However, some of the best deals and the biggest savings can be found not on last minute deals for 2009, but on early bookings for your 2010 holidays.

Many tour operators will let you book your holidays for a much smaller deposit than you're used to, so you can secure your dream break for less than the cost of a week's shopping and you can then rest easy until the time comes to pay the full amount. This takes a lot of the stress out of booking a holiday. If you book your 2010 holidays now you can spend the rest of 2009 looking forward to the experience rather than worrying where to go or how much you want to spend.

Of course, the other great advantage of booking 2010 holidays this year is that you've got your pick of all the best locations. This is especially true if you are looking for an all inclusive deal as the very best of these tend to fill up quickly, especially at the start of the year when people realise they need to start planning for the summer. You can avoid the disappointment of the summer rush when you book a year in advance, so you won't be let down by a full hotel.

When booking 2010 holidays make sure you are certain it's where you want to go because you'll lose your deposit if you pull out of the holiday. You will also usually be required to pay all of the travel supplements and various types of insurance in full at the time of booking so make sure you have enough money available for this.