by Ondine Cohane

I always wanted to do a trip with upscale outfitter Abercrombie & Kent but somehow I never got the chance. So my ears pricked up when I heard news that on Thursday, February 19, the company will launch an online auction of some of its destinations. Here's how it works: at 9AM CST, five different luxury itineraries will go on sale at five percent off the usual price, and then every half hour that rate will drop five percent more until 3PM. At that time, anything that's still available will be 60 percent off.

A trip that sounds particularly appealing is a ten day excursion down the Nile on the Sun Boat IV, which received a high rating on this year's Readers' Choice Awards. Egypt is on my wish list. The combined itinerary to Botswana and Zambia sounds wonderful, too. I spent a memorable two weeks in Botswana in 1994; it is now my favorite safari destination. For one, I never felt there were a lot of other people around, but more importantly, I saw amazing numbers of birds and other animals from the Kalahari desert to the Okavango Delta. To get you in the mood, check out Peter Haje's August 2007 feature, "Of Lionesses, Leopards, and Lechwe," about Zambia's uncrowded assets. The Botswana and Zambia option would normally run $7765,  but if it's still available by Thursday's afternoon deadline it will go for $3106, a savings of $4659.

Divers will want to consider the Clipper Odyssey's voyage to the Solomon Islands, where World War II wrecks and pristine reefs are home to tropical fish and crystal clear water. The site says that there are a number of other sales being offered, too, like a $2300 off per person to the Galapagos and 15 percent off a "Wine & Chocolate" barge cruise through Burgundy. Get surfing!