Six top destinations New York: £245

Virgin Atlantic from Heathrow. Must be booked by April 15. Valid for departures April 20-30. Minimum stay one Saturday night, maximum one month. Trailfinders (020-7937 5400, trailfinders.com).

Sydney: £499

Emirates from Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham. For travel between May 1 and June 30. Austravel (0870 1662070, austravel.com).

Paris: £59

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

Amsterdam: £70.80

bmi British Midland from Heathrow. Must be booked online (£5 supplement if booked by phone, 0870 6070555). Valid for departures indefinitely. No minimum stay, maximum one year. bmi British Midland (flybmi.com).

Cape Town: £509

KLM from Heathrow, London City, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh or Glasgow via Amsterdam. Must be booked by April 25. Valid for departures May 1-June 27. Minimum stay six days, maximum one month. Quest Travel (0870 4423513, questtravel.com).

Los Angeles: £304

British Airways from Heathrow. Valid for departures April 20-30. Minimum stay one Saturday night, maximum one month. Bridge the World (0870 4441716, journeylatinamerica.co.uk).

Tenerife (south): £99

Britannia charter from Stansted. Departs April 25 for 14 nights. Call Britannia Direct (0800 000747, BritanniaDirect.com).

Round the world: £585

Virgin Atlantic and Air New Zealand from Heathrow via Los Angeles, Auckland, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Must be booked by April 30. Valid for outbound departures until June 30. Must return within one year. Quest Travel (0870 4423513, questtravel.com).

And the rail alternative Paris/Brussels: £59. Lille: £55

Eurostar from Waterloo or Ashford (no advance purchase required but may not be available at last minute). Minimum stay one Saturday night. 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.