Bargain holidays for 2012

The January sales aren't just confined to high street retailers - plenty of travel firms have some eye-watering deals on at the moment.

It may be the thrashing rain and apocalyptic wind battering the lovemoney.com offices this week, but I can’t help daydreaming about a week or two in the sunshine.

Not that I’m likely to enjoy any, as the idea of taking my toddler on a plane leaves me in a cold sweat, but for those of you without small children/braver than me (delete as appropriate), there’s good news! Plenty of holiday firms have January sales on breaks away in the sun at the moment, so let’s take a look at the deals currently on offer.

Thomas Cook

The travel agent Thomas Cook has an exciting looking promotion on at the moment, with as much as £400 off per booking on selected package holidays (including transport and accommodation) for this summer. The deals run between 1st May and 31st October, but you’ll need to move quickly before they disappear.

Here’s a sample of some of the deals enjoying a whopping £400 off.

Virgin Holidays

Virgin Holidays has launched its sale, with holidays available from £399, and as much as 44% off certain deals. Booking online can also save you up to 33%.

Here are the ten deals with the biggest savings at the time of writing:

These deals are changing all the time though, so you’ll need to act quickly to take advantage!

Thomson

Thomson has launched a grand holiday sale, with a whole host of exciting looking jaunts detailed in the sale brochure, which you can check out here. Best of all, for holidays departing between 1st May and 31st October, couples can save up to £200!

There are also guaranteed free child places on certain deals, so a great option for families.

British Airways

Easily my favourite name for a sale comes from British Airways, which is currently promoting the ‘Goodbye Winter Sale’.

There are absolutely hundreds of deals, so below I’ve highlighted a couple of favourites:

You’ll notice that all of the holidays I’ve highlighted depart from London airports – that’s not me being London-centric, but rather all of the British Airways holidays included in this sale either depart from or go via London airports.

Lastminute.com

You can currently get up to 50% off if you book your holiday through lastminute.com before the 16th January, while there are also a number of deals which require only a small, up-front deposit.

Here’s a selection of the deals with up to 50% off at the moment:

To see the rest of the 50% off deals, check out this section of the lastminute.com website.

Emirates

If you’re flying with Emirates, be sure to book online before the 31st January. Not only is the airline offering discounted fares on economy class seats, but you’ll also be entered into a prize draw for an iPad 2. Just be sure to use the code UKJAN12 when you book.

Your holidays

Have you booked your holiday for this summer? Or are you staying in the UK? And are there any other holiday retailers we’ve missed? Let us know via the comment box below.

More: Clearer rules on holiday money charges | Ryanair hikes fees for bags and boarding cards