Autumnal travel bargains

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my job as a teacher.  However, when I see the prices of flights outside school holidays, I can't help but wish I was free to fly whenever my little heart desires.

There are many bargains to be had this autumn and, with the summer crowds having dispersed, October and November are the perfect months for exploring what Europe has to offer.

So, if you're lucky enough to be free of the school holiday restraints, you should grab your credit card and get booking...

What about Basel?  A wonderfully cosmopolitan city with borders in Switzerland, France and Germany, flights are £12 return from London in November.  Snow, crisp mountain views and a European flavour to savour, no matter how you voted in the referendum!

On the Baltic coast of Poland, Gdansk comes in at £16 return in October from Leeds, London or Manchester.

Maybe you'd like to visit Verona for only £16 from Stansted?  Follow in Romeo and Juliet's footsteps and enjoy the city of love.

And, for only £17 from London, Madrid with its plazas and tapas is a perfect week's getaway.  With some of the world's best art galleries, the Spanish capital is a delight.

Spend just £18 and you can enjoy a week of wine, flying from Stansted to the vibrant city of Bordeaux, with its southwestern French climate and mild autumnal afternoons.

These are a few suggestions worth considering but your choice of destinations is phenomenal.  Have a search for flights and, I promise you, you'll be jetting off in no time at all.