There's a whole host of holiday offers to beat the credit crunch

HOLIDAY companies throughout the UK and Ireland are trying to beat the worst effects of the credit crunch. And that's good news for travellers!

Bargain hunters can still flee the gloom of the British winter with a money-saving break in the New Year

It's been a bad few months for sterling - in recent weeks it has slumped in value against the euro - but that doesn't mean that you should shun Europe as a holiday destination - quite the opposite in fact!

Now's the time to explore some of the Continent's hidden gems and discover the countries that lie just outside the euro zone.

Meanwhile, travel agency chain Co-operative Travel and tour operators such as Falcon, JWT and Thomas Cook are offering great discounts on a wide range of popular destinations.

Co-operative say they are offering thousands of holiday packages from as little as £199pp, with a special early booking deposit of just £10 - and a big plus is that you won't have to pay anything else until April 2009!

Falcon are also offering a host of early booking discounts on exclusive kids clubs, holiday villages, soccer and swim schools, premier hotels and private villas.

JWT claims to have some unbeatable offers. With flights to the Canaries, Greece, Bulgaria, Cyprus, mainland Spain, the Balearics, Portugal and Italy, there's special discounts for early booking and prices from as little as £269 - so get in early.

Thomas Cook have extended their sale, so be quick and snap up a bargain. Holiday packages on offer include Lanzarote for as little as £243 and Tenerife from only £278.

Attractive all-inclusive packages from all the major cruise operators are making this year THE year for cruising!

NCL Freestyle Cruising's New Year sale is on now and has discounts of up to £400 per state-room on many of its 2009/2010 sailings.

There are many savings in this peak post-Christmas booking period on most of its worldwide itineraries when booking before February 28, 2009.

NCL is also introducing deposits of just £50 per person on its mini-cruises to encourage bookings.

Short breaks, which range from two to five nights, are ideal for first-time cruisers or couples looking for a romantic weekend getaway. Travel to destinations including Guernsey, Le Havre and Copenhagen for less than £100 per person based on two sharing an inside state-room.

Swan Hellenic are offering 40 per cent off selected cruises in 2009. You can stay in the comfortable Owner's Suite while sailing between snow-capped peaks and through the warm waters of the Indian Ocean taking in South Africa, Mozambique Island and Kenya on the 41-day Grand Antartica and Africa cruise.

Princess Cruises are offering a whopping 45 per cent reduction on selected cruises booked before February 28, 2009.

Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean are offering what they call 'hot deals' with a 7-night Southern Caribbean cruise from just £347 per person for an interior cabin.

The short break market is also benefiting from the drive to boost bookings. You can now travel from Belfast to Stranraer for as little as £69 one-way for a car plus driver. Additional adult passengers can go for as little as £20 one-way and children can go for just £10 one-way.

City breaks are certainly possible on a budget this year, especially with many airlines offering specially discounted prices to maintain market share in difficult times. For instance you can fly to East Midlands, Cardiff, Birmingham or Manchester with bmibaby from £18.99 one-way.

Travellers can also take advantage of Flybe's '10 million seat sale' and fly to 16 city destinations including Rennes, France from only £39.99 one-way and Glasgow for just £22.99 one-way.

Ryanair, Aer Lingus and easyJet - all three major airlines serving the Province - were all offering heavily discounted fares at time of going to Press. Belfast City to Heathrow operator bmi is offering Heathrow fares from £26 one-way and substantial savings in some of its long-haul routes.