There’s a new puritanism in the air, and it goes something like this: “A holiday? A HOLIDAY?? We’re all bankrupt, for heaven’s sake. Stay home instead, eating gruel and making clothes out of nettles.”

To which we reply: nuts. If 2009 is as sticky as some expect, we’re going to need a break more than ever.

Sure, we’ll need to watch the pennies – which is why we’ve made our selection of the summer’s best holidays with an eye for value, and an unashamed bias towards Britain, where a pound is still worth a pound (allowing for deflation).

Otherwise, we’ve kept it to Europe. Bit odd, given the euro exchange rate? We don’t think so. By sticking close to home, you avoid those swingeing long-haul flight costs – and many tour operators wisely hedged their currency, so their prices are unaffected.

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Pick a meal-inclusive package and you’ll hardly notice the difference. We’ve also unilaterally extended the continent’s borders to Turkey, to take advantage of the great deals there.

To keep things simple, we’ve gone for a week’s stay when possible – a fortnight is even better value. And, as we’re not all broke yet, the budget breaks are leavened with a sprinkling of luxury and glamour.

So, stuff the prophets of privation: get thee behind us, Robert Peston. You can still afford a great holiday at a price that won’t leave you needing a bank bailout.

Unless stated, package prices are per person, cottage and villa prices per property, each for a week. Where two prices are given, the first is for May, the second for August. All prices were accurate at the time of going to press, but what your holiday finally costs depends on lots of factors – when you go, how many children are in your party, flight prices (if they’re not in your package) and so on. As a guide, we’ve given each trip a rating showing the average all-in cost per person.

PRICES:
£ = up to £300
££ = up to £600
£££ = up to £900
££££ = up to £1200
£££££ = £1200+

UK and IRELAND

1 Campfires in East Sussex
Camping, £
The cheapest holiday here is also one of the best. For sheer freedom, you can’t beat camping in Britain, and Wapsbourne Manor (01825 723414, wowo.co.uk ), in East Sussex, does it the old-fashioned way. It’s a few tents pitched haphazardly in a field on an organic farm. Facilities are basic – we’re getting back to nature here – and there’s no pool or water slides for the kids, but with tyre swings, a stream to dam and lots of pals to make, they won’t be complaining. No recorded music is allowed, but you’re welcome to bring an instrument and twang around the campfire of an evening. It’s £8pp per night (children £4), and on Fridays decent musicians stay free if they’ll provide the fireside entertainment.

2 Ted Hughes’s house in Yorkshire
Cottages, £
What would Ted Hughes write about his childhood home? We’ll spare you our pastiche of Britain’s best-loved 20th-century poet – you can come up with your own when staying at Ted’s House, where he was born and lived until he was seven – and, as he said himself: “My first six years shaped everything.”) The humble end-of-terrace in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire, has been designed and refurbished in true 1930s style, as Hughes would have known it (though, wisely, they’ve provided a modern kitchen and bathroom); the village is surrounded by rolling moorland, bursting with the natural drama that inspired him. There’s a writing desk in his old bedroom for when the muse strikes. It sleeps four and costs £330/£410 with Yorkshire Cottages (01228 406701, www.yorkshire-cottages.info ).

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