – laptop, phone, camera, clothes and shoes. It’s durable and secure so whether you’re travelling through airport security, the city or a dirt track in Africa, Arcido endures. Cabin approved, carry it any way you want, it’s everything the smart, serious world traveller needs.’

 

 

Their inspiration in designing the Novaya bag came about as a fresh and stylish alternative to the proliferation of boring black bags and wheelie luggage, which in recent research showed that 50% of travellers in Amsterdam Schiphol airport fully used two-wheeled or four-wheeled spinner luggage. However, there is a greater trend arising that people are ditching them in favour of the hands-free intelligent backpacks to stay ahead of being charged checked in luggage fees and waiting at the luggage carousel.

 

7 Reasons why you should use and LOVE the Novaya Backpack

 

 

1. Intelligent stylish travel feel to make you feel like a luxury traveller

Gone are the days when I would have been happy to slum it travelling wearing ripped jeans (sometimes a hole in my crotch space) and a vest with a popular South East Asian beer brand emblazoned across. Now, I like to look good, smart and intelligent. I would turn up at the airport desk with a jacket and skinny jeans signifying how important I looked, hoping for an upgrade on the flight. But it would have been my travelling backpack that would betray me, more suited to the style of trekking and adventure travel. But now, I don’t need to worry as with the Novaya Backpack, it looks sleek, stylish, intelligent (a bit like me, really!) perfect to go with my style of travelling these days.

 

2. Perfect hand luggage size for all airlines

This includes Easyjet, Monarch, KLM, Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, Aer Lingus, FlyBe and even the dreaded Ryanair. (Beat that!) The backpack comes in dimensions of 50x30x20 which is more than enough to smile sweetly at the check-in staff at the gate and say in a sarcastic tone: ‘No, I don’t need a tag to get my bag checked into the hold.’ If it can fit in a Virgin East Coast train overhead compartment at full capacity then it can fit into a Ryanair overhead compartment easily.

 

3. Comfortable backstraps to avoid aching and marked shoulders

Sometimes the reason I go with wheelie suitcases that I often get aching and marked shoulders from carrying around a backpack all day. With a wheelie suitcase, I could simply pull it around time to time. Not this backpack. Its wide shoulder straps are so comfortable that I completely forgot I had been wearing it for five hours as I toured London all day! This is probably my favourite feature of the backpack.

 

4. Dedicated laptop harness to protect any damage

Surprisingly, I was pleased to discover that there is a laptop harness with the bag to protect it from any damage if my backpack fell over or an angry frantic commuter starts hitting my bag if I’m walking slowly. Comes as a wrap-around for your laptop, I’m able to store the laptop in the front pocket with ease. Not only does the front pocket comes with a harness. there are dedicated storage spaces within for your pens, passport, tablets etc that’s easy to pull out. (For me, it’s my hair gel, moisturiser and comb!)

 

5. Hands-free – no pulling needed!

Okay, now that I’m visiting Europe more and more on weekend breaks, I’ve been desperately trying to find a stylish and intelligent alternative to the wheelie suitcase. Why? I need my hand back! It’s so hard to navigate the cobblestones of Europe’s cities and towns, creating an annoying clattering sound, and simply being so awkward to pull along. Europe is very well known for its steps so having to grip the handle and pull back a little as I haphazardly carry my wheelie suitcase (not designed for carrying) can be pretty daunting. At the end, you’re tired, frazzled and pretty stressed out. With a backpack, you can have both hands free and you can even skip down the steps much to the annoyance of wheelie suitcase travellers puffing on their way down.

Why not check this informative article why intelligent travellers are now ditching the wheelie suitcase:

See more: Why intelligent travellers are throwing away their wheelie suitcases

 

6. Switch between as a suitcase and a backpack

Turning up at a formal event may not call for you to arrive wearing a backpack. Have no fear, the Novaya can simply be converted into a suitcase. Simply pack the straps into their pocket at the back and there’s a handle on the side that you can use to be like a suitcase. Simples.

 

7. A backpack that opens up like a suitcase with one big interior space

Hand on my heart, I’ve lost count the number of times I checked out prospective hand luggage sized backpacks only to be disappointed by the small space within. So, when Arcido said that the Novaya opens up like a suitcase, I was highly suspect and took that as a pinch of salt. But when the backpack arrived, I looked inside and was taken aback to find out how ginormous the interior was. I closed the lid again (zipped all around the backpack like a suitcase) and opened it up. It felt like it was bigger in the inside than the outside. Could this be a tardis?

On my first couple of weekends away, I packed my usual weekend gear only to find there were so much more room left. I was befuddled. But my other backpack is almost the same size and I’m always stuffing it with the zips straining to stay closed. Surely, something not right! But more room? I’m not complaining.

 

https://vimeo.com/164152804

 

 

Price

 

This backpack is currently being sold at £65. Find out more here: https://www.arcido.com/product/novaya/

 

Verdict

 

Well, I can’t emphasise how much I love MY new backpack from Arcido. Now, my constant companion every day in my 9-5 working life and on my weekends away to different destinations, the Novaya backpack has become my favourite backpack of all time!

1 million out of five stars!

 

 

Follow the Novaya Backpack:

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arcidotravel 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/arcidotravel 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arcido_travel

Website: https://www.arcido.com

 

Disclaimer: The Novaya Backpack has been supplied to me for review. However, all opinions are my own.