EUROPE

You can't get much cheaper than camping, though we're not talking about pitching a two-man tent in a field. Unzip the fly sheet to a four-bedroom tent at a variety of campsites in France with Venue Holidays. What's more, the company has cut prices across the board, so that at Camping La Plage at St Hilaire-de-Riez, on the Vendée coast, ten nights cost £566 including a midweek Dover-Calais car ferry crossing. 01233 629950 www.venueholidays.co.uk

Can't afford a fortnight but still want to get away? You only need to stay for two nights to benefit from a 30 per cent reduction for families with Hilton Minibreaks. Under-18s can stay free in their parents' room and under-10s get free meals. For example, rooms at the Hilton Molino Stucky in Venice are from £159 a night based on a family of four sharing. There are plenty of children's activities too, from Venetian mask painting to cookery classes. www.hilton.co.uk

Chartering a private yacht sounds lovely - and expensive. But Sunvil Sailing has a seven-day holiday in the Greek Ionian sea for just £599pp. You get not only live-aboard accommodation for families of three or more, but also sailing instruction- a bargain. Flights from Gatwick or Manchester are also included on the trip, which runs from July 27. 020-8758 4780 www.sunvil.co.uk

100 summer holidays for '08

Our correspondent trawled the brochures and websites to find this summer’s best holidays for every taste and budget

Bag a late bargain summer holiday

The soaring cost of the euro doesn't help, but if you know where to look there are still bargain holidays

• This year’s holiday, last year’s prices

This year’s holiday, last year’s prices

The puny pound means Europe’s a wallet-buster, but if you go all-inclusive, you pay 2007 prices

• 25 summer holidays for under £500

Book your family holiday now!

Summer is around the corner and you still haven't booked your family holiday? Get cracking now...

• The best places to stay in Florence

Related Links

• How to holiday on the cheap this summer

Self catering is an obvious way to cut your holiday cost. It doesn't, though, mean you have to cut back on all thefacilities - Interhome runs a children's programme with outdoor activities led by qualified staff at its apartments in the small resort of See in the mountains of Austria. A week there in August can still be had from just £273 for a three-room apartment. Flights are not included. 020-8780 6629 www.interhome.co.uk

The strong Euro means that everything costs more in Europe, which is why Turkey, with its lira, is proving such a hit this summer. A family of four can stay for two weeks at the three-star Ekinci Palace Apartments in Icmeler with flights from Gatwick for £1,672 in total. Book through Jewel in the Crown Holidays for departures on August 8. 0870 0672352 www.jewelholidays.com

Still craving luxury and prepared to take a chance? Get a cut-price deal in Sardinia staying in a five-star hotel from just £530 per adult, with car hire. The catch? You won't know in which of six luxury resorts belonging to the Delphina Hotel Group you'll be staying until three days before departure. No charge for children under six; over six pay half price. 020-7963 6697 www.key2holidays.co.uk

UNITED STATES

If the draw of Mickey proves too much and you're headed for the States, you can at least benefit from a Kids Eat Free Card. Under 12s get to eat at more than 80 restaurants in Orlando, Florida. A week in August costs £999 per adult, £699 per child, staying at the Travelodge at Universal, with car hire, flights but not tickets to the parks. Book with Jetsave. 0870 1607323

The weak dollar leaves you quids in on a New England tour. Go whale watching off the coast of Maine, or hit the theme parks. An eight-day self-drive holiday with American Sky costs from £2,469 for a family of four in July and August, including flights, accommodation and car rental. 0870 9040920 www.americansky.co.uk

MIDDLE EAST

It's hot - horribly hot - in Egypt in August. But if those soaring temperatures aren't a problem, you can save £165 on the brochure price for a week at the five-star Hyatt Regency hotel at Sharm El Sheikh. The Oasis Kids' Club will keep children busy while their parents enjoy the watersports centre. The holiday costs £729 per adult and £559 per child for B&B and flights from Gatwick on August 10. Book with Citrus Travel. 01342 302555, www.citrustravel.co.uk.

Take the heat out of Oman in the summer by heading to the spa, while the kids learn to dive in the warm sea. Save £150 per person on a five-night holiday at Shangri-La's five-star Al Waha hotel. The trip departs on August 10 and costs £599pp, with flights. 0871 6640246 www.hayesandjarvis.com

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