“Kauai Travel Tips for a Stress-Free Vacation” plus 1 more |
| Kauai Travel Tips for a Stress-Free Vacation Posted: 05 Aug 2010 03:08 PM PDT Before donning your beach shorts and heading towards the Pacific, make sure you know important Kauai tips to avoid complications and other troubles that can break the excitement. Careful preparation is the key for the whole family to enjoy and have an experience of a lifetime. Kauai is a very casual place so always emphasize comfort and convenience in every part of your trip planning. How to Go Around Kauai Kauai tips are available on the internet and it is ideal to make transportation reservations early since some days of the week and seasons tend to be packed. The easiest method for most would be to cheack out all of the car rental services that the island has to offer. Car rental rates in Hawaii are actually much cheaper compared to other states in America. Expect to pay anywhere from $40 to $60 for a 1-day rental of a medium-size car. The price range already is non-discounted and has unlimited mileage. You can make reservations by phone, online or personally at agencies nearby Lihue Airport. Most companies allow you to drive anywhere on the island provided that you are at least 25 years old and have a valid driving license and credit card. Motorcycle rentals are also available and most companies offer a wide selection of brands like Harley Davidson, Ducati, BMW, etc. Scooters and race bikes are available as well. Rental rates will depend on the motorcycle model, duration and location. Some companies may charge you by the hour. Age restrictions vary but every client is required to have a valid driver's license. Check your credit card and insurance companies if their coverage includes vehicle rental services in Kauai. There are a few credit cards that offer free insurance if you use the card to make a reservation. It would be worth a call to your credit card company to see if they offer this coverage. Public and private transportation options are also present in Kauai such as taxis, buses, limousines, airport shuttles, boats and helicopters. Buses and taxis generally pass through the two major highways on the island. However, buses do not stop at any resorts and they have a baggage limit for each passenger. Buses are available from 5:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. It may be more convenient to take a taxi when going to particular attractions. I would recommend that you take either a boat or helicopter for specific locations that are generally non-accessible by land. Bringing Kids Along Traveling to Kauai with children can be stress-free and fun if you know the right services and methods. For flight plans, ask for seats with lots of leg room. Bring toys and other items that will relieve boredom for the duration of the trip. You might want to try an overnight stopover in California if you're flying from the east coast to prevent tired kids from getting irritated and help them adjust to the time zone. Always ask for a child or baby seat when driving around Kauai. Babies will need high chairs, strollers and cribs. You can contact your hotel and other transportation service to provide these for you. Make sure there isn't a fee if you decide to get equipment from the hotel. In some areas and events, kids may not be allowed but some you can always check out babysitting services in the island. Kauai hotels, lodges and other locations will be glad to provide you a list of professional babysitting services. You only pay the person by the hour but make sure you inform and ask the front desk to check on your children regularly. There are also special places like museums, beach events and parks that particularly cater to children with guides, caretakers and educators so you might consider leaving your little ones momentarily as you go to other attractions. A trip to Kauai can be fun if you plan your trip in advance and are prepared for little things that always come in when travelling at this time of year. Despite the economy I hope you are travelling and enjoying yourself. Until next time, let me know what is on your mind, and how you are doing, O.K.? Jim Fortune - the Bella Budget Travel Guy Content copyright © 2010 by Jim Fortune. All rights reserved. This content was written by Jim Fortune. If you wish to use this content in any manner, you need written permission. Contact Jim Fortune for details. Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (WYN): Zacks Rank Buy Posted: 04 Aug 2010 10:00 PM PDT , On Thursday August 5, 2010, 1:00 am EDT Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: WYN - News) is coming out of the dark times as the company recently surprised on the second quarter by 24.4% as tourism picks up worldwide. It was the fourth earnings surprise in a row. Wyndham operates 7,160 franchise hotels covering 606,800 hotel rooms worldwide. It also offers access to 3.8 million members in its Exchange & Rentals program access to over 80,000 vacation properties in 100 countries. Wyndham also operates Vacation Ownership where it sells vacation ownership interests and provides financing for over 155 vacation ownership resorts for 820,000 owners throughout North America, the Caribbean and the South Pacific. Revenue Rose 5% in the Second Quarter On July 28, Wyndham Worldwide reported its second quarter results which surprised on the Zacks Consensus by 10 cents. Earnings per share were 51 cents, well above the company's guidance range of 38 to 42 cents, compared to the Zacks Consensus of 41 cents. Wyndham made 39 cents in the same quarter a year ago. Revenue rose 5% to $963 million and was boosted by sales momentum at all three divisions. The best performer was Vacation Ownership, which rose 13% compared to a year ago, due to a 16% increase in volume per guest, while tour flow remained about flat. But even the hotel segment got into the act as revenue climbed 2% to $178 million at the Hotel Group division, mainly due to room growth. The company added the midmarket hotel brand Tryp during the quarter, which consisted of 92 hotels, or about 13,200 rooms, concentrated in cities like Madrid, Barcelona and Spain. 24% of the company's hotel rooms in the quarter were international. The Rental Exchange division saw flat revenue of $281 million. In constant currency, revenue rose 3%. Raised Guidance for 2010 Given the more optimistic outlook in the leisure industry, the company raised its full year guidance range to $1.78 to $1.88 from $1.56 to $1.71 per share. For the third quarter, Wyndham projects earnings per share between 60 cents and 64 cents. Vacation Ownership volume per guest is expected to rise 10% to 14% for the year from the prior forecast of 6% to 9%. Zacks Consensus Estimates Jump With the raised guidance, the analysts have moved their estimates inline with the company's range. 6 estimates have been revised higher in the last week for 2010, pushing the Zacks Consensus up 15 cents to $1.85 per share, which is at the high end of the company's range. The third quarter estimate has also jumped to 63 cents, just one cent below the high end of the forecast. Value Fundamentals It's been over a year since I last reviewed Wyndham. The earnings are finally starting to come inline with the other fundamentals. Wyndham has attractive valuations again. It is trading with a forward P/E of just 14x, well under the industry average of 19.9. Its price-to-book ratio is 1.7. The company also has a solid 1-year return on equity (ROE) of 12.8% whereas the industry is at just 5.6%. Wyndham is a Zacks #1 Rank (strong buy) stock. Tracey Ryniec is the Value Stock Strategist for Zacks.com. She is also the Editor in charge of the market-beating Zacks Value Trader service. You can follow her at twitter.com/traceyryniec. Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
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