How To Rent A Cool Car.(Interview)

Byline: INTERVIEWS BY ELLEN MILLER, DANIELLE PERGAMENT, AND SARAH VAN BOVEN

Expert advice on dressing for hot weather, planning an adventure vacation, and more.

An Interview With Stephan Wilkinson

Wilkinson is the automobiles editor at Conde Nast Traveler and author of Man and Machine: The Best of Stephan Wilkinson (The Lyons Press) .

So often, rental cars are an afterthought--the last thing you arrange for a busy holiday. But they can really make the vacation. I once spent a week driving a Maserati and a tiny Opel around Italy. As great as that sports car was on the open road, the Opel was even better; it was lively, fun, and perfect for navigating little Tuscan towns.

Take it for a spin. Be adventurous and rent something new; it could be the highlight of your trip. If you're in California, for instance, driving a convertible on the Pacific Coast Highway is gorgeous. It's worth seeking out that little BMW you've wanted to try. In Europe, there's a whole world of new cars to rent. Ask for a manual transmission or a model you've never heard of. That's how I ended up behind the wheel of that Opel.

Go exotic. It used to be that high-end and vintage cars--Mercedes, Porsches, Corvettes--were only available in major cities, but now small firms throughout the country carry them, too. The best way to find them is to Google "rent exotic cars" and ...