In the spirit of making your money go further, overseas holidays should be booked with an appreciation of PPP (purchasing power of parity). This is some economics term that dictates that things should cost the same in all countries – i.e. based on a £/$ exchange rate of 2, a £300 pair of shoes should cost $600 across the pond. Like, how wrong can the economists possibly be?? I know that it’s not very culturally enlightened but I mostly choose my holiday destination on how good and cheap the shopping will be. This means that Asia and America are brilliant and – at the current exchange rate of 1.2 – Euro countries aren’t as attractive as they once were.

Of course, it’s not just about currency values. One of the major fixed costs of your holiday is accommodation. This definitely makes my top destination a bit more challenging; the rack rate for a Manhattan hotel room outstrips most European equivalents. On our last trip, I baulked at paying top dollar for a fashionable broom cupboard and trawled through the vacation letting sites. Holiday apartments can be incredible value and perfect in cities where you are within 50 seconds from a great coffee shop, sushi restaurant, bar and drugstore. We found a fabulous place in the Meatpacking District – it was huge, gloriously decorated and about £120/night. In particular, Americans are quite keen on home swapping and sub-letting, so www.craigslist.org is an alternative to the more frequented www.holiday-rentals.co.uk, www.ownersdirect.co.uk and www.vacationrentals.com. As you’re dealing with unknown individuals, remember to get references, speak over the telephone and, if they require a deposit, use a credit card with a very good policy on fraud.

My other overseas strategy is to look at last-minute and out-of-season package holidays. Tour operators would much rather sell-out and websites like www.lastminute.com and www.teletextholidays.co.uk can unearth some serious bargains. My best friend and I once went to Cuba. For £500, we got flights, 5* accommodation (although, communist hotel rankings are clearly not as stringent as their capitalist counterparts), two weeks of full-board and as much dodgy rum as we could drink. OK, so the resort could have been on any sunny island but it was close enough to do an overnight trip to Havana and it was a great holiday.

Finally, there is something to be said about less fashionable destinations. The word ‘authentic’ is a bit patronising but you do get the sense that the locals aren’t trying to constantly rip you off. In a similar vein, I am always up for visiting countries on the Foreign Office’s alert list – providing that operators are still flying there, it can be a seriously cheap option. Sadly, my husband is more risk averse (and less of a pikey) than me.