Expert post: Home and away half term getaways

In the UK

If money is tight but you really feel you need a break, Go Leicestershire is offering two nights B&B accommodation in a four star hotel for a family of four with three free family activities thrown in - you can choose from bike hire, tobogganning, bowling, a cinema pass or a picnic lunch, all for the bargain price of £99 per family! It could probably be more expensive to stay at home...... Our editor Linda, went with her family and had a lovely time. Another bargain break is on offer at Woolacombe Bay Holiday Parks in North Devon, where you can enjoy a three-night break in a fully equipped caravan from £105 for a family of four. There's plenty for families to enjoy including heated indoor pools, mini-golf, children's clubs and nightly entertainment.

Europe

If you'd rather travel a little further afield, Canvas Holidays is offering seven nights at one of their two Paris campsites  in a Classic mobile home from just £280 per family including ferry crossing.

After some sunshine? You'll have to spend a little more but it's still a bargain compared to a similar holiday during the summer. Cypus averages 27 degrees in October and Olympic Holidays is offering seven nights at its three-star family-friendly Macronnissos Village Club for just £1,616 for a family of four, including flights from Manchester.

The USA

Further afield again but still very competitively priced, Funway Holidays are offering five nights room only in Calfornia at Palm Mountain including flights and car hire from £2,233 for a family of four.

On the water

And for something a little bit different, Waterways Holidays has a child-friendly narrowboat based at Lower Heyford on the South Oxford Canal, designed especially with children in mind and believed to be the first one of its kind. Facilities include a playroom complete with beanbags, TV and DVD, Wii, colouring pencils and board games. There's also a low-level bath, toilet and washbasin and the TV in the "main" living room doubles as a monitor for the playroom. How brilliant is that? Seven nights cost £1499 and you can even take along two well-behaved pets.

On the road

If you fancy a road trip through Europe, Wicked Campers has vans decked out like Scooby-Doo's Mystery Machine and the Ghostbusters van which sleep up to five and can be picked up from Barcelona or Malaga priced at just £199 for seven nights (flights are extra but can be very cheap - try easyJet)

Catherine Cooper is author of Travelling with Children: A Parent's Guide