Avoid booking hell and start the holiday early

Holidays with friends can be a stressful thing to organise, especially when large amounts of money are involved. Everyone knows the age-old scenario of mates agreeing to go - in theory, but backing out when it comes to putting the money down.

However, with Wigadoo.com people can start their holiday early by organising trips in a simple, stress-free way.

Often the organiser makes the booking and is then left to handle the shortfall should somebody drop out last minute without paying a penny. With purse strings set to get tighter next year, people are finding they can’t afford to be in that situation again.

With Wigadoo, someone suggests a holiday or an event and invites their friends – they can even do it through Facebook. They set the target which has to be reached, e.g. 10 people to put in £100 each for a chalet deposit.

People who want to go on the holiday pledge the funds, but no money is taken from their account until the necessary amount is met.

Once enough people have committed, the money is transferred into an online event account with a virtual prepaid MasterCard. This can then be used to make a booking or transferred into an individual bank account.

Holidays are more successful when organised with Wigadoo, says Andy Cockburn, CEO of Wigadoo and recent winner of the Courvoisier Future 500 ‘One To Watch 2009’, “It seems the pledging system makes people so much more inclined to sign up and confirm an event than paying lip service.”

As well as making it more simpler to book group trips, Wigadoo.com can also point out great places for group discounts, whether it’s a night out for a stag do or a trip to the Alps this winter.

“What’s interesting is that the phrase ‘let’s Wigadoo it’ is becoming popular with people who use the site,” says Cockburn. “Hopefully it’ll become so commonplace that it enters the Oxford English Dictionary in the next few years.”