Six top destinations

Sydney: £564

Qantas from Birmingham or Manchester via Paris or Frankfurt. Must be booked by December 1. Valid for departures April 12-June 15. No minimum stay, maximum one year. Airline Warehouse (0870 7707339, airline-warehouse.co.uk).

New York: £189

United Airlines from Heathrow. Must be booked by November 30. Valid for departures January 1-February 12. Minimum stay one Saturday night, maximum one month. Travelbag (0870 8901458, travelbag.co.uk).

Los Angeles: £263

US Airways from Gatwick via Philadelphia. Must be booked by November 28. Full payment required when booking. Valid for departures December 25-March 31. All travel must be completed by April 29. Minimum stay one Saturday night, maximum one month. Airline Network (0870 2349915, ).

Hong Kong: £464

KLM from Newcastle via Amsterdam. Must be booked by November 30. Valid for depar tures until December 14. Minimum stay one Saturday night, maximum one month. Thomas Cook Flights Direct (0870 7520066, ).

Amsterdam: £59.10

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 Birmingham. Must be booked online (£10 extra if booked by phone 0870 8509850) and at least 30 days before travel. Valid for departures indefinitely. British Airways (ba.com).

The pick of the rest

Málaga: £59

Britannia charter from Manchester. Departs November 30 for seven nights. Thomson Flights (0800 000747, thomsonflights.co.uk).

Washington: £183

Icelandair from Heathrow via Reykjavik. Must be booked by November 30. Valid for departures January 11-March 31. Minimum stay one Saturday night, maximum one month. Trailfinders (020-7937 5400, trailfinders.com).

Perth/Darwin: £525

Royal Brunei from Heathrow via Brunei. Must be booked by November 28. Valid for departures until December 13. No minimum stay. All travel must be completed by December 15. Quest Travel (0870 4423513, questtravel.com).

Faro: £55

Air 2000 charter from Gatwick. Departs December 6 for seven nights. Avro (0870 4582847, avro.co.uk).

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

Eurostar from Waterloo or Ashford. Must be booked at least 21 days before departure. No advance booking required if trips include a Saturday night away or for same-day returns on Saturdays or Sundays. 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.