Pay for holidays in advance

Those gnawing concerns that your holiday plans might not cover everything a country has to offer can be taken care of with pre-paid tours.

Comprehensive tours can be booked in advance, and separate from flight bookings if necessary, for numerous countries.

Some tours on offer include a $664 a person tour spread over four days in China's Shanghai City and surrounds; a 15-day tour in Malaysia, priced at $1562 a person; a 15-day tour in Libya for $4364; or a 28-day tour from Zanzibar to Zimbabwe, and another for 23 days, heading from Bombay to Goa. Both tours are priced around $2500 a person.

Contact: Flight Centre, freephone 0800 354 448.