Today two brilliant-sounding competitions have dropped into my inbox so I thought I’d share them. (This isn’t a sponsored post by the way, I just really liked the sound of them.)

The first is one 2by2 holidays, which gives entrants the chance to win a tailor-made holiday to South Africa. All you have to do is go onto their website and tell them how you want a holiday to make you feel. Easy, right?

And Citalia is offering a four-night holiday in Lake Garda as first prize in its photography competition, the main requirement being that photos must be of Italy.

Best of luck!

I have actually been on Costa Concordia – I wrote about its spa for The Telegraph – it’s one of only two cruise ships I’ve ever been on and it was enormous.

At the time, although it has since been dwarfed by Allure and Oasis I believe, and quite possibly others, it was the biggest in Europe. Not being a natural water-baby, even though cruising is apparently one of the safest forms of transport, I did find being on something so huge and floating a little alarming at first. However, I guess precisely because it is so big, after a while it’s easy to forget you’re at sea at all. But the idea of something that huge tipping over is awful and I can barely even imagine how terrifying it  must have been for the passengers and crew.  I’ve been thinking about it most of the weekend and hoping the body count doesn’t rise further. My thoughts are with the families of those who died.

There’s taking life and a gentle pace, and then there is taking it at a donkey’s pace. If you’re looking for a way to appreciate the countryside in the slow lane, you can’t beat hiking with a donkey.

Claude and Elayne Danjou moved to a farm in the Alpes Mancelles in the Sarthe region of north-west France from Paris in 1997 and started collecting donkeys which they now hire out to tourists. Their first donkey was acquired simply to keep the grass short on the farm at Gesnes le Gandelin, then a few more, and slowly Claude became known locally as “the man with the donkeys.” Today the couple have 20 donkeys of two breeds – Normandy and Contentin – and the inside of their house is covered in donkey memorabilia. In 1999 the countryside around the village inspired them to start offering walks with donkeys for children, and the business grew from there. The hikes with donkeys are popular with adults and children alike – “Some are inspired to try donkey-hiking after reading Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes”,   Claude explains.

You can take a donkey for  anything from a half-day trek around the local area (32 Euros)  to a full-on 140 kilometre seven day trek to Le Mont St Michel  (from 400 Euros) as well as shorter trips of three days or so (from 130 euros). The donkeys will carry children, bags and tents if you are intending to camp on the longer trips – or Claude will arrange B&Bs along the route if you prefer.

After you are introduced to your donkey (for us this was 11-year-old Jason – Claude’s original donkey) the children have a chance to groom the donkey, brushing him and picking anything unpleasant out of its hooves. The donkey is saddled up and Claude gives a brief lesson on donkey wrangling  - basically holding the donkey’s  rope firmly and close to his face and whacking him on the bum with a stick and shouting “Allez!” if he stops and refuses to move.

Then armed with a photocopied map with your route marked out, you’ll be sent on your way. Claude leads you through the village to get you started, but after that, you’re on your own.

Walking with a donkey is a brilliant way to enjoy walking in the countryside for parents whose children are too small to walk very far without complaining. Children will love riding on the donkey and can also take turns at leading it, although donkeys don’t seem to be that  impressed by children’s little falsetto shouts of “Allez!”,  preferring to ignore them and continue eating the grass during his frequent stops.

Having a donkey in tow also means there can be no competitive rambling – no striding ahead at a brisk pace – you have no choice but to take things slowly and enjoy the scenery. Donkeys truly seem to deserve their stubborn reputation – Jason would plod along quite happily once he got going, but if he got distracted by some tempting dandelions it took a lot of stick-waving and shouting to get him moving again. At one point he actually ate the stick as if to say “Yeah, whatever – you’re not in charge of me.” While at first it might seem alarming to be sent out alone in charge of a donkey, you will quickly realise that they are so slow and placid the worst you are likely to have to deal with is the donkey refusing to budge. If you get lost or have any other problems, Claude is at the other end of the phone. He can even bring his trailer out and pick you all up if need be – although so far the only times he has had to do this if when sudden storms have broken.

For a slightly longer walk – starting at nearby St Leonards-des-Bois – Claude will meet you at various points along the way to make sure you take the right paths and also help you cajole your donkey up the up particularly steep bits – even lending a hand with carrying small children if need be. The path meanders up and down and some bits are steep enough that they children have to get off the donkey, but it flattens out again quickly enough that they can manage this without complaining too much about their legs aching.

The walk is beautiful  – through woods and along a river to St Céneri –le-Gérei – a chocolate-box pretty village with woodsmoke-scented restaurants and an ancient chapel in a field by the river. Here Jason gets to take off his saddle and eat as much grass as he likes while you enjoy a picnic of ham, cheese, salad, fruit and bread made using traditional milling and baking methods from Claude’s organic farm.

After lunch the afternoon’s walk starts with a very steep slope through trees which Claude will help guide you through – reminding you that you must stay in front of Jason so he knows you are in charge – even if he doesn’t look like he knows it. Afterwards the walk leads through fields of sunflowers and more woods and by the end of the day you might even find that your donkey is a little more responsive to your commands.

Walking with a donkey feels like a real back-to nature experience which forces you to take things as they come – the donkey knows there’s no great hurry to get where you are going – you will just have to accept it and slow down too. 

Zenith holidays, which runs a variety of mainly activity-based holidays, now has all its resort staff take a Heartstart Course with the British Heart Foundation which teaches people how to keep someone alive until professional help arrives. They don’t just learn CPR but also how to deal with choking and bleeding – things which can happen anywhere. Isn’t that reassuring? Why don’t more holiday companies do this – especially those which offer childcare?

And just in case you haven’t seen it yet – here’s the brilliant Vinnie Jones CPR video which shows how compressions should be done to the beat of the Bee Gees’ Staying’ Alive.

But the main point of this post was to share my latest article about why skiing is such a great family holiday in Yeah Baby, BMI Baby‘s brilliantly-named magazine. And if anyone has any tips about how to help broken bones mend quickly, please do let me know.

A skiing holiday can be a fantastic family holiday, whatever the age of your children. I’ve been taking mine –  Toby, now aged nine and Livi, aged seven –  on skiing holidays since before the youngest could walk. Granted, you need to plan a little differently if you are taking your children skiing than you may have done when you were still child-free. The proximity of the crèche becomes just as important as the distance to your nearest lift and you may choose the option of English-speaking nannies over a wicked terrain park but there’s no need to give up your skiing or snowboarding holidays just because you’re now a parent.

Choosing the right resort

Think about what you actually need. Big ski areas come with big prices and if you or your children are just learning and you don’t need a huge ski area, it is often much cheaper to go to a Pyrenean resort instead of the Alps, which are easily accessible from Toulouse. One of our favourites is Ax-Bonascre – you can either choose to stay in the mountain resort or at the base in Ax-Les-Thermes which has natural thermal pools and is linked to the ski resort by a cable car. Just down the road from Ax-Bonascre is the tiny, pretty resort of Ascou which is quiet even in the holidays and is so small that once your children progress a little you may be happy to let them explore on their own. Another good Pyrenean option to consider on the Spanish side is Baqueira Beret which is easily accessible from Toulouse, has four childcare areas for children aged from three months to eight years and has a very relaxed, Spanish atmosphere.

If you already ski and want a bigger area, choosing a village-type resort within a large ski area can be the way ahead. For example, Courchevel 1350 in Les Trois Vallées or Les Coches which is part of the huge Paradiski area where the Family Ski Company  has a brilliantly-located chalet right on the piste. You could also consider Ferme du Ciel in Samoëns in the Central Massif which has a complimentary nanny or Chilly Powder in Morzine, part of the huge Portes du Soleil ski area.

Where shall we stay?

For our first skiing holidays with the children, we chose chalet-style accommodation with childcare. There were many reasons for this – Livi was six months old, Toby just two and neither had even started at nursery yet – we felt English-speaking child-carers would feel less alien to them.  The on-site childcare meant no trekking about through snow carrying babies (warning – buggies and snow really don’t mix). Plus there was the bonus of having our meals cooked for us, no shopping or cleaning to be done, high tea sorted out for the kids and even mid-afternoon tea and cakes for us.

If your children will be skiing, check if the company you are booking with will accompany them to and from ski school if you want extra time to yourself on the slopes. Some companies also send nannies to lessons with the younger children to help them with their clothing and for general reassurance.

Once our children were old enough to ski, we stopped booking family-friendly chalets and instead chose self-catering apartments, ski lessons and occasional local childcare for when we wanted to continue skiing but they didn’t, preferring the increased flexibility and extra bedrooms. Most large resorts have childcare facilities which can vary widely but in our experience, tend to be friendly and well-organised. We have regularly used the local kids clubs in Les Coches and Peisey Vallandry (Les Arcs) where afternoon activities included Easter Egg hunts, tobogganing and ice skating but the children could only be picked up and dropped off during half-hour windows and parents were not generally allowed to stay to settle their children. Meanwhile in Andorra the attitude was much more laissez-faire schedule-wise but there were few scheduled activities. Family friendly hotels can also work well. The Kinderhotel chain with hotels in Switzerland, Austria and the Tyrol has a brilliant all-day kids programme – some of their hotels also have family suites where the children effectively have their own room and many have spas.

Whatever type of accommodation you choose, try to be as close to the slopes as possible. Skis are heavy and carrying your skis as well as your children’s can be exhausting – especially while your kids are complaining about how impossible it is to walk in their ski boots.

Learning to ski

Most resorts will accept children in lessons from the age of about three but exactly when your child will truly be ready will depend on their personality and maturity (I started mine at three but, in retrospect, a year or so later might have resulted in fewer tears, both from them and me.) Beginners under the age of about six are usually taught in a protected “snow garden” so there is no chance of them being mown down by adults and many have a “magic carpet” (conveyor belt) to get kids to the top of the slope so they don’t have to worry about negotiating with a chair or drag lift.

Even if you are a very proficient skier, if your child has never skied before, book lessons to avoid tears and tantrums on both sides. And don’t expect a small child to ski for the entire day – a couple of hours per day will probably be plenty for the first few holidays.

When should we go?

When planning your holiday, if your children are not yet school age or if you can bear to take them out of school, the first two weeks of January are a good time to go when the slopes are quiet and prices low, or the first weeks of the season before Christmas. Alternatively, consider skiing in early spring when it is warmer. For the same reasons, you may wish to try to arrange your children’s lessons for the afternoons if possible.

Most of all, remember to have fun. Most resorts have loads of other activities available for children – build a snow man, take them sledging, perhaps try ice-skating followed by a hot chocolate. In a few years’ time, they’ll probably be leaving you behind on the slopes – cherish these moments.

Top tips for a happy family ski holiday

If you and your partner both want to ski, consider childcare before booking, or try to persuade Granny to come along.

Don’t skimp on clothing – in particular, socks, gloves and thermal underwear. Snowsuits can be warmer than a salopettes and jacket combo, but more difficult to take on an off.

Mittens are warmer than gloves but can make doing up zips etc more difficult. For young children, put mittens on elastic to thread through their sleeves. For older children, buy gloves with elastic wrist bands to avoid them being dropped off a chairlift.

Take mini-Mars Bars or similar to put in your children’s pockets – they’ll appreciate the energy boost.

Children should wear helmets for safety and warmth.  Some resorts will not accept them in lessons without one – they can be easily hired in resort.

Consider transfer time from the airport to the resort when booking – some are within an hour, some can be nearer four hours.

Make sure you buy the right lift pass – don’t buy a pass for the entire area if you are barely going to leave the nursery slopes.

Don’t forget high-factor sun cream and lip balm – it might be cold, but it’s easy to burn.

Everyone, even babies, need good goggles or sunglasses. For small children who are skiing goggles are usually best (and less likely to get lost.)

Take Calpol or similar. Pharmacies in Europe take long lunch breaks and always seem to be closed when you most need them.

Check you have an up to date EHIC and winter sports cover insurance (you are not usually automatically covered for winter sports so it is important to check.)

Chances are, unless you are very rich, you will all be sharing a room. Which is fine until it comes to bedtime and your baby won’t sleep unless you and your partner either a) sit in total silence in the dark b) hide out in the bathroom (OK that can be fun now and again) or c) have had the foresight to book a hotel with a baby-listening service you feel comfortable using.

The other issue with hotels is that you have to fit in with their timetable, which can be a real pain when you have a baby or small children who get up and go to bed early, especially in parts of mainland Europe.

When our children were smaller we were invariably the first at breakfast in hotels in countries such as Spain and Italy where they may not start serving till 8am while our children had been bouncing around the room since six. Similarly we might often find that the only place open at 5pm to feed the children locally was a ropey-looking burger bar.

If you take self-catering or villa holidays, all these problems can be avoided. The children can have their own room. You can eat when you like and serve food you know your children will eat. You can enjoy a relaxed evening once the children are in bed with them still in earshot.

There is a vast range of self-catering accommodation available so it’s worth taking time to find the kind of thing which suits you. Good starting points include Baby Friendly Boltholes and Tots to Travel, both of which specialise in child-friendly accommodation and detail the baby and children’s facilities available at each of its properties.

There is no reason not to book through a more mainstream operator – just check carefully what facilities are available (will they provide a high chair or cot? If there is a pool, is it fenced?) Think about what you want from your holiday before you book – does your family want to be all alone in a remote cottage or would you rather be in a holiday complex where there is entertainment for the children? If you want a break from the cooking and cleaning, are home cooked meals or a maid service an option? Some operators will even provide a nanny. There are more tips to help you choose in my book.

Whether you want a basic place to stay or a lazy and indulgent stay, self-catering is the way ahead.

This is a sponsored post.

A cruise ship, yesterday

Have you ever been on a cruise with your family? I haven’t, but I quite fancy giving it a try. While cruises can have their downsides such as lack of independence (although that seems to be changing these days), the idea of having everything done for me, kids’ activities on tap and waking up somewhere different every morning is pretty appealing. Plus a lot of them have amazing facilities for families now, such as the cruises offered by Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruises and of course by the kings of family friendly cruises, Disney. I wrote a whole article about family friendly cruises for The Express last year, but the one that appeared in today’s is about cruising in the Caribbean. A lot of the info is relevant to families too though, so I thought I’d include it here. Also Linda Jones over on Have a Lovely Time has some excellent family cruising tips, so good, in fact, that I included them in my book.

Anyway, here’s the article:

All Caribbean cruises are not the same – and they don’t have to cost the earth. CATHERINE COOPER has rounded up some Caribbean cruises with something different to offer which you can take for under £2,500.

Family-friendly cruise – There’s plenty to keep the kids happy on this nine-night cruise of the Western Caribbean on Allure of the Seas, a giant of a ship with a passenger capacity of over 6,000. Attractions  include a zip-wire suspended nine decks high, an aqua park, two surf simulators, parades and even meals with some of DreamWorks Animations best-loved characters including Shrek and Princess Fiona and Madagscar’s Alex and Gloria. The cruise departs from Fort Lauderdale and ports of call include Cozumel in Mexico where you can explore the ancient Mayan city of Tulúm, browse for jewellery in the shops of San Miguel or escape to the beach paradise of Passion Island.  There are a variety of kids clubs and activities from aged 6 months to 17 years and innovations such as “My Family Dining Time” which allows kids to be served quickly and then taken off to play while you can finish your meal in peace. There’s also a spa and several bars, lounges and nightclubs for the grown-ups. Departs Fort Lauderdale regularly from Jan 3 2012. Nine nights from £1,202 including flights and transfers. www.royalcarribean.com  0844 493 2061. 

Stay on a private island – Holland America Line’s seven-night Eastern Caribbean cruise includes a stay on the cruise company’s private island with a two-mile crescent of perfect beach and interior lagoon, private beachside cabanas with butler service, showers, misters, a wealth of water sports on offer and a children’s aqua park. The cruise departs from Fort Lauderdale, one of the main ports for Caribbean cruises where you can take a trip on an airboat through the Everglades.  Highlights include snorkelling or diving in the crystal seas around Grand Turk and taking an all-terrain vehicle through the foothills of the rainforest in Puerto Rico. The ms Nieuw Amsterdam is a large ship accommodating over 2,000 passengers with a glitzy atrium as its centrepiece.  Facilities include several bars and restaurants, a spa, fitness centre, pools,  shops and an on-deck beach-style “Cabana Club” – a luxury retreat with robes and misters where guests are waited on with frozen grapes, chocolate-covered strawberries and even a glass of champagne at 3pm. Departs Fort Lauderdale Feb 4 2012. Nine nights from £949pp including flights. www.hollandamerica.co.uk 0845 351 0057. 

Cruise and Walk – For walking enthusiasts, The Ramblers are organising a Caribbean cruise with the emphasis on walking at the ports of call. Starting in Barbados the ship then heads to Bonaire, 50 miles off the coast of Venezuela with woods and mangrove swamps and surrounded by coral reefs. It then calls at Aruba, for a chance to explore the island’s wild side beyond the beaches and onto Jamaica where away from the beaches there are mountains, rainforests and 3,800 varieties of flowering plants and ferns. Other ports of call include Cuba, Grand Turk, Antigua and Tortola, one of the British Virgin Islands. The Fred Olsen cruise ship Braemar accommodates just over 900 passengers and has a five-deck central atrium and public rooms featuring polished wood and brass fittings. Facilities include two open-air swimming pools with a poolside bar and twin jacuzzis, three restaurants including the Thistle restaurant serving a seafood buffet with ocean views on three sides. There are also several bars (including a pub), a fitness room, spa,  hair salon and golf nets. Departs March 15 2012. 14-nights including flights, transfers, accommodation, walking excursions and services of a dedicated tour leader from £2,065. www.ramblersholidays.co.uk 01707 33 11 33. 

Tall ship cruise  - A tall ship cruise offers a more intimate cruising atmosphere as well as allowing to you get to smaller bays where the big ships can’t go including Tobago Cays – an archipelago of five small, uninhabited islands with white sand and coral reefs and Iles des Saintes, just off Guadeloupe with beautiful beaches and great dive sites . Royal Clipper takes 227 passengers with a crew of 106 and offers regular seven-night cruises out of Barbados. There are no rigid schedules on-board and the restaurant is free-seating. Lunch is a buffet or an on-shore BBQ and evening entertainment is provided by local performers as well as an on-board team – everything from folk dancing and steel bands to crab racing. The cabins are kitted out in nautical style with brass fittings and mahogany and have all mod-cons including DVD players and marble-lined bathrooms. 14 deluxe suites also have private verandahs, whirlpool baths and 24-hour room service. Departs Barbados various dates until March 2012. Seven nights  including flights, tax and transfers from £1,738. www.starclippers.co.uk, 0845 200 6125 

Very excited that BMI Baby have included me in their top ten family blogs today. Hooray!

Livi in Andorra

Yes, I know I’ve said it a million times before but skiing really is a brilliant family holiday. I originally wrote this piece for The Express last year – it’s only just gone in so I had to recheck all the prices. One had stayed the same as last year – the rest had all gone down. So there are some real bargains to be had. What are you waiting for?

Les Coches, France Part of the vast Paradiski region in France boasting 425km of pistes, Les Coches is a small village-type resort built with lots of wood, slate and stone. It is set around a pretty pedestrianised centre making it ideal for wandering around with children and there is often free street entertainment and games in the evenings. None of the large tour operators have a presence here and while there are several good bars and restaurants, night-life is limited so it has a quiet, family atmosphere.  Location-wise you would be hard pressed to beat Family Ski’s Chalet Les Arolles which is right on the piste and just a short slide from Les Coches’ main six-man chairlift. Family Ski offers a comprehensive childcare and ski programme for babies and children three months plus. Seven nights half board accommodation at Chalets Les Arolles with Family Ski starts from £549 per adult and £478 per child. www.familyski.co.uk, 01684 540333. Flights to Geneva with easyJet from various UK airports start at £27.99 one way. www.easyjet.com

Gerlos, Austria Kids can start skiing early in Gerlos with lessons available for two year olds in this pretty resort which is part of the Zillertal Arena with 166km of slopes. The small Gerlosstein ski area accessed by a cable car is ideal for families who want to ski away from the crowds – it’s also home to a 7km toboggan run. Stay at the Kröller Family Resort Kinderhotel which as well as offering up to 72 hours per week of childcare and just about all the children’s facilities you could think of including a soft play area and pony rides, also has an indoor pool and spa. Seven nights all-inclusive (excluding flights and transfers) starts at £1625 for a family of four. www.kinderhotels.co.uk, 0845 0822 422.  easyJet flights to Innsbruck start at £30.99. www.easyjet.com .

Borovets, Bulgaria If your family are new to skiing there is little point heading to a huge resort and paying for an expensive ski pass if you are barely going to stray from the nursery slopes. The Eastern European ski resorts can be a great budget option for beginners and early-intermediate skiers – a three course evening meal costs around £11. Borovets is Bulgaria’s oldest and biggest resort with 45km of pistes set among the stunning Rila Mountains. Childcare facilities are available for children aged one upwards with ski school for the over-fours – there’s also a bowling alley and horse-drawn sleigh rides are available. Seven nights half board in Hotel Iglika Palace costs from £916 for a family of four including flights and transfers with Balkan Holidays. www.balkanholidays.co.uk, 0845 130 1115.

LAAX, Switzerland Just 90 minutes from Zurich, LAAX has three “Snow Wonderlands” for children aged two and up where, as well as learning to ski, they learn about mountain wildlife and animals and take part in treasure hunts, collecting organic souvenirs from the mountainside led by fictional character Ami Sabi (Spirit of the Mountain). Various family accommodation is available – from traditional hotels to the ultra-modern sugar-cube-shaped buildings of rocksresort and all kids love La Vacca – a restaurant in a tepee lined with cow hide and wood and set around an open fire. Seven nights at rocksresort with Swiss Travel Service costs from £3,219 for a family of four including flights, self-catering accommodation and transfers. www.swisstravelski.co.uk, 0844 879 8812.

Kranjska Gora, Slovenia With just 30km of pistes, Kranjska Gora is best suited to beginners and early intermediates and is a great budget option for families being a small, well-laid out resort with excellent English-speaking ski schools, a ski kindergarten for children aged three to six and family-orientated hotels. Children can ride in a sleigh pulled by reindeer, go ice-skating or tobogganing and there is even a water park. The layout of the resort means it is also good for non-skiing parents who can sit outside a café with an Italian hot chocolate watching their kids getting to grips with skiing. Local shops are inexpensive and the town of Bled is about half an hour’s drive away if the family feels like having a day off skiing. Seven nights half-board accommodation at the Grand Hotel Prisank with Directski.com including flights and transfers costs from £529 pp, including three hours free entrance to the water park. www.directski.com , 0800 358 0448.

Saas Fee, Switzerland A traffic-free, pretty resort set in spectacular scenery surrounded by no less than 12 4000-metre peaks. Snowsure, it offers 100km of pistes rising to 3,600 metres. Away from the pistes it boasts the world’s largest ice grotto buried inside a glacier which is reached by a subterranean alpine train. Afterwards, you can enjoy dinner in the world’s highest revolving restaurant or take the children husky-sledding. Esprit Ski’s Chalet Annahof is within three minutes of the three main chairlifts and offers skiing back to the door, as well as family suites and spa area with sauna, steam room and jacuzzi. Esprit offers an excellent childcare and ski programme for babies and children age four months plus. Seven nights half-board at Chalet Annahof starts at £699 per adult including flights and baby-listening – one child aged 2 to 10 travels free on selected dates. www.espritski.com Tel: 01252 618 300.

Tips for skiing with children

If both parents want to ski, make sure you have good childcare in place before you arrive – or invite the grandparents.

Buggies do not work well in snow – take a baby carrier or back pack.

Make sure your children have all the necessary ski  clothing – especially thermal underwear and decent  ski gloves or mittens. A cold child is a miserable child.

A snow suit is generally warmer than a jacket and salopettes and snow cannot get into it but it is harder to take off for toilet breaks and your child will get less wear out of it at home.

Book your children professional lessons rather than trying to teach them yourself – the latter is likely to lead to tears and tantrums.

Put mini-chocolate bars in your children’s ski jacket pocket for energy, along with a card with your mobile phone number on in case they get lost.

Make your child wear a helmet – it not only protects them if they fall but also from being bumped on the head by lifts, other people’s skis etc, as well as keeping them warm.

Toby and Livi in Andorra

Yes, it’s that time of year again when I start banging on about skiing. It’s still weirdly warm here in the south of France (in fact we just had lunch outside) so I don’t hold out high hopes for this year’s Pyrenean season, but we’ll see.

Skiing is usually considered an expensive holiday, and while it can be pretty pricey, it doesn’t have to break the bank if you choose your destiation carefully. My other top tip, if you can bear to take your children of school (or they are still pre-schoolers) is to go in the first two weeks of January. The slopes will be virtually empty, snow is likely to be good and there are some real bargains too be had.

I recently wrote this piece below about budget ski destinations for The Express – I hope it gives you some ideas.

“IKEA principle” skiing in top French resorts – If you want the scope and facilities of a large resort without the usually-accompanying massive price tag, Action Outdoors offers bargain-basement holidays for 18 to 40 year olds in top resorts including Val d’Isere and Chamonix – huge ski areas with almost every type of slope imaginable from snow-sure glaciers to tree-lined glades – by stripping away all the frills.  Several people share a room (although twin rooms are available for a supplement) and guests are expected to wipe down tables after meals and clean their room at the end of their stay. All packages include a buffet breakfast, lunch (hot or packed), afternoon tea and an evening buffet, lift pass, equipment hire and various kinds of instruction (from beginners to off-piste) or guiding as required. Options this year range from a week in Tignes from Dec 10 for £446 to a week’s “Steeps Off-Piste Guiding” in Les Arcs (a fantastic ski area marred only by its ugly tower-block buildings) from Feb 18 for £830. Travel is not included but coach travel can be arranged from £99 with Snow Express. 

Bulgaria – Bulgaria is a great budget option, having the added advantage of being outside the euro-zone.  The smaller, comparatively low-lying resorts with plenty of trees mean it is generally best suited to beginners and early intermediates rather than experts – although there are some more challenging runs.  The largest and best known resorts are Bansko, Borovets and Pamporovo which are all good options for beginners and families. Pamporovo is said to be the sunniest Bulgarian mountain resort with around 120 sunny days during its December to April season and has 11 easy slopes for beginners, a four for intermediates and “The Wall” – a steep and challenging mogul field – for the more advanced. Eating out is very reasonable – try the “Chervemeto” for spit-roast lamb and The Lodge is good for lunchtimes on the slopes.  Seven nights half-board at Hotel Snezhanka, Pamporovo costs from £436pp including flights, transfers, equipment hire and lift pass. www.crystalski.co.uk , 0871 231 2256.

America – With dollars now going so much further than euros, a skiing holiday in America can now make financial sense. To keep accommodation costs down, stay in Salt Lake City, within easy reach of 11 of Utah’s ski resorts while also being close to the shopping, dining and nightlife of the city. Park City Mountain Resort, which hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics and the pretty mining town dates back to the 1870s, is so close to the city it has a lift in the old part of the town and you can ski right down to its many shops, galleries and restaurants.  It’s family friendly with small classes for children which snake through wooded trails and for adults there are 50 runs, three terrain parks, buzzing night life and even a lift-served tubing hill. The resort is next to the luxurious Deer Valley (skiers only – no snowboarders!) and the larger Canyons ski area with 182 runs. All three areas are covered by the same pass and linked by frequent shuttle buses.  Seven nights B&B at Crystal Inn Mid Valley including flights, airport transfers and lift passes cost from £799pp. www.funwayholidays.co.uk , 0844 557 3333.

Andorra – Duty-free Andorra is made up of several linked resorts and works as a budget option whatever your level of skiing or boarding. While the mountain terrain is somewhat open and stark, the resorts arguably have a more laid-back and relaxed atmosphere than many of their French neighbours. Everything runs on Spanish time – don’t expect to be able to get lunch before about 1.30pm or dinner before 8pm. Pas de la Casa is the highest resort with the busiest nightlife and a wide range of pistes suitable for everyone from beginners to experts. Soldeu is glitzier but also has budget accommodation alongside the four and five star hotels while El Tarter and Canillo are quieter and linked to the huge Grandvalira slopes by high-speed gondolas. Arinsal is arguably most suited to beginners and families with wide-open slopes, tree-lined runs, on-mountain childcare facilities and beginner slopes right at the top where the snow tends to be better and the view, fabulous. Spa-lovers are also well-catered for in the thermal waters of Caldea (around 20 minutes away) and shoppers should head to Andorra La Vella for fashion, jewellery, perfume, food and drink – and electronic goods are especially competitively priced. Seven nights B&B at the 3* Hotel Compapedrosa, Arinsal starts at £304pp including flights from Birmingham and transfers. A six-day skier’s pack (tuition, lift pass and equipment hire) costs from £209. www.neilson.co.uk , 0844 879 8155.

Poland – It may not be the most obvious place for a skiing holiday, but there are several small ski areas around Zakopane offering slopes to suit all abilities. The resorts, built a mix of traditionally-built buildings of wood and stone and modern remnants of the communist area are all independently owned and each have their own lift passes which cost around £10 to £20 per day.   You can get a good, hearty meal of mountain-bred lamb or similar for less than £5 per head or a wide variety of international cuisine for a little more. Nosal is good for beginners, Kasprowy Wierch is the largest and most challenging area with mainly black and red runs (including one 6km long) and in Bialka Tatanska, the slopes are floodlit so you can ski till 10pm every night. Public transport and even booking taxis between resorts can be difficult (unless your Polish is good) so it is wise to book a package which includes transfers to the various resorts.  Seven nights half-board chalet accommodation, flights, transfers, lift pass, tuition and equipment hire from just £465pp (quote THE EXPRESS)for bookings made before November 15  with Sunshine World www.sunshineworldpoland.com  020 7581 4736.