In my experience, France rarely gets so full of holiday-makers that the flexible cannot find a room somewhere. But be careful to avoid too much unbooked travel any time between mid-July and mid-August, especially in the high-profile holiday areas of the south or in Paris. And in the coming year, the warning is that the pressure on the most desirable times and spaces is going to be even greater. In other words, it is worth pulling up a chair to the fire now, logging on to the internet and doing some early choosing.

France has been attracting more tourists from other parts of Europe, as well as the British, as people continue to want to go on holiday but worry about flying. The message seems to be that if you want your first choice and you want high season, you need to start booking now.

Early offers

To sweeten the pill of the panic, every holiday operator - be it short break, long package, or the carriers themselves - has "book early, pay less" incentives with some pretty significant savings. Last year, I bought several Channel crossings early, inventing dates on which I might be travelling in the summer, and the best deal I got was a no-penalty right to alter my travel date an unlimited number of times. I changed one of the tickets three times before we finally organised ourselves to travel.

This year most operators have "book and buy" dates at the end of March, with differing levels of savings. Other offers include extra hotel nights or flexibility to mix and match parts of the brochure. Brittany Ferries has flexible deals available in its gîtes brochure.

If that seems to contradict the probability that the operators are going to sell out their peak times, don't be fooled. They are still in cut-throat competition with each other - to the benefit of all our pockets - and they still want as many guaranteed bums on seats and bodies in beds before the season's rush sets in.

Carriers

All the carriers are revamping, most of them to offer wider on-board services and bigger, brighter accommodation. SeaFrance has just put its new ferry, the Rodin, into service; Irish Ferries and P&O North Sea Ferries both have new vessels which claim to be the largest car ferries afloat - although since their criteria differ, both are accurate. Brittany Ferries , meanwhile, has under construction in Holland what it promises will be the biggest passenger ferry afloat. It should be ready to go into service in July on its Portsmouth-Caen route.

Hoverspeed is increasing its number of crossings between Dover and Ostend or Calais, with good inducements (in terms of hotel packages) to try Ostend. It restarts its Newhaven-Dieppe route in March. The Norfolkline , which started a Dover-Dunkerque service last year with one ship is adding an extra ship this year.

All operators promise to carry more cars and people than before, but also to give passengers more leg, head and body room. The aim is to encourage people to treat the journey as part of the holiday.

The disadvantage of this trend to ever bigger craft is that it might jeopardise the future of those harbours too small to accommodate them - the St Malos and the Dieppes, pretty towns that remain much more French than Calais can in high summer. Attracting sufficient holiday-makers to persuade the operators to maintain staff in towns such as Newhaven is something of a challenge - the teething troubles experienced by the traditional ferry that Transmanche runs on the route throughout the year, for example, are enough to unnerve all but the most determined. All of which means that lucrative freight traffic is inclined to opt for the more certain routes to Calais.

Transmanche, a consortium involving the Dieppe departmental authorities and an Italian company, Corsica Ferries, with Hoverspeed acting as booking agent, has now sorted those troubles and the ship is back in full - twice daily - service.

Crossing times

Operators are also competing to provide speedier crossings for those who are set on maximum land-based leisure. Eurotunnel and Hoverspeed vie for speed at the shortest point between England and France, with the Shuttle managing Folkestone-Calais in 35 minutes with no threat of disruption from bad weather, and Hoverspeeed doing Dover-Calais in 40, but with the promise of a speedy check-in to shave off the extra minutes and bring the total crossing times of the two pretty much on a par. Hoverspeed now reckons to be able to withstand anything up to Force 9 gales, and to stay bearable for most.

The Shuttle is a victim of its own success, which means its weight of passengers can cause peak-time delays, while Hoverspeed has the advantage at the Dover end of a neat little pier of its own, just off the town centre fly-over, before the mad complex of the main ferry port. On the right day it can cram late arrivals on to craft five minutes before they take off.

Brittany Ferries is proud of its May to October fast-craft crossing to Cherbourg, which brings Brittany much closer for those fancying its mix of Cornwallesque charm and good wine. And Hoverspeed will again offer a two-hour crossing between Newhaven and Dieppe.

For the non-car bound, or those doing rail-drive, Eurostar promises more and faster routes as new French high-speed links are opened in the later part of 2002. It has offers into Belgium and deals with Paris and Disney.

Tour operators

All the tour operators, from Eurocamping and Eurovillages , at the self-catering end, up to the luxury chateaux hotel operators, have deals. Eurovillages has new provision for teenagers to allow parents and kids to holiday together without excess tension; and the Caravan Club has a range of deals for its members, organised with all the cross-Channel companies.

Whatever your holiday bag - or mixed bag, if you are taking the family - somewhere lurks an offer for you.

Who goes where for what

Brittany Ferries

Reservations 08705 561600, brittanyferries.com.

The Cherbourg fast service starts May 21. New super ferry Mont St Michel in service July, Portsmouth to Caen, with a shopping mall, cinemas and a selection of restaurants and area for teenagers.

Five-day return for two adults, all accompanying children and car from £112, standard return from £188. Short Breaks: three nights for the price of two at selected hotels until March 31( tel: 0870 5360360).

Outside July and August, however, you are free to choose how many nights you wish to stay in selected gîtes, holiday cottages, apartments and chalets.

Eurostar

Reservations 08701 606600, theeuroguide.com.

Rail passengers should check the website to see what packages and new places are on offer.

Eurotunnel

Reservations 08705 353535, eurotunnel.com.

Book 14 days before the date of travel to save £50 on a standard return, reducing it to £179, or seven days early on a mini-break to save £30, reducing it to £109, for a car with passengers.

Eurotunnel holidays 0870 3332001.

Eurotunnel, together with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and regional tourist boards, this week launched a guide to war

cemeteries and memorials. Discover Wartime Memories is free to its customers.

Hoverspeed

Apex fares 08705 240241, or hoverspeed.com (2% discount for booking online).

Available up to March 31, advance purchase fares start at £169 standard car return and £109 for a five-day return via the Dover-Calais/Ostend routes. Newhaven-Dieppe fares start from £199 for a standard return and £119 for five-day returns.

SeaFrance

Reservations 08705 711711, seafrance.com.

Dover-Calais.

Early booking savings up to £20 per booking. Current fares as follows until March 15:

Day-trip fares, £19 car plus four passengers (after 1.30pm). 24-hour fares, £55 car plus four passengers (no time restrictions).

Standard return fares from £125 and five-day return fares from £85.

P&O Stena

Reservations 0870 6000600, posl.com.

Save on August fares by booking and paying before April 8 for a car and 10 people. Standard return from £179 for any time to year end compared with a lead-in fare of £269 last year.

P&O North Sea Ferries

Reservations 08701 296002, ponsf.com.

Hull to Zeebrugge overnight only. Car plus four £467. Includes cabin.

Maison de la France

France information line: 09068 244123, email info@mdlf.co.uk.

Logis de France

Free in person or £1.70 in stamps for p7p from the French Travel Centre at 178 Piccadilly, London W1.

Gîtes de France

Available from bookshops or World Leisure Marketing, 0870 6062417.

Caravan Club

Reservations 01342 316101.

Matthews Holidays

Self-drive mobile home holidays; 10% discount on all bookings made in January, 01483 284044.