Weekends Count Magazine - Helping you maximize your weekends through travel and DIY experiences.: Let's Travel USA

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Taking a Multi-Generational Family Weekend Trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico!

This year, we took a "Multi-Generational Family Weekend Trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico"!

We recently traveled with Grand-Mom to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Here are some tips to make the most of multi-generational travel.

Tip 1 - Share flight plans with family members so they can meet you at the airport.

Grand-Mom was able to book a flight to DFW Airport so she could meet us there and travel together to Albuquerque.

Tip 2 - Book accommodations together.

We booked adjoining rooms so we could spend more time together when we weren't sightseeing. Making one reservation simplified things for Grand-Mom.

Tip 3 - Travel via ride-sharing apps.

This trip was a great opportunity to show Grand-Mom how easy and economical it is to get around using ride-sharing apps. Most of our trips cost less than $10 including tips for multiple people to get to and from the hotel.

Tip 4 - Find out what is near the hotel beforehand.

There were not a lot of dining or grocery options near the hotel. This can be a challenge if you have dietary restrictions. Fortunately, the Range Cafe was near the hotel and we enjoyed eating dinner there each night.

Tip 5 - Find a hotel with dining options.

In addition to the hotel restaurant, the hotel also had a lounge for rewards members that provided free breakfast, even on weekends.

Tip 6 - Get the family involved in planning the travel itinerary.

I tasked our daughter with making a list of places she'd like to visit in Albuquerque. It was a great way of getting her to learn more about the location and practice making decisions. Ultimately, from her list, we chose Old Town Albuquerque, which allowed us to also visit the Albuquerque Museum and Explora! Children's Museum and Science Center.

What are your tips for multi-generational travel? Let us know in the comments!

Sincerely,

The Weekends Count Family

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Exploring Catalina Island with Kids - A DIY Cruise Excursion

The Catalina Island port has a lot of free and affordable experiences for families. From free playgrounds and a basketball court to affordable (and delicious) ice cream, your family can enjoy this amazing island.

These free experiences are located steps away from the cruise port (including Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Princess Cruise Line, and Crystal Cruises) tether boat and the Catalina Express Ferry port. There are many things to do for kids on Catalina Island, but if you do not want to walk too far from the ship, you can enjoy these free experiences.

Carnival Cruise Lines has an amazing itinerary from Los Angeles to Mexico. This cruise provides a lot of discovery experiences for children of all ages. Whether you are planning to explore the island or remain close to the port, enjoy these free experiences!

This is a NEAT list focused on Things to Do On Catalina Island

https://www.wheressharon.com/north-america-with-kids/catalina-island-things-to-do/

To get around the island, you will need to rent a golf cart OR you can take the Garibaldi Bus Service, which is SUPER cute!

Here's the Updated Bus Service Schedule
http://www.cityofavalon.com/transit

Have a great week and plan for the weekend!

Sincerely,

The @WeekendsCount Family!

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Have You Visited the Delta Flight Museum in Atlanta Georgia?

If you are flying into Atlanta Georgia for a long layover or if you have Atlanta in your travel plans soon, you should seriously check out the Delta Flight Museum in Atlanta Georgia!

We've seen previous videos from Sam Chui (a travel blogger focused on flight travel) about this epic museum and we had to check it out. It met and EXCEEDED our expectations. The Atlanta Hartsfield airport is large and very beautiful airport. In fact, this is one of our favorite airports and we traveled here for a 24 hour trip.

https://youtu.be/bxqL1t91BRk

As of January 2020, the museum hours are: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday: 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Wednesday: Closed to visitors; and Sunday: Noon–4:30 p.m. So plan according to their schedule. :)

The Delta Flight Museum includes four main sections/exhibits and many items to explore. We LOVED seeing the international items and the items of yesteryear! You definitely need to check it out!

Our must see items in Atlanta include the Delta Flight Museum and the Money Museum (the Federal Reserve of Atlanta). We had a great time!!!

Have a great week and plan for the weekend!

Sincerely,

The @WeekendsCount Family!

About Weekends Count - Weekends Count is a Millennial Family Travel, Fun, Food and Activities blog based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas. We review hotels, travel and household items, and millennial family experiences!

Authors - Jennifer and Tony Edwards

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Our Trip to Los Angeles and Universal Studios Hollywood!

During our recent holiday weekend trip to Los Angeles, we visited Universal Studios Hollywood!

The tickets were about $130 a person, but we opted to purchase season passes that allowed us to return for about $50 more per person.

The rides were amazing.

Many of the rides feature 4D technology.

What happens when you want to travel and you only have from 5pm on Friday to 6pm on Sunday? Yeah, you know the typical workweek? You just have to plan around it!

So, this means that we have to book a ticket a couple of weeks to two days ahead of time (yes, I am famous for this as well). Recently, we booked a ticket from Dallas-Fort Worth Airport (DFW) to Denver, Colorado Airport (DEN) on United Airlines. We arrived at 8:30 am and then we quickly checked-in at the Westin Denver Airport hotel, which was FABULOUS!

9:00 am - Then, we purchased light rail tickets from the airport to downtown. The ride was around 25 minute and it was a scenic trip for our family to view the terrain of Denver. Then, we realized that the 24 hour rail pass included MANY routes (that we plan to explore soon). We disembarked at the main downtown station and we walked around downtown Denver.

10:00 am Tattered Cover Bookstore - Our first stop was the the Tattered Cover Bookstore in Denver. It featured an amazing mannequin in the bookstore and this is definitely a bookstore picture stop! Also, the children's reading section was excellent!

10:30 am - Centennial Gardens Park - We also visited Centennial Gardens Park to view the gardens. In addition, the gardens, there is a great under the bridge photo opportunity! While we were walking under the bridge we saw several Lime Bike Riders. It seems like a great way to explore the city!

11:00am - Confluence Park - After our visit to the park, we walked to a downtown falls area (Confluence Park) and it was absolutely beautiful! Great for pictures and then for a quick bite to eat (we brought food from Texas and it was still cold)!

12:00 pm (Noon) - We visited 7-11 downtown because my little one wanted ice cream. So, we purchased three pints (with spoons) and walked downtown to eat our treats in the downtown gardens area).

1:00 pm - We walked to view the Big Blue Bear and then we visited the local Convention and Visitor's Bureau for more information about downtown. THEN, they told us about a local (and free) music festival that was by the downtown library and capital building. We walked four to five blocks and the festival was great! Many vendors, many free samples (Haribo, Sahale Snacks, and a milk company).

4:00pm - Then, we walked back downtown to find this mini golf area by the Westin Hotel and my little one LOVED it! It was free and she is such a mini golf fan!

5:00pm - We ordered a gluten free pizza (with napkins and plates) and then boarded the light rail from downtown Denver to the Westin Airport hotel.

6:00pm - We arrived back in the hotel and then we ate the pizza in the hotel room while watching a movie.

7:00pm - We began preparing for bed for a 8:00am flight the next morning.

As you can see, we had a fun-filled, great time that lasted for 24 hours instead of an entire week. This was fabulous for our work schedules and we were able to accomplish MORE in less time!

Travel to Denver, Colorado on United Airlines from Dallas-Fort Worth Airport is a quick and easy flight from Texas. We embrace 24 hour travel during the weekends for our busy Texas family. In Denver, we played free mini golf downtown, enjoyed the downtown parks. We stayed at the Westin Airport hotel and it was a simple train ride to Downtown Denver. We enjoyed seeing the big blue bear outside of the convention center. Have a great week and plan for the weekend!

Sincerely,

The @WeekendsCount Family!

24 Hour Travel Adventure in Minneapolis - Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America

When you find the perfect indoor theme park for your family, you HAVE to embrace it! Recently, when we discovered CHEAP tickets from DFW Airport to Minneapolis, Minnesota on United Airlines and I had to research the city.

So, I discovered that Minneapolis was the home of Prince and the Mall of America. I KNEW that Mall of America also contains Nickelodeon Universe. During dinner, our family watches theme park videos and Nickelodeon Universe was one of the recent videos.

In Minneapolis, we traveled via the light rail from the airport to the Mall of America (a 10 minute ride). When we arrived there, we walked through the mall with our luggage and headed to our hotel (the JW Marriott in the Mall). After organizing our items in the room, we headed down to the Nickelodeon Experience. We had a GREAT time! Then, we visited the American Girl store and it was EPIC for our little one! After everything we experienced in the day, we headed to the Flyover America and it was a great way to end the evening, but WAIT there's more!

We grabbed some noodles from Noodles and Company and we were SURPRISED by a light display (with amazing music) in the Nickelodeon Experience. We definitely enjoyed the experience! You should definitely take this cheap trip from DFW Airport or Bush Intercontinental Airport.

Have a great week and plan for the weekend! Remember to give the video a thumbs up!

Sincerely,

The @WeekendsCount Family!

24 Hour Adventure in Minneapolis - The Nickelodeon Universe Experience & American Girl Experience in the Mall of America

Recently, we had an exciting opportunity to travel to Minneapolis for a 24 hour adventure. We left on a Saturday at 10am from DFW Airport and we arrived in Minneapolis by 4pm (with a brief layover in Denver, CO). In Minneapolis, we traveled via the light rail from the airport to the Mall of America (a 10 minute ride).

When we arrived there, we walked through the mall with our luggage and headed to our hotel (the JW Marriott in the Mall). After organizing our items in the room, we headed down to the Nickelodeon Experience. We had a GREAT time!

Then, we visited the American Girl store and it was EPIC for our little one! After everything we experienced in the day, we headed to the Flyover America and it was a great way to end the evening, but WAIT there's more! We grabbed some noodles from Noodles and Company and we were SURPRISED by a light display (with amazing music) in the Nickelodeon Experience.

We definitely enjoyed the experience! About Weekends Count - Weekends Count is a Millennial Family Travel, Fun, Food and Activities blog based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas. We review hotels, travel and household items, and millennial family experiences!

Have a great week and plan for the weekend!

Sincerely,

The @WeekendsCount Family!

About Weekends Count - Weekends Count is a Millennial Family Travel, Fun, Food and Activities blog based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas. We review hotels, travel and household items, and millennial family experiences!

Authors - Jennifer and Tony Edwards

Here's a link to our press kit/media kit - http://www.weekendscount.com/p/our-media-kit.html

Mailing Address: 1030 East Highway 377 Suite 110; Box #145; Granbury TX 76048
Phone Number - 817-382-8475

Did You Watch Our Videos on YouTube, Yet? Remember to Subscribe! - http://www.youtube.com/weekendscount/
Did You Become a Fan of Facebook? - http://www.facebook.com/weekendscount/
Did You Follow Us on Twitter? - http://www.twitter.com/weekendscount/
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Send us an Email! We are PR friendly! - weekendscount@gmail.com

Remember to Check Out Our Book - Family Travel Hacks and Tips for Any Budget!

Top Tips for Budget Travel in Europe: Guest Post!

Top Tips for Budget Travel in Europe

Traveling to Europe doesn’t have to be as expensive as you might expect it to be. In fact, there are a number of ways that you can save money without missing out. We have put together our tips that has allowed us to visit over 21 countries in the past two years! Using these you are able to experience the cities and towns you visit more like the locals do.

Here are our top tips for budget travel in Europe:

Using the My Disney Experience Mobile App!

Planning a Disney vacation? Using this app can help you save time and get the most out of your experience at Disney Parks.

Hanging Out at the Hoover Dam!

During your stay in Las Vegas, Nevada, please consider a Hoover Dam tour via Gray Line! It's a fun and economical way to explore a piece of American History.

Learning about Natural Science at Disney Parks!

Do your kids enjoy natural science? Then make sure to visit these spots on your next Disney vacation!

Future World - EPCOT - Living with the Land

If your kids have any interest in plants or animals, then you should definitely take them on the Living with the Land Ride at EPCOT! The ride will talk about the importance of agriculture and biotechnology. The ride also features a hydroponic garden featuring an ecosystem of fish and many kinds of plants.

You will also pass by the Biotechnology Lab where your child can see scientists at work!

Future World - The Seas with Nemo and Friends

Here you can take ride that follows Nemo's journey. As the ride concludes, your child will see Nemo and friends swimming among real sea creatures with the help of Disney magic and technology.

There are also several aquariums featuring coral reefs, fish, and sea stars!

Future World - EPCOT - SeaBase

If you're lucky, you'll visit the SeaBase when a diver is in the tank. You can also view a manatee and stingrays!

Future World - EPCOT - Turtle Talk with Crush!

This attraction is great for the little ones who can meet and talk to Crush. Crush will also teach the little ones about life in the sea.

While waiting for Turtle Talk with Crush, you can visit Mr. Ray's Lagoon where you can see small fish, jellyfish, and an eel!

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out the other post in our Learning at Disney Parks series: Learning about American History at Disney Parks!

How do you teach your kids about Natural Science at Disney Parks?

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