Six top destinations

Hong Kong: £378

Lufthansa from Heathrow, London City, Manchester, Birmingham or Edinburgh via Frankfurt. Must be booked by December 31. Valid for departures until February 28. Minimum stay seven days, maximum one month. Quest Travel (0870 4423513, questtravel.com).

Sydney: £599

Japan Airlines from Heathrow via Tokyo (free stopover in Tokyo permitted on return flight). Must be booked today. Valid for departures January 14-March 31. No minimum stay, maximum one year. Travelbag (0870 8901458, travelbag.co.uk).

Los Angeles: £255

Northwest Airlines from Gatwick via Minneapolis. Must be booked by tomorrow. Valid for departures January 10-March 31. Minimum stay one Saturday night, maximum one month. Trailfinders (020-7937 5400, trailfinders.com).

New York: £192

Northwest Airlines from Gatwick via Detroit or Minneapolis. Must be booked by December 18. Valid for departures February 1- March 31. Full payment required when booking. Minimum stay one Saturday night, maximum one month. Airline Network (0800 727747, netflights.com).

Paris: £59

British Airways from Birmingham. Must be booked online (£10 extra by phone 0845 7733377) and at least 30 days before travel. Valid for departures indefinitely. British Airways (ba.com).

Amsterdam: £62.50

bmi British Midland from Heathrow. Must be booked online (£5 extra if booked by phone 0870 6070 555). Valid for departures indefinitely. No minimum stay, maximum one year. bmi (flybmi.com).

The pick of the rest

Faro: £59

Monarch charters from Manchester or Gatwick. Depart December 19 for seven nights. Avro (0870 0360116, avro.co.uk).

Caracas: £293

Lufthansa from Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham or Edinburgh via Frankfurt. Valid for departures December 2- March 31. Minimum seven days, maximum one month. Journey Latin America (020-8747 3108, journeylatinamerica.co.uk).

Tenerife: £59

Air 2000 charter from Gatwick. Departs December 13 for seven nights. cheapflights.co.uk.

Kochi (Cochin): £462

Emirates from Gatwick via Dubai. Valid for departures December 25-April 11. Minimum stay seven days, maximum three months. Trailfinders (020-7937 5400, trailfinders.com).

And the rail alternative

Paris/Brussels: £59. Lille £49

Eurostar from Waterloo (£49/£39 from Ashford.) Must be bought at least 14 days before departure. Book by December 15. Valid for departures until February 9. Minimum stay one Saturday night or two other nights. Available for day trips, Saturday/Sunday only but any day between December 16 and January 3. Eurostar (08705 186186, eurostar.com).

<NB Fares can change rapidly. These were available in reasonable quantities at the time of writing, but they can sell out in a sudden rush.