Six top destinations

Sydney: £485

Emirates from Heathrow via Dubai. Valid for departures until June 30. Minimum stay seven days. All travel must be completed by October 26. Airline Warehouse (0870 7707339, airlinewarehouse.com).

New York: £184

Kuwait Airways from Heathrow. Valid for departures until May 31. No minimum stay, maximum one month. Trailfinders (020-7937 5400, trailfinders.com).

Cape Town: £515

KLM via Amsterdam from Heathrow, London City, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Must be booked by May 31. Valid for departures until June 27. Minimum stay six days, maximum one month. Quest Travel (0870 4423513, questtravel.com).

Los Angeles: £225

British Airways from Heathrow. Must be booked by May 27. Valid for travel November 1-December 10. Minimum stay one Saturday night, maximum one month. Travelbag (0870 8901458, travelbag.co.uk).

Paris: £65.50

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 Birmingham. 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 Palermo: £179

Alitalia from Heathrow or Gatwick via Rome or Milan. Must be booked by June 8. Valid for departures May 26-July 8. Minimum stay one Saturday night, maximum 14 days. Alitalia (0870 6076005, alitalia.co.uk) .

Boston: £213

British Airways from Manchester via Heathrow. Must be booked by May 26. Valid for departures until June 30. Minimum stay one Saturday night, maximum one month. Thomas Cook Flights Direct (0870 7520066, thomascook.com).

Buenos Aires: £472

Alitalia from Heathrow or Gatwick via Milan or Rome. Book by June 15. Valid for departures until July 25. Minimum stay one Saturday night, maximum one month. Journey Latin America (020-8747 3108, journeylatinamerica.co.uk).

Tenerife: £109

Monarch charter from Gatwick. Departs May 30 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 last 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.