You're going where??

We've got a couple of quick vacations lined up later this year. A few days in Prince Edward Island in August and Florida in December. I spent a good long time today booking flights, hotels, etc. I'm at the point where everything is done except for the rental cars. So, I look up the H&rtz website and dial the number listed under "USA and Canada". I speak to a guy who has no problem booking a car for a few days in Florida. Then I tell him that I also want to book a car for a few days in Prince Edward Island. A long silence and then "For where" he asks? Prince Edward Island, P.E.I., I repeat, S-L-O-W-L-Y. He then tells me "just a minute, I have to transfer you to international rentals". I thought okay, I guess the number is only for the US. I wait a minute or two and he comes back and says "Is that in Canada?"....ummm...yeah, it is. He says "Well, you know I'm in the US so I don't know that"... excuse me?? I'm sorry, but if you're working for a rental company and you only deal with Canada and the US, is it really too much to ask for that you at least recognize the names of 50 states and 10 provinces - I don't expect knowledge of any and all cities, but come on, at least have a vague clue as to what the states and provinces are you're dealing with!! I was so annoyed that I called Av1s, where they had indeed heard of both Florida and Prince Edward Island, and I rented both cars there!!lol

And speaking of travel, can I share a recent pet peeve. If you've booked any flights lately, you may have noticed that many airlines are now charging you to book your seat in advance. This so annoys me. Because airlines have often tried to convince me that I don't REALLY need to sit with my 2 year old (yeah, because strangers are really clamouring to entertain my kids on long flights!!), I do book seats in advance as I don't want to have to deal with trying to get us all seats together at the gate, but it annoys the hell out of me that they're now charging you just to ensure you can get a seat with your child. And you know how often once you get to the gate they try to change your seat? I just paid $30 to pick my seats, you just try telling me at the gate that I'm in row 5D and my 2.5 year old is in row 14C!!! Ah, I love to travel!!lolol