"Alice and Kent just called from Wellesley, Massachusetts inviting us to spend three nights with them at their summer cottage on Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire in July. I accepted for us," Rita said.

"Great! That makes over thirty years that they have invited us. We missed only once; the year I had a collapsed lumbar vertebra," I replied.

"Better make plane reservations soon. July vacation air traffic could be heavy," she added.

"Let's extend our trip to visit my relatives in Middleton, Rhode Island, Weymouth, Massachusettes and Chatham on Cape Cod. You know at my age I want to take every chance to visit my siblings and sister-in-law. One never knows," I mused.

"I've always wanted to visit Bar Harbor, Maine, let's add it to our trip. I'll go online to check the deals. I favor the Bar Harbor Inn because it has a wonderful reputation and great location on the water. I'll do it tonight," Rita promised.

She reserved the Inn for three nights in July, so the next day I used American Express points to purchase coach tickets from Chicago's O'Hare to Providence, Rhode Island. American Express advised us to contact rental care companies directly at Providence. I selected Hertz because they advertised having a location in the airport, not off-site.

We asked for a standard four-door car for 13 days. Hertz quoted $1,076.90. A few days later American Express sent me an email discount coupon reducing our cost to $804.21. The price sounded good to me.

"Jack did you shop around with other car rental companies?" Rita asked.

"No," I said. "They're all the same and Hertz is located at the airport, not off-site."

We arrived at the Providence airport an hour late and went directly to the Hertz counter where we found a long line leading to two clerks. On clerk suddenly left the counter adding to the wait time. Late for lunch with my brother, Rita urged me to try Avis because their rental counter moved faster.

I said the lady at Avis, "I want to rent a four-door car for 13 days, but the price has to be as good as Hertz. " She didn't answer, but took my credit card and driver's license.

Soon Rita and I got a new Chevrolet Impala, right there on-site, with low mileage and in mint condition. The price for 13 days was $579.04, about 45 percent less than the original quote.

Rita was diplomatic, but reinforced her belief. "Jack it pays to shop around."

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