Six top destinations Sydney: £643

Malaysia Airlines from Heathrow via Kuala Lumpur. Must be booked by July 31. Valid for departures September 1-30. No minimum stay, maximum one year. Travelbag (0870 8901458, travelbag.co.uk).

Hong Kong: £407

Emirates from Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham or Manchester via Dubai. Valid for departures October 26-December 3. Minimum stay seven days, maximum two months. Quest Travel (0870 4423513, questtravel.com).

New York: £233

Kuwait Airways from Heathrow. Valid for departures November 1-December 14. No minimum stay, maximum six months. Trailfinders (020-7937 5400, trailfinders.com).

Los Angeles: £296

American Airlines from Gatwick via St Louis. Must be booked by July 31. Valid for departures November 1-December 10. Minimum stay one Saturday night, maximum one month. Airline Network (0870 2349915, airlinenetwork.co.uk).

Paris: £48.90

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

Amsterdam: £69

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

The pick of the rest

Buenos Aires: £429

British Airways from Heathrow. Must be booked by July 31. Valid for departures September 1-November 30. Minimum stay one Saturday night, maximum one month. Journey Latin America (020-8747 3108, journeylatinamerica.co.uk).

Bombay: £413

Lufthansa from Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh or Newcastle via Frankfurt. Must be booked by July 31. Valid for departures September 1-October 31. Minimum stay one Saturday night, maximum one month. Airline Warehouse (available for booking by phone only 0870 7707339).

San Francisco: £297

United Airlines from Heathrow. Must be booked by July 31. Valid for departures November 1-December 10. Minimum one Saturday night, maximum one month. Bridge the World (0870 4441716, bridgetheworld.com).

Alicante: £125

Air 2000 charter from Manchester. Departs July 22 for seven nights. Avro (0870 0360116, avro.co.uk).

And the rail alternative

Paris, Brussels: £59. Lille: £55

Eurostar from Waterloo or Ashford (no advance purchase required but may not be available at least 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.