lateescapes.com

Advantages: There are certainly bargains to be had on this site
Disadvantages: Can be misleading and some "hidden" extra charges to pay

...when it comes to holidays! LateEscapes.com is a holiday auction site owned by Going Places and Airtours. I first heard about this site on Ciao, and as I am a frequent holidaymaker (only cheapies though - never pay the brochure price for a holiday); I decided to take a look. I have never actually booked a holiday with Late Escapes; although I have tried to - and I'm going to tell you my experience of bidding for a holiday. The website itself is ...
...how to bid. The holidays are sorted into several different categories, starting with "Deals from 1 pound" (which is the best one for me!); and other categories such as "Beach Holidays", "Florida" and "Continental Campsites" to name but a few. If you click on a holiday that takes your fancy, you will also see some of the details of the holiday by it, such as departure airport, number of nights, and closing date for bids, and also the current bid ... Read review

Advantages: Cheap Holidays great for those on a budget and low incomes
Disadvantages: Can be out bid. You can also get carried away with bidding over your budget

My parents live in Florida in the USA and getting to visit them has been so very hard for me as I have very little money and what I do have is spent on my two children. I am a single parent so when a friend off the net said to try and find myself a cheap getaway holiday by using lateescapes I can honestly say I was more than a little sceptical. Joining is easy but does require a Credit or debit card details. I was a little doubtful of giving this ...
...that is given on the page " about us". They were more than happy to recieve my details over the telephone and answer any queries I had about the site, such as "was it genuine?" or "were they going to do a runner with my hard earned wages?" I am pleased to say that they are genuine and no they were not going to stash my cash! Lateescapes is owned and run by Going Places in partnership with Airtours so you can be rest assured that it is a genuine ... Read review

Advantages: can be cheap & cheerful
Disadvantages: lots of small print to analyse

Of course, those who already knew about the Lateescapes experience would have been redirected to the new website... but for UK Ciaoers out there who have not yet checked out this arm of the cheap package holiday market then log in to www.mytravel.co.uk. MyTravel is now the umbrella company for well known tour operators in the uk, such as Airtours, Direct Holidays, Panorama, Bridge, Cresta etc. And the good news is that there are still bargaibs to ...
...below brochure prices. On the minus side, it has to be said that the new, all encompassing website is a navigational nightmare and can be painfully slow. But hit "auctions" and the familiar categories are there for all to see. Take time to plot your way around, see how the trends seem to be going a few times before dipping in and then perfect that timing to bag yourself a deal. Please please double or triple check everything including accommodation ... Read review

Advantages: Easy, cheap, convenient - don't have to leave the house
Disadvantages: Easy to get carried away

I decided to take a look at this site after reading an article in the newspaper about someone who had placed a successful bid for a holiday for 50p. Not having had a holiday for quite some time and being strapped for cash I decided to have a go. The site is well organised with a menu. It was simple to select from the menu the type of holiday I was interested in, chose a date and then watched the bidding for a while. Registration is quick and easy ...
...credit details without buying something although I can understand why this is necessary (probably to prevent people making false bids and forcing prices up)Some of the bidding was quite aggressive right up to the final few seconds before the auction closed. A word of warning: you have to keep your cool otherwise you could end up bidding more than you intended. I won my bid - a week's holiday for 2 in Italy in a 3star hotel with half board at £520 ... Read review

Advantages: Easy to use, lots of bargains
Disadvantages: easy to get carried away, could get caught up in a bidding war

...who got a holiday from lateescapes.com for only 50 pence. I was very sceptical, especially as Accrington is the home of Airtours, the people behind Lateescapes. Still, it got me interested so I registered with the site and had a look around. I was very impressed and soon started bidding. I eventually won a flight to Reus for £51 for two people on the 5th July and ended up having a fantastic time in Salou. Only yesterday I won a week self catering ...
...for £301. My advice is don't get involved in a bidding war, wait to the last seconds and place your bid, that way you don't artificially force the price up. With my reus flight someone outbid me with less than 2 minutes left, so with less than 40 seconds to spare I placed another bid, leaving the other person no time to place a counter bid. Sometimes you just have to be ruthless to get what you want. ... Read review