Something To Declare: the East, in style, on the cheap; h bargain of the week: free

The column that gives the global picture

Long-haul bargain of the week: the East, in style, on the cheap

Ten days in a luxury hotel on the Gulf of Thailand, plus business-class flights, for under £900 - that is the offer from Airline Network (01772 727 757, www.netflights.com).

The official business-class fare on Gulf Air from London to Bangkok is £3,250. But for a price of £899, based on two sharing, you can get business-class flights on Gulf Air from Heathrow via Abu Dhabi or Bahrain to Bangkok, transfers to the resort (near Hua Hin) and 10 nights room-only accommodation at the Regent Cha Am. This applies for departures until 25 August.

The resort of Pattaya is available at the same price, but this covers only eight nights in the Dusit; you must travel out by 24 July.

Business-class packages are also available, at higher fares, for the islands of Penang and Langkawi in Malaysia.

British bargain of the week: free easyBus between Manchester and Liverpool

One reason easyJet (0870 600 0000, www.easyJet.com) based its north-west operation in Liverpool, not Manchester, was because airport costs were lower. The low-cost airline aims to grab more Mancunian travellers by running a direct bus to the airport from Manchester coach station and Piccadilly rail station. On match days, buses will also serve the football grounds. Six round-trips a day run during the week, for just £3 return - but for the rest of June it is free to passengers with proof of travel on easyJet.

European bargain of the week: book today to fly to the continent via Belgium

SN Brussels Airlines (08707 352 345, www.flysn.com) is offering extremely good fares via Brussels to Europe - but only if you book by 7pm tonight UK time. Flights are available from Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester and Newcastle to a range of destinations. The best deals from Birmingham are to Vienna (£150) and Seville (£181); from Bristol to Munich (£153); from Manchester to Barcelona and Bilbao (both £152) and Seville (£172); and from Newcastle to Florence (£176) and Vienna (£172).

You can fly out any time before the end of August, with a minimum stay of two nights or a Saturday night, and a maximum stay of a month. As with all such deals, availability is a problem; be as flexible as possible with dates.