For As Little As

pounds 39

you can spend a winter's night cruising on the River Thames in London. The London Showboat experience is a three-and-a-half-hour round-trip east from Westminster Pier. On-board entertainment includes a four-course dinner with wine, cabaret and dancing (tel: 0171-237 5134).

pounds 51

you can take a one-night break at Port-en-Bessin's three-star Hotel Mercure Omaha Beach, close to the scene of the D-Day landings recently evoked in Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan. This per-person price includes return crossings with car on Brittany Ferries from Portsmouth or Poole, and b&b at the hotel (tel: 0990 360360.

pounds 63

you can buy a South Africa Spoornet Rail Pass, allowing you to travel between all the major cities by rail on any five days in a 21-day period. This deal is available in Campus' Jump on Jump Off brochure (tel: 0171- 730 8111).

pounds 100

you can book any return flight from London Stansted to Milan, Rome, Bologna, Lisbon or Copenhagen with BA subsidiary Go, on condition that you book it online and within a month from 21 September. The outbound journey must be taken before 2 December. The website for booking is www.go- fly.com

pounds 354

you can take a two-night break in the Swedish city of Gothenburg in October. Go for opera and art, and the first bracing winds of winter. This per- person price includes return flights and b&b accommodation. Cresta (tel: 0161-927 7000).

pounds 369

you can spend a week in a five-star deluxe hotel on a few select dates before Christmas in a new resort called El Gouna on the Red Sea in Egypt. This per-person price include flights from London Gatwick and b&b accommodation. Regal Holidays (tel: 01353 778096).

pounds 379

you can fly to Italy to watch AC Milan play rivals Inter Milan in the San Siro Stadium on 8 November. This per-person price includes return flights, match tickets and b&b for two nights. Other Italian fixtures are available. Italiatour (tel: 01883 621900).

pounds 719

you can spend seven nights in the Malaysian resort of Penang up to the end of October. This per-person price includes return flights and accommodation. Extra nights cost pounds 13 per person per night. Qantas Holidays (tel: 0990 673464).

pounds 899

you can spend a fortnight in Costa Rica on the Caribbean-facing beaches of San Jose. This per-person price is available from 3 November to 15 December and includes return flights on British Airways from Gatwick to San Jose. Bed and breakfast accommodation is in the Palma Real Hotel. Worldwide Holidays (tel: 01202 743907).

pounds 1,350

you can take a 12-day Christmas or New Year group holiday crossing Canada on a warm comfortable train, through snowy forests from Toronto to Vancouver. Depart on 21 or 28 December. The per-person price includes flights, seven nights b&b in a hotel, three nights full-board on the train in a two-berth compartment. Great Rail Journeys (tel: 01904 679969).