You read correctly, this post at Lake Martin Voice is all about you. In honor of 100% of the Lake Martin Voice Realty team’s birthdays falling around this time of year, we serve up a huge tip to some legitimate, awesome travel.

You will likely beat out your competition. Just don’t lose this by a mere $200 or so.

How?

MainStreet Alex City is doing their annual Auction PURELY ONLINE this year. CLICK HERE for more info.

Where?

go to Idaho, Mallorca, Bahamas, Colorado, Enitachopco, the lovely village of Alcester in Warwickshire, England, see below.

Why?

It benefits MainStreet Alex City. A worthy organization if there ever was one. You don’t care, I am sure. What it means to you is, huge discounts on awesome destinations. The people making the donations of their vacation spots love Alex City and are passionate about the MainStreet movement. Their largess is your gain. They have donated, for example, time in their vacation destinations for you and want to let it benefit MainStreet Alex City. You will NOT find places like these on cheapo online reservations.

When?

You must bid by the DEADLINE Oct 15, 2012, 5:00 PM

How much can I save?

I did a little online research. On these trips, you must get there, OK. But after that, I make an attempt to show you retail versus the insultingly (to the owners) low amounts you can travel and enjoy. People will think you are some sort of rock star, little will they know that you helped a great cause with one severely under priced vacation.

EXAMPLES:

for the full MainStreet Auction page, CLICK HERE

Mallorca, Spain. Honestly, do you know anyone, and I mean anyone, (except the Kennedys, the Trumps, and anyone in line for the throne of England) that has vacationed on the Spanish isle of Mallorca? This is something that you can tell your grand kids so they can brag to their grand kids. Literally six generations of boasting for a low minimum bid of $900.

I looked online and I found a comparable home to rent on the island for the week for anywhere from $2,000 to $5,500 a week on Holiday Lettings.com

Another spot, in no ranked order, except for

the John Coley scale of travel envy, is :

Bid on this trip to fly fish in Idaho. As if a week at a cool home out est is not enough, they have to further tempt with a full day of guided fly fishing for two.

My father in law is my CPA. I don’t have the courage to approach him with the argument that this trip would be tax deductible for a humble Lake Martin realtor.

Maybe you don’t have the same situation. Maybe you are a friend of a friend who is the man when it comes to selling trout river property out west.

I don’t know. My guess is it would cost anyone at least $600 a night to rent, plus the guide. That’s $4,200 plus fishing, which I am guessing to be at least $2k. They don’t really post their guide rates which should be a sign to the uneducated… “if you have to ask…”

That’s a $6,200 vacation. The minimum bid of $900 probably won’t win it, especially since my dad will be strongly encouraged to celebrate his son’s 40th by surprising him with an Idaho trip of a lifetime. But why don’t you bid, and take a shot? You’re a winner either way.

Never you mind.  Bid and if you win I hope it’s yours.

NEXT BRUTALLY AWESOME DEAL:

Those who look to afar sometimes miss what is native to their soil. Let’s face it – bird hunting is as Alabama as it gets. Look no further than Alabama to find a hamlet with a statue of a dog at point as their landmark. In fact, I like to drop the term “bird hunting” on folks to see if they know I mean quail.

Casting to native brook trout with hand tied flies might make their argument for the quintessential eastern US sporting experience, but I would challenge the Garden and Gun crowd to top this quail hunting experience. It just feels right.

Have you ever been? Do you long for that experience? Bid on this trip to 5 Star Plantation on the outskirts of Lake Martin. True, the first trips sent you far away, but you could drive to 5 Star within 30 minutes of most homes on Lake Martin.

I can’t publish their rates because they don’t exist. You can’t blow in there on a NASCAR weekend and get a room and hunt. Posh.

Five Star is the real deal precisely because it is almost inaccessible. How do I know?

Because I have never hunted nor fished there..

Despite my constant hints to the two members that I know, I have never graced the place. It mocks me not from afar, but so near I can hear the flush of the covey, the jangle of the dogs’ bells; and smell sportish quaff of gunpowder. My dad still brags about a bird hunt he attended years ago. I seethe.

Yet with a mere online bid, here, it can be yours.

OK, so you are not a hunter.

Are you an eater?

Five star doesn’t let you starve. BID HERE FOR A FIVE STAR DINNER.

Nay, one of the best pre wedding rehearsal dinners I have ever known was at Five Star.

You can eat there, too! And you don’t even have to find a daughter and pay for her wedding.  You can just bid and eat there.

A good friend of the family once said that having your daughter get married was like buying a brand new Mercedes and driving it off of a cliff, watching it explode, and filming the whole time.  When it is over, you had a heck of a time, and awesome pictures, but are left with little else.

Bid on the auction for dinner at Five Star and it can be yours for  a fraction of the cost of a new Mercedes.

What Else?

Really? That’s not enough?

I am running out of time tonight but let me highlight that there is another beach trip to the maritime folks:

Bahamas trip – nice, not spring break accommodations but less than church camp prices.

English Countryside – forget downtown London and its depressing Dickensesque themes of soot and struggle. Haven’t you heard? That’s not cool anymore.  Make like the Crowleys, breathe the open air, trim the verge a la Downtown Abbey and BID HERE to win.

also, for you continental mountain fans:

Colorado – Get your Rocky Mountain High on.  John Denver, John Shmenver. See why they call it “out west.” Dr. Warr, old lady doctor though he was, was right.  It looks completely different out there and is breathtaking.

For all the rest, click here and go to MainStreet Alex City’s site.  I repeat, it’s pure online bidding this year. No telling how cheap you will be able to travel.