it's like a hole in the tooth...

...this 'credit crunch' thing. It's there, it's annoying and you just can't ignore it. You have to deal with it.

(whenever I hear the words 'credit crunch' it does make me think of cereal. 'Mmmm... yummy credit crunch with milk first thing in the morning - make a great start to your day')

And deal with it I will! I shall try my best not to snigger at the fact that whenever the credit crunch is mentioned, so is someone called 'Darling'. Any BlackAdder fan would have to agree, it is definitely snigger-worth material! I mean, it's the credit crunch Darling (hereby known as the CCD)...

The first way I'm going to deal with the CCD is to learn by heart these top 10 ways to save money on a hotel. Oh yes, I am the new money saving expert - Martin Lewis... eat your heart out!

There's lots of ways here to save money, and don't worry, the answer is NOT about spending your evenings cramped in a hostel with 20 sweaty unwashed travellers. Been there. Done that. Still catch up once a year.

One of my favourites tips to save money from the top 10 list is to only pay for half of your hotel stay. Legally. For example you can stay in the Roma Park hotel in Rome - A 4 star hotel, for just £40 for 2 nights, as HotelConnect are giving you one night for free. Bargain or what?

It's a sophisticated hotel on the south side of the city - near the Park of Caffarella, for all you archaeology buffs!

And for those of you who are desperately seeking some sunshine that includes some warmth - the other favourite that i've picked out to beat the CCD is the 4 star Baia Cristal in the Algarve.

You'd better sit down for this price - 2 nights for £16. That is amazing. Oooh just look at that pool. It's in tucked away in the hillside in the pretty village of Carvoeiro. It'd certainly make a nice winter sun break.

The other CCD beater and buster that I like from the list are EBDs - Early Booking Discounts. If you know that you're going to a certain destination next year - you can book now and save up to 25%. That IS incentive to get organised!!

There's a list of them here. My favourite is 25% off a 4 star in Toronto. I say 'hell yeah!' to 'going cookie in tronno!'. I *might* need to scrub up on my canadian slang before I go though.

I'm off to paste on some Darling-esque eyebrows...now that is the result of the Credit Crunch Darling!

laters

Secret Agent