Press Release

CREDIT CRUNCH Brits are turning to the classified ads to buy holidays as they look at ways of cutting costs but are not willing to forsake their annual break.

By going straight to the owners of villas, holiday cottages or caravans, people could be able to save money by cutting out the middle man.

Travel searches on Freeads.co.uk, the UK's largest independent classified site, have risen by 67% since the beginning of the year. And the number of ads placed in the travel category have doubled / trebled / etc compared to last year.

Chief executive Duncan Horton said: "January and February are key booking months in the travel calendar as people want to get their annual leave sorted out as soon as possible, also consumers are savvy and now know that to secure good deals on no-frills airlines for example early booking is necessary.

"We have been stunned by the soaring interest in the travel category of the site. The travel classified ads in the back of newspapers have always been popular, now it seems that this is migrating online.

"It just goes to show that despite the credit crunch the Brits are not willing to give up their holidays - but that they are thinking about new ways of researching and booking travel arrangements so as to get the best possible value for money."

Freeads.co.uk has sections for holidays in the UK and overseas as well as a booking category for caravans and campers on its site.

"Caravans have always been one of the top sellers for Freeads.co.uk and if the early signs of sunshine this year are to be taken as hopes of a great summer, we'd expect caravans to soar in popularity even further," said Horton.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

About Freeads.co.uk

• Freeads.co.uk launched in 2001 and had just a few hundred ads in its first month of trading. It now hosts more than 85,000 unique ads on a daily basis. Freeads.co.uk has more than one million users per month making it the biggest independent classified site in the UK.
• Hitwise data: Freeads.co.uk in third position in the online classified marketplace behind eBay-owned Gumtree.com and Auto Trader Group's Adtrader.co.uk for the quarter July - September 2007.
• Freeads.co.uk has held third place marketshare in the online classifieds sector since May 2007 - up from 13th in February 2007 - and is now almost more than twice the size of loot.com.
• For more media information call Louise Prior at Prior PR on 07786 227572 or email louise@priorpr.com