Brent became chairman in January 2007 to help the WAYN boys on their journey, having himself successfully taken lastminute.com public in the dot com hey day, which led to its sale to Travelocity last year for GBP577m ($1.07bn).

But with Hoberman and a raft of industry heavyweights joining the board and investing in their unique website, the lads can now look forward to a debt-free future and an unrivaled support structure.

Hoberman, who is part of a syndicate of investors led by Esprit Capital Partners, will be joined by the co-founders of Active Hotels, which was sold in 2004 for $161m (GBP90m), the CEO and vice chairman of Cheapflights.co.uk and the co-founder and managing director of Jagex, which runs RuneScape, the UK's largest online multi-player game.

Securing high profile investors is yet another coup for the boys who secured an initial investment from Stephen Pankhurst - the founder of Friends Reunited - which helped get the business off the ground.

The new funding will help WAYN offer a host of new and improved benefits to its members, including a tailored trip planner; the ability to share experiences and tips with others in real time through rich media, and access to exclusive travel and lifestyle benefits around the world. They are also expanding their technical team which is based in Poland, and setting up shop in the US.

The success of WAYN in the last 18 months has gone beyond Peter and Jerome's wildest expectations - membership has grown from 45,000 users in March 2005 to over 7 million today, 2 million of which are based in the US and Canada. Over 650,000 members joined in one month alone.

Peter Ward, co-founder of WAYN said "Back in 2002 we recognized the huge potential for a travel community network. Travel captures the imagination and meeting people from different places is something that most of us really enjoy doing.

We're so excited to be working with some of the most respected leaders in their fields. Each investor brings to us something different and their input in the next phase of our growth will be invaluable."

Brent Hoberman said, "WAYN is a flagship example of the next generation of Internet companies born out of the UK with global potential. The innovative customer proposition, which enables members to interact with others, based on the places they have been or plan to visit in the future, has proved to be extremely popular. By sharing tips and introductions with like-minded travelers, WAYN members can get more out of their leisure time. The WAYN brand has massive growth potential and I am delighted to be involved."

Co-founder of WAYN Jerome Touze added: "This is an exciting time for WAYN and we're over the moon that other successful parties have the same confidence and vision in our business as we do.

"We have come a very long way since we had the initial idea for WAYN and we see this as just the beginning - we now have the financial backing to accomplish all our goals and to hopefully share with others how the WAYN community can help enrich the way we travel and interact with others".

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between acculturation and family leisure involvement and aspects of family functioning (cohesion and adaptability) from Mexican-American parent, youth, and family perspectives. Acculturation was measured using the Bidimensional Acculturation Scale for Hispanics (BAS), family leisure involvement was measured using the Family Leisure Activity Profile (FLAP), and family functioning was measured using the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales (FACES II). The sample was obtained from communities in Texas and Utah and consisted of 74 Mexican-American families, including a parent and child from each family. After adjusting for sociodemographic variables, the independent variables were found to help discriminate levels of acculturation for parents, youth, and families. Recommendations are given for commercial and community recreation programs targeting Mexican-American families, in addition to implications for further research.

According to the 2003 US Census, Hispanics make up 13.7% of the population in the United States and are the nation's largest minority group. Out of those, the majority are Mexican-Americans (US Bureau of the Census, 2003). As the population of Hispanics grows in the United States, a greater understanding of cultural characteristics, basic values, attitudes, expectancies, and social behaviors is needed (Marin & Marin, 1991). Researchers need to consider the "dearth of family research" on minority groups if their "work is to remain relevant to policy makers or professionals who work directly with families and children" (McLoyd, Cauce, Takeuchi, & Wilson, 2000, p. 1083). McLoyd et al. claim that of all family research, about 10% focus on African-Americans with even less examining characteristics of Hispanic families. Of the Hispanic studies, including research on Mexican-Americans, many have examined issues related to acculturation (McLoyd et al.).

Acculturation involves adapting one's culture of origin to that of a new culture, and is seen through behavioral and attitudinal changes (Antshel, 2002; Berry, 1980; Corsini, 1987; Marín & Marín, 1991; Rogler, Cortés, & Malgady, 1991). Dumka and Roosa (1997) suggest that acculturation should not be confused with length of time in a country or generational status, but that it is different for each person or family. The amount of first-hand contact and interaction an immigrant has with services, schools, media, people, and the community in the dominant culture affects their acculturation level. For Mexicans who immigrate to the United States, acculturation is the process of changing their culture to the dominant culture found in the United States.

Historically, acculturation has been viewed from various frameworks with the most common being assimilation. Assimilation is described by identifying a person on a continuum leading to two possible destinations-either the culture of origin or the new culture being encountered. This theory holds that as immigrants to the United States become more culturally similar to Anglos they lose an equal amount of their culture of origin. Researchers (Buriel, 1993; Marín & Gamba, 1996; Ramirez, 1983; Sabogal et al., 1987) have disagreed with the assimilation theory claiming that individuals can keep characteristics of both the new culture and the culture of origin. They have described acculturation in three stages: low acculturation, high acculturation, and biculturalism. Low acculturation is the guarding or maintaining of the culture of origin with little or no acculturation into the dominant culture. High acculturation is integrating well into the dominant culture while forgoing the individual's culture of origin. Biculturalism is the concept that a person can become acculturated to the dominant culture, but still retains aspects of one's culture of origin. One weakness of past acculturation research, however, is that few if any studies have reported empirical findings operationalizing low, high, and hi acculturation. Therefore, an empirical study identifying behavioral factors within the low, high, and bi acculturation framework would be beneficial.

The Whitsunday region extends South down the coast of Queensland, Australia, as far as Mackay, and North as far as Bowen. The predominant scenery is tree covered hills and miles of canefields.

Mackay, about an hour and a half away, has several beaches, Sarina beach just South of Mackay is particularly attractive, and has places to free park. There are good shopping centres in Mackay, although for the Motorhome traveler, looking for spares, or parts, I would advise looking in Rockhampton, coming from the South, or Townsville from the North.

Inland from Mackay, on the Pioneer River, you can travel the Pioneer Valley to Eungella National Park. The rainforest has walking trails, with spectacular lookouts, and over 200 species of birds, as well as native animals, especially platypus, at Broken River.

On the way to Eungella, at Finch Hatton, turn off for Finch Hatton Gorge and go bushwalking past freshwater swimming holes and beautiful waterfalls. Stop off at one of the picnic areas - you did bring the picnic?

At nearby Mirani is a museum with the history of the sugar industry in the area, as well as the Illawong Fauna Sanctuary, with a variety of wildlife, including crocodiles. An alternative to the more commercial crocodlile farms around the region.

Between Mackay and Airlie, at Bloomsbury, is a turn-off for Midge point, a small coastal town on Repulse Bay. The beach here is long and wide (but not white!) with good fishing, and no-one around. Coconut palms fringe the beach, and islands and headlands complete the scene. Just up the road is the Laguna Keys resort, for the golfers among us. It's a ten minute drive back to the Bruce Highway.

Another twenty minutes brings you to the turn-off for Airlie, at Proserpine. The main purpose for Whitsunday visitors, the airport, is just outside the town, and has flights to the East Coast capitals. Proserpine itself is a pleasant small country town, with plenty of places to stop for a coffee or tea, with home made cakes, or a meal, to make a pleasant break in your journey.

A few kms out of Proserpine on the Airlie Rd, turn off towards Conway Beach, at the Northern end of Repulse Bay. Worth a detour along this road is the turn-off to the Cedar Creek Falls, especially if it was raining last night (it often does). Conway Beach has a fairly steep approach, affording an attractive view over the bay. Nearby Wilson Beach has a boat launching ramp - and a warning sign about cleaning fish there, due to crocodiles in the area. Another half hour will bring you back to Airlie.

A trip North up the Bruce Highway to Bowen takes about an hour. The approach to the town from the South has the usual Information centre, with a feature of the Big Mango. The pleasant staff at this centre, are very helpful to visitors. On first sight the big mango looks like an Easter egg, but becomes more realistic from a different angle. The next thing we noticed going into Bowen was the BOWENWOOD sign on the water tower above the town, in the style of the HOLLYWOOD sign in that location.

The reason for the sign, we discovered when we were in Bowen, was that part of the town was roped off as a set for the Baz Luhrmann movie "Australia" with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. There were sandbagged buildings, red dirt streets and an army tent camp. The idea is to represent Darwin during the war. It all looked very effective. The crew were due to move on to Kunnanurra in Western Australia - over 4000km, 2500miles, for the next shoot - maybe we would see them over there.

Bowen brings more golden beaches within reach. There are several in town, and further up the coast, with island views and tideless clear water, snorkelling and coral, close to shore. Stinger nets are provided in a couple of places - do they work? We will stick to the lagoon and the park pool.

A feature of the main town beach, is the golf course laid out along it, making a beautiful location for the golfer. What a great excuse for an afternoon stroll in the fresh air.

Other noteworthy features of the town are a series of beautiful murals, one by Pro Hart, depicting trains, planes, ships, wagons etc. There are a total of twenty-two murals in all. A historical record of the area can be visualised with this series. There are a couple of high points with lookouts to the islands, and a museum. As Queensland's oldest town, founded in 1861 Bowen was once under consideration as State capital.

Inland you can visit Colinsville, a coalmining town and see the "Coalface Experience", an audio-visual presentation to show the workings of the mine. (Having had a couple of "school visits" to working coalmines in England - "Doon the Pit", I did not partake).

On the way back to Airlie, you can take a side trip to Dingo Beach, said to be white sand, a beachcomber's delight, and Cape Gloucester. The latter is one of the few places on the East coast to see a sunset over the sea, although Airlie can be almost as good.

So there you have it – plenty to do on the Whitsunday Mainland!

Heathrow is the busiest international airport within the UK. Based in Hayes, Middlesex just to the west of London, it serves approximately 180 worldwide destinations through 90 different airlines. Despite already having 4 terminals, it's continuing growth has led to the construction of a fifth terminal.

Airport car parking is more convenient and accessible than ever before and Heathrow Airport has several options available whether you are flying for business or pleasure. If your holidays are fast approaching and they start from Heathrow Airport, the UK's busiest airport, then why not look into booking a car parking space before you fly.

For cheap airport parking Heathrow you can book your car parking space up to 12 months in advance and as a result will be protected from any prices increases that may occur within that time. Booking ahead not only saves you time but can save you money as well.

Heathrow has a Long Stay Car Parking facility that suits anyone who will be travelling away for 2 days or more. It is open throughout the year and operates a courtesy transfer service from the car park to your chosen terminal. The car park has a high security policy so you can be assured your car will be safe and secure for the duration of its stay.

Heathrow's Short Stay car park is ideal for anyone stopping at the airport for a short period of up to 5 hours, such as dropping off or collecting a passenger. You can park here for longer but the cost of doing so increases and it may be more economical to pre-book the long stay parking space. There is a short stay car park next to each terminal making it convenient, wherever you are flying to. They are patrolled on a frequent basis and monitored extensively by CCTV.

Business Car Parking at Heathrow Airport is conveniently located closer to each terminal than the longer term parking to save time for regular business travellers. It also has a rapid and regular transfer service. For the Valet Service option you can drop your car off at the designated point and have it parked, valeted and returned to you on your arrival back at Heathrow.

The new Terminal 5 officially opens in March 2008 but you can pre-book and get special savings on their long stay, short stay and business parking spaces. They are also offering a special short stay weekender rate, available fridays to mondays.