Far-flung holiday destinations - on a budget

The 'holiday of a lifetime' is usually something that comes with an eye-watering price tag attached. The reason it's once in a lifetime is because it takes so many years of saving (or paying it off). However, if you choose your destinations carefully, you can have a far-flung, exotic holiday without breaking the bank.

New research from VoucherBox.co.uk has revealed that couples can now get to the likes of Thailand, Mumbai and Abu Dhabi in the middle of June for under £1,000 - for two.

Researchers looked at the costs of a one-week holiday from Saturday June 18, to Saturday June 25 – with return flights from London Heathrow and a double hotel room at a four-star hotel included. They came up with an impressively glamorous top five.

1. Dubai. A couple could holiday for one week, including flights and hotel for two, for only £718.

2. Abu Dhabi. A week costs ­ from£811 ­– with flights priced at £303 each and a hotel room costing £205.

3. Thailand, Bangkok, costs £834 - with flights at £720 and a double hotel room in the midst of the buzzing city for only £114.

4. Delhi, in India, costs £865 for two people.

5. Johannesburg - within driving distance of the Safari hotspots in the Pilanesberg National Park – costs £869 for a week.

6. Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, will set you back only £914 – with flights available for £394 per person and a four-star hotel costing £153.

7. Jordan is otherwise known as the 'jewel of the Middle East'. A flight and week's stay in Amman, the capital city, can cost only £937 for two people and gives you the perfect chance to see Petra, the famous city of carved tombs and one of the seven wonders of the world.

8. Mumbai, costs just £944 for a week.

9. Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, will cost from £959 for two for the week.

10. Hong Kong offers a week's holiday for two at just £970.

Shane Foster from VoucherBox.co.uk said: "There is a feeling that you have to spend months of saving to visit long-haul destinations but that isn't the case." He suggests that a combination of picking the right destinations, shopping around, and looking for discounts, can bring even the most exotic trips within reach.

In order to come up with such impressively cheap deals, the researchers have had to use every trick in the book. They flew on less popular days, were flexible about the time of day they wanted to travel - and the flight carrier. They also looked at very last-minute breaks, which can be the best way to secure a deal.

But perhaps most of all, they were able to avoid school holidays. Any family knows that £1,000 would struggle to get a family of four a cottage in the UK in the middle of the summer holiday - let alone something further afield.

And while families may rail against the injustice, those who are young enough to have no children, or old enough to travel without them, owe it to all of us to make the most of their circumstances and have an adventure on a budget.

But what do you think? Are you tempted?