The September slump in holiday prices is well under way, with proper package holidays in the rest of the month available for £300 or less.
Later in the autumn and early winter, an escape to the Mediterranean, Adriatic or Atlantic is even more beneficial. Once the October half-term holiday is out of the away, prices fall still further. An all-inclusive package in Turkey is available for just £50 per day, and a DIY week on the coast of Albania for an absurd £135.
These are the best deals I have found this week. All are based on two people travelling together. Apart from the last one (Albania), they are all proper package holidays, including flights (with luggage), transfers and accommodation (room-only, unless specified otherwise).
Greece
Departing from London Stansted on 20 September, Tui has a package holiday to Zante at £217 per person for a week – that’s only £31 per day, staying at the Angela Hotel in the main resort of Laganas.
The likely weather is about 10 degrees warmer than Stansted, with rather more prospects of sunshine.
Read more: The best Greek island hotels
Spain
If you prefer a quieter resort, head for the Canary Islands: a week’s package with Tui at the 4Dreams Hotel in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, flying from Manchester on 23 September, is £293. The resort is well placed for walks in the hills and excursions to the capital, Santa Cruz, and the exquisite town of La Laguna.
Package tourism to Spain began in the Costa Brava, and yet these days it is a relative backwater – with fine coastal scenery and cultural attractions such as Dali’s house in Cadaques and the museum to his memory in Figueres.
Jet2 Holidays has a deal from London Stansted on 28 September for £300, staying at the htop Olympic in Calella. Flights are to and from Girona, a much smoother airport experience than Barcelona.
Turkey
By November, the eastern Mediterranean is looking much more appealing than the UK. On 8 November you can travel from Luton to Antalya with easyJet Holidays for a week, staying at Senza The Inn in Alanya for only £355 per person, all inclusive. The average daily high is 22C, compared with 11C in Luton.
The city you fly into, Antalya, is an amazing place that most people seem to miss – with a spectacular harbour dating back a couple of millennia, a handsome Old Town and superb local cuisine.
Portugal
I am a fan of the resort of Armacao de Pera on Portugal’s Algarve coast. Jet2 will take you from Birmingham on 8 December for a week for £282 per person, including flights to Faro, transfers and accommodation at Ukino Terrace Algarve. The average daily high is 18C compared with around 7C in Birmingham.
This isn’t the Med, it’s the Atlantic, so temperatures are bracing, but Armacao is a superb, relaxed resort with plenty of shoreline walks.
Albania
For the cheapest holiday of the winter, go to Albania in November. Return flights for many days that month are £30 with Wizz Air from Luton. A bus from Tirana airport to the coastal city and main resort of Durres costs 600 lek (£5) each way. And a week at the four-star Hotel Zanzi costs £189 double.
Call it £135 per person for a winter warmer beside the Adriatic – less than £20 per day.