Six top destinations

Sydney: £554

Asiana Airlines from Heathrow via Seoul. Must be booked by August 31. Valid for departures November 1-December 9. Minimum stay four nights, maximum one year. Bridge the World (0870 4441716, bridgetheworld.com).

New York: £279

Air India from Heathrow. Valid for departures September 1-October 31. No minimum stay, maximum 60 days. Trailfinders (020-7937 5400, trailfinders.com).

Los Angeles: £297

United Airlines from Heathrow. Must be booked by August 31. Full payment required when booking. Valid for departures November 1-December 10. Minimum stay one Saturday night, maximum one month. Airline Network 0870 2349915, airlinenetwork.co.uk).

Hong Kong: £407

Emirates from Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham or Manchester via Dubai. Valid for departures October 26-December 9. Minimum stay seven days, maximum two months. Quest Travel (0870 4423513, questtravel.com).

Amsterdam: £59.70

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).

Paris: £59

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

Ibiza: £99

Britannia charter from Manchester. Departs August 11 for seven nights. Britannia Direct (0800 000747, BritanniaDirect.com).

Nice: £55.90

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

Faro: £109

Monarch charter from Manchester. Departs August 31 for seven nights. Avro (0870 4582847, avro.co.uk).

Singapore: £399

Singapore Airlines from Heathrow or Manchester. Valid for departures until August 31. No minimum stay; maximum three months. 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). Same day return fare. Valid any day until August 31. 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.