The theme of modern society seems to be give me convenience or give me death. In the case of booking trips, this convenience will really cost you.

Do Not Use 800 Numbers When Booking Trips

Toll free numbers are touted as a service offered to make our life easier. If I need to call a business, the toll free number allows me to do so without spending a dime. The real question, however, is just how much money are we saving? In fact, are we saving any when it comes to vacations?

When booking a trip, there is an inherent desire to get everything done as easily as possible. This makes sense since who wants to call airlines, car rentals, hotels and so on? In each instance, however, using the toll free number can really cost you.

Here is some breaking news. When you call a toll free number, you are getting a national call center who more or less has a set list of prices. In many instances, these prices are actually higher than if you just walked into the business at your destination. In exchange for the convenience of a toll free number, you are paying a premium! Let’s take a closer look.

Car rentals are the most obvious area where you get killed using the national toll free line. They may give you a slight upgrade, but nothing compared to the local office. The best approach is to contact the lot the morning you are flying in to simply see if they expect to have extra cars. Don’t reserve one unless they are going to be tight. Upon arrival, just stroll over and ask for a deal. They will always give you upgrades and tremendous pricing. Even better, take a cab into town to a local car rental. You will save anywhere from thirty to fifty percent on the pricing.

Hotels and toll free numbers are also a bad mix. The call centers are concerned about overall sales across the entire chain. The desk clerk of a hotel, however, is only concerned about his bookings. This gives you an opportunity to score a deal. Instead of calling the toll free national number, find the local number and see what you can score. Unless there is a convention in town, you can usually do very well.

Face the facts. Using a toll free number doesn’t save you much on calls. It can, however, cost you a bundle in your travels.

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In the musty halls of Fine Art and the critics, gallery owners and collectors who
walk them, there can often be felt a barely disguised disdain for the art of the
classic automobile.

Within the large population of Automotive Artists, especially in North America
and Britain, it has been difficult to find acceptance by the mainstream art
community. Perhaps many of the artists involved create illustrative portraits of
cars in styles that support auto racing fan merchandize more than what is
considered fine art. Some fit more easily into the areas of recreation, muscle
car, motor sport, NASCAR racing, or other thematic visual art. As such, these
gifted stylists and their work are considered commercial offshoots of these
areas. But there are many other automotive artists who’s work stands equal
with any traditional fine art. The only thing that marks this art apart is its
subject matter — one of the most ubiquitous and powerful icons of our society
— the classic automobile.

Artists such as Andy Warhol, Don Jacot and Audrey Flack have been able to
immortalize common mass produced items of popular culture with resulting
critical success. Artist Robert Bechtle placed cars within the context of street
scenes reminiscent of family snapshots and as such, made a statement about
society that included the auto but moved beyond it. The automobile was
included in many of his paintings as an important piece of Americana.

There are many automotive artists, who like Robert Bechtle, have taken the
image further than an illustrative depiction of the car in its perfect ’still life’
state. These artists deserve to be recognized for crossing the line, as it were,
between niche art and fine art.

Paris based artist Malquito uses his website’s virtual gallery to show his
automotive images hanging over a couch, as if to say “this too can hang in your
living room, not your rec room or garage.” Artists Nicola Wood and David
Snyder portray classic cars in scenes rich with color and design, comparable to
any contemporary art today. John Salt’s run down cars nestle amongst the rich
textures of urban strafed buildings. Margie Guyot’s impressionist paintings just
happen to feature the automobile, a common item that would most likely not
have been removed from the painted scenes of Claude Monet or Pissarro, had
cars existed in their time.

The automobile as part of society is as viable a subject for art today as were
the religious symbols and icons in the 13th century or hunting scenes and
sailing ships in the 19th century. Art has historically catered to its clients; once
the church, later high society, monarchs and noblemen; today, the common
man. Auto buyers come from a wide socio-economic demographic which
marks cars from all eras as a cross section indicator of societal tastes. The
classic automobile has a viable right to commemoration as a major example of
historic style and design, arguably as much as the architecture of any era.

It has long been a central role of artists to articulate contemporary lifestyles
and express the effects of society and everyday surroundings upon the mind of
man. Our society enjoys a love-hate relationship with the car. The cars of the
50’s and 60’s represent perhaps the apex of North America’s love affair with
the personal machine that gave both men and women equal access to freedom,
travel and the ability to expand their horizons. It is also the grand polluter of
our time and these behemoths of yesteryear the worst offenders. The classic
auto is strongly symbolic of the opposing emotions and attitudes of their eras
and the current era. And as such, it is a tremendously powerful subject for fine
art.

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You will find a wide range of car of all ages and all conditions. They are also a great place to find rare cars of all types. You will find that some classic cars will be sold for very high prices and often not sell at all. Most cars won’t sell on their first attempt because of the high prices and the classic car market is not all that large. This just makes thing easier for people that want a particular car and are prepared to spend the right amount of money.

To find good classic car auctions you will need to look around, as they are not that many around. A good place to find where the best classic car auctions are is to look in the most popular classic car magazines and try attending any classic car functions that you can find. The classic car world is fairly tight knit and you will need to be in the know to get on too the good deals. That doesn’t mean that you will need to be an expert but you will need to know what you are looking for and be prepared for the high prices and lack of selection.

If you are prepared to do a lot of hunting around and a lot of leg work you can find some very rare cars in very good conditions for a very good price. Not all classic cars are expensive you can find car that are old but not all that rare so the price won’t be so high. Just because the car is not are that does not mean it not worth buying. If you are looking for a classic car then most likely you will know exactly what you want but trying to find it will be the hard part. It’s also a good idea to attend a few too get a feel for what you be up against and find out how it all works.

When you do find the perfect car at the perfect price be prepared for a bidding war. The fact that you like and want the car means that there will be most likely a lot of other people that are thinking the same time. Always remember to watch what you are buying, as there are a lot of replicas out there and all may not be what it seems. I wish you the best of luck in you classic car buy adventures and hope you find what you are looking for.

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