READY, SET, BID Now you can bid on your SA holidays

CAR and house bids have been around for ages, but now travellers can also bid on their holidays.

With the travel sector facing severe strain due to the pandemic, Mike Richardson came up with an idea to entice travellers with affordable holidays.

Richardson started Bid on Travel, a Facebook page that offers holiday auctions, in October 2020. The page currently has over 8 000 members.

Every week, Bid on Travel hosts four to five auctions featuring some prestigious South African establishments. There are also deals on holidays in some African countries open to South African travellers.

Richardson said the demand for the holiday auctions grew overnight, with people bagging deals for affordable rates –if they bid correctly.

The rules are simple. If someone wants to bid, they will comment on the relevant post in line with the opening bid (reserve price) and bid-increment requirement.

Travellers will also have to ensure that they’ve read all the T&Cs before they start their bid. If your bid is successful, the admin will contact you with payment information.

You will have 24 hours to pay for your holiday.

“Some travellers have struck gold with some of the deals. For example, an exclusive wilderness hiking trail in a reserve bordering the Kruger National Park, valued at R15 000 for two people, sold for R3 200. Another luxury safari experience in the Hoedspruit area, valued under R20 000, sold for a low R4 200.

“While travellers are getting unbelievable deals, we found that the final winning bids average between 40 to 60% of the public rate (package value), which bodes well for these businesses,” he added.