Wal-Mart Stores and G-Squared, a Wal-Mart exclusive brand from Gartner Studios, announced today seven couples from across the country, will receive wedding ceremonies and receptions inside their local Wal-Mart Supercenter on the most popular — and possibly the luckiest — wedding day of the year.

Seven lucky couples have been named to receive these ceremonies and receptions as a result of the Lucky in Love Wedding Search and will exchange wedding vows on July 7.

Couples will receive a wedding package with an estimated value of more than $5,000. This package not only includes the decorated wedding venue in Wal-Mart’s colorful lawn and garden area surrounded by the season’s bright foliage, but also an adjacent tent for the reception area, wedding cake and party food.

The package also includes 14kt gold and diamond wedding bands, wedding invitations, wedding and groom’s cakes, fresh floral bouquets, digital cameras and digital photo frame, a portable GPS device, reception food and a $1,000 Wal-Mart gift card.

 Comment: We wrote about this 7-7-07 Wedding PR at Great America see: http://blog.tsvalues.com/2007/06/04/six-flags-marriage-extravaganza-on-7-7-07/

That was cute, the Walmart promotion is just ….. different.  I wonder if the Greeters in the Front of the store will act as ushers?

A survey of  Visa Credit Card holders finds that Americans are planning on spending an average of $1,654 on their summer vacation, making it one of the biggest purchases most people are likely to make all year.

The Visa Card Holder  surveyed 1,000 cardholders and also found that 15 percent of respondents won’t be taking a summer vacation this year.

On the high end, 4 percent of those surveyed said they would be sending over $5,000 on their summer vacation, making them ‘mega vacationers.’

Visa’s “Travel Wizard” helps consumers decide between necessary and flexible expenses by walking them through the process of preparing a travel budget with an interactive checklist and corresponding travel tips. Users can build budgets for meals, hotels and entertainment expenses and make spending adjustments before traveling.

For example, the calculator will automatically estimate the cost of fuel for drivers based on trip mileage or prompt flyers to factor in the cost of food at the airport. With the ‘Travel Wizard’ estimations, travelers can modify excessive transportation, lodging, and meal expenses to plan a more cost-effective vacation.

The Summer Travel Budgeting Center and “Travel Wizard” are part of Visa’s award-winning financial education program, Practical Money Skills for Life, and available for free at www.practicalmoneyskills.com/travel.

The Summer Travel Budgeting Center also contains some important tips for travelers to consider before hitting the road this summer.

They include:

• Remember to budget for spending money: Equipment rentals, snacks and gifts can add up quickly.

• Seek advice from fellow travelers: Research online for recommendations from locals and learn from others’ mistakes.
• Airfares to more remote airports are often considerably less expensive than the more popular, and crowded, alternatives closer to town.
• Always ask if hotels, restaurants and attractions offer discounts: AAA, AARP and other organizations often negotiate discounts for their members.
• Add 10 to 15 percent to your budget for unanticipated events: Things like lost luggage, a flat tire or an Emergency Room visit. Make sure you bring along copies your medical and auto insurance information.

 Comment: the budgeting suggestions are terrific.  The survey is a little loose, and doesn’t consider an important factor: the income of the cardholders.  If the 4% of the “mega vacationers” have a high income level, this wouldn’t concern me.

A better measurement would be: What  percentage of family income is applied to vacations?

I think a comfortable range would be 2% to 5% of gross family income.  That would mean a family with a net income of $100,000 would spend at a top end $5,000 on their vacations. 

If you figure total family income of $50,000 a top end vacation would be $2,500.  With kids, a plane flight to Disney and a week’s stay there could be really tight.  That’s why we encourage using discount coupons and pre-purchasing discount restaurant and fast food Gift Cards at our site ValueDining.com.

Vacations memories are lifelong, with planning and creative cost cutting - they can be wonderful times.

ATA Airlines announced three new routes from the Hawaiian Islands to the U.S. Mainland starting June 14th:

• Between Kona and Oakland - 3x a week
• Between Lihue and Oakland - 4x a week
• Daily between Las Vegas and Maui

These services will use Boeing 737-800 and 757-200 aircraft. With this expansion, ATA will serve Honolulu, Maui, Kona, Lihue, and Hilo from the U.S. Mainland- more Hawaiian cities on a non-stop basis than any other airline.

Also, the new services will seamlessly connect to 15 cities in partnership with Southwest Airlines - namely:

This is great news for those wanting to get to the outer islands more easily. It’s been a pain to fly through Oahu, then change planes (and terminals).

Our favorite island is Kauai, simply because of the beauty and wonderful beaches.

The Auto Club has 7 Tips to Theme Park Success, which are tried and true ways to really enjoy a theme park:

• Be an early bird. Theme parks are most crowded after noon. Most have “Early Bird Deals” that lets you into the park early. Often, you get a breakfast and time with cast members. To save even more time, see if you can obtain your tickets online or through the mail ahead of time so you can go straight into the park.

• Dress for success. Be sure to dress appropriately for the weather and bring layers of clothing. Bulky jackets or sweaters can be stored in lockers until they’re needed. Also, pack a light rain poncho or windbreaker if you want to go on the water rides but don’t want to get soaked.

• Use time-savers. Disneyland and Disney World’s FastPasses are a great way to avoid long lines at some popular rides. Some rides also feature “single rider” lines to quickly fill up empty seats on attractions. Some theme parks also take ride reservations, which are great. Don’t “overbook” yourself though.

• Fuel your adventure. Bringing a light snack — granola, mixed nuts, fruit or chocolate — is a convenient way of tiding you over until your next meal while keeping you on the go. Be careful about bringing drinks in; many parks will not let you carry cans and bottles inside.

• Don’t do what the Joneses do. Eat lunch before 11:30 or after 1:30; likewise, dinner before 4:30 or after 6:30. Ride popular attractions when others are lining up to watch a parade (unless you want to see it, too).

• Be age-appropriate. Be sure to factor in nap time if necessary. A nearby hotel room is a great option for naps for younger children or grandparents. If teens want to explore the park away from the adults, create regular check-ins. And make sure everyone knows what to do if they get lost. We have friends who use walkie talkies in the park with smaller kids - and cell phones for the older ones.

• Good timing helps. Theme parks will be crowded throughout the summer, but some days are better than others. Tuesdays through Thursdays are likely to be the least crowded days, as long as they’re not holidays. Also, check the theme park’s web site the day before you plan to be there to verify hours of operation, and in some cases, prepare you for ride closures. Information about parade and show times will often be listed to help you plan in advance.

We’ll add one more - sunscreen, hats and sunglasses. There’s nothing worse than getting a sunburn on the first day of a 3 day Theme Park trip. Cover up, so you can enjoy the entire trip.