Six top destinations

Hong Kong: £355
Emirates from Manchester, Birmingham or Glasgow via Dubai. Valid for departures September 10-November 30. Minimum stay seven days, maximum two months. Trailfinders (020-7938 3939, trailfinders.com).

Sydney: £539
Japan Airlines from Heathrow via Tokyo or Osaka. Must be booked by September 27. Valid for departures October 1-December 5, but no return flights to UK permitted November 1-December 4 or January 15-March 26. No minimum stay, maximum one year. Quest Worldwide Travel (0870 4423513, questtravel.com).

Los Angeles: £312
United Airlines from Heathrow. Must be booked by September 22. Full payment required when booking. Valid for departures November 1-December 11. Minimum stay one Saturday night, maximum one month. Airline Network (0870 2349915, airlinenetwork.co.uk).

New York: £199

British Airways from Heathrow. Must be booked by September 28. Valid for departures December 25-April 30 (excluding March 17-24). Minimum stay one Saturday night, maximum one year. BA (ba.com, 0870 8509850).

Paris: £55.70

BMI from Heathrow. Must be booked online (£10 supplement if booked by phone). Valid for departures indefinitely. No minimum stay, maximum one year. BMI (flybmi.com, 0870 6070555).

Amsterdam: £95.10

British Airways from Manchester. Must be booked online (£15 supplement by phone). Valid for departures indefinitely. No minimum stay, maximum one year. BA (ba.com, 0870 8509850).

The pick of the rest

Johannesburg: £416

KLM from Birmingham via Amsterdam. Valid for departures until September 30. Minimum stay one Saturday night, maximum one month. Thomas Cook Flights Direct (08701 111111, thomascook.com).

Rio de Janeiro: £450

TAP Air Portugal from Heathrow or Gatwick via Lisbon. Valid for departures until November 30. Minimum stay one Saturday night, maximum one month. Journey Latin America (020-8747 3108, journeylatinamerica.co.uk).

Beijing: £374

Austrian Airlines from Heathrow via Vienna. Must be booked by September 12. Full payment required when booking. Valid for departures until January 29. Minimum stay one Saturday night, maximum one month. Airline Network (0870 2349915, airlinenetwork.co.uk).

Chicago: £252

Air India from Heathrow. Valid for departures November 1-December 15. No minimum stay, maximum six months. Bridge the World (0870 4441716, bridgetheworld.com).

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 for Saturday or Sunday same day returns or trips including a Saturday night stay. 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.