Search Results for: blog a mall worth traveling to

Minneapolis—-More than Just Home to the Mall of America

I admit it; one of my first trips to Minneapolis, Minnesota was to visit what was then the world’s largest indoor shopping center–the Mall of America. The massive retail establishment is located in the suburb of Bloomington and is worth the 20-minute car ride from downtown Minneapolis. It is considered the Mecca of malls and with 2.5 million square feet (another 1.1 million square feet is being added), more than 500 stores, an indoor amusement park, a 1.2 million-gallon aquarium with more than 8,000 fish and other aquatic creatures, a virtual submarine ride, a wedding chapel, a NASCAR simulator, 50 … Continue reading →

Extreme (Grocery Bill) Makeover: Is Costco Worth It?

If you’ve read my other blog earlier this morning, I talked about shopping at multiple stores. This is a good strategy for us because we have a few grocery stores that we don’t have to drive to which would make us spend our savings on gas. This might also be a good strategy for you if you have grocery stores that are close to each other so that you’re not spending too much extra gas but can drive from one to another in one trip in a linear fashion. This is probably not a good strategy for you if you … Continue reading →

A Mall Worth Traveling To

Bloomington, Minnesota’s average annual temperature is about 45 degrees. But, it’s not the weather that draws millions to the area each year. Rather, visitors head to the Minneapolis suburb for another reason—the Mall of America. It was the biggest indoor mall in the country when it opened in 1992, but in the years since it has been eclipsed by shopping centers in Ohio and Pennsylvania respectively. Now it wants its top spot back. In previous blogs I’ve shared my budget-busting (yet thrilling) jaunts to the mall. I never tire of making the five hour drive from my home to hit … Continue reading →

Total Vacation Packages—Are They Worth The Money?

Websites are plastered with travel deals beckoning visitors to exotic locations. Most of them are package deals, which include airfare and hotel accommodations. Some even include rental cars and tickets to specific events (e.g. whale watching or ski lift tickets). The prices always catch my eye, but I never stop to examine the offer’s fine print. I normally assume there’s a reason (not a good one) for the prices being so (seemingly) affordable. So if you are traveling to popular destinations are these package deals the best way to go? I posed the question to my high school classmate, Ryan … Continue reading →

Traveling With Children—More Airport Play Areas

In a previous blog about traveling with children I detailed two very welcome sights at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport—designated play areas for restless tots. What parent wouldn’t break into a smile upon seeing specially designed play areas where kids could burn off some steam after being cooped up in an aircraft for hours? While the creators of these play areas say they were crafted to help pint-size travelers understand the air-travel experience we parents know better, these places are like oases in the middle of a barren desert. A place where we can sit … Continue reading →

Traveling With Your Most Precious Cargo

As far as airplane travel is concerned, many people have experienced problems with transporting their animals from one part of the world to the other. Barring quarantine laws and such, the animal is lucky to make it unscathed and unharmed and still able to bark or meow. There must be a millions success stories and I do want to be fair, but I have heard of two or three horror tales, and unfortunately they reign supreme in my mind, which I misplaced a while back. One of the worst stories I heard is about a woman whose cat was dead … Continue reading →

Tips for a Budget-Friendly Family Vacation

When the thought of taking your family out to dinner makes you cringe because of the expense, it is hard to contemplate taking everyone along for an actual vacation. Even though money concerns may make it seem as though you will never get away, you do have options, a number of them in fact. Here are some ways that you can stretch your vacation budget. 1. Look for the budget airline hubs Although airfare prices seem to be rising, there are a number of airline hubs that tend to have the cheapest airfare tickets. Some places are just less expensive … Continue reading →

Dog Days of Summer: Pets on Vacation

Pet owners face a unique situation when making our summer travel plans: we have to worry about our pets. Do we only go places where we can take our pets, or do we try to find care for them while we’re away? Website Pet Relocation released its third annual Summer Pet Travel Survey. They found that 70% of the people questioned plan to travel with their pets. If you want to take your animals along with you on vacation this summer, there are a few things you have to consider. Make sure you can bring your animal with you where … Continue reading →

Super Bowl or Bust

Could traveling to Dallas for the Super Bowl get any harder? Mother Nature blitzed the Big D and travelers came out the losers as they tried desperately to contend with ice, freezing temperatures and more than five inches of fresh snow on Friday. The surprise snow storm led to the cancellation of more than 300 inbound flights to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Friday morning, and it shut down commercial flights at smaller city-run Dallas Love Field. Those driving to see the Green Bay Packers battle the Pittsburgh Steelers for the Lombardi Trophy didn’t fare much better. In fact, one … Continue reading →

Zylie the Bear Sends the Right Message

She is 12 years old, adventurous, curious, stylish, brave, and she’s a bear! Zylie the Bear is like the American Girl of bears. Mary Beth Minton and her son, Matt, created Zylie to give children a play experience that is not only fantastic but educational. In a world where toys are plastic and steal the imaginations of children with fixed ideas, Zylie and her friend Shen the Panda are a breath of fresh air. Quality toys that inspire imagination, spark curiosity about the world around the child, and will forever live in a child’s mind and heart is rare thing. … Continue reading →