Unless your head has been buried in the sand for the past 12 months, you’ve probably noticed we’ve been struggling through a fairly horrid recession. Everywhere you turned there were high street stores going out of business. You only had to look in your purse or wallet to notice the impact. Times were, and still are, quite tight.

When times are hard and we need to be more frugal with our money, luxuries are usually the first to go. This usually means sacrificing that dream holiday to the Carribean for a ‘staycation’ – going somewhere slightly less glamorous and much more affordable.

But I guess the good news is that taking a trip abroad or going on a day-trip, doesn’t need to cost the earth. Travel, via plane, road or sea is becoming increasingly more competitive. As this happens, travel not only becomes more accessible, it also becomes cheaper.

I’m not suggesting for a moment that you can travel the globe on a shoestring budget, but that you look at what’s available just across the pond. There are a number of great sights and things to do, literally on our doorstep – in France.

Beyond the obvious attractions, such as Disneyland Paris, The Louvre, Mont St-Michel and Avignon, there are countless, lesser known gems perfect for the whole family, including:

  • Bagatelle Amusement Park

Only a 45 minute drive from the Eurotunnel Calais terminal, Bagatelle is an amusement park where all the family are sure to enjoy the thrills and fun, with 18 attractions

  • Wallonia

Rolling farmland, wooded peaks, fast-flowing rivers, but also scenic drives, good food and quality lodging from friendly guest houses to five star hotels.

  • Calaid Cote d’Opale

Calais Cote d’Opale is also a region offering a great amount of warm and festive events all year round! Sound and light shows, historic pageants, fairytales, legendary celebrities, twilight walks, a fascinating heritage, artists and aficionados there’s always a vibrant festive air in the Calais Cote d’Opale!

With more than 200 shops including well known high street names and a supermarket, Cite Europe is ideal if you want everything under one roof. Cite Europe is only 5 minutes from the Eurotunnel exit, and 4km from Calais, and is well sign posted. It has over 200 shops including well known English shops like Tesco Wines, Tie Rack, Toys R Us, as well as many French high street names. Carrefour, the large hypermarket within the shopping centre has a vast range of foods, groceries, cookware and electrical goods to name but a few.

  • La Coupole

Situated 5km from the town of Saint-Omer, La Coupole is a larger-than-life underground bunker designed by the Nazis, during the second world war. It is one of the great relics of the Second World War in Europe, a History and Remembrance Centre, now a respected tourist attraction. The underground bunker was used to store, prepare and launch the V2 rockets, the secret weapon that Hitler was counting on to destroy London.

So there you have it. A few recommendations for enjoying an affordable trip abroad, and doing something a little bit out of the ordinary. You may have to sacrifice your holiday, but you can still enjoy a nice short break or day trip with the family to soften the blow.

For more information on Channel Tunnel fares, or Disneyland Paris deals, visit Eurotunnel.com.