Turkey chosen 2010's best bargain destination (2009-12-29)

The long shadow of the recession still lies across our holiday plans, and our painful transition from minted to skinted has changed our travel habits.

We're taking nine-day breaks where once we'd take a fortnight - that way, we need take only five days off work - and more of us than ever are booking all-inclusive itineraries. We're also willing to travel further to escape the eurozone - it's either that or the staycation, but we tried that last year and caught a cold. So where will we find value in 2010?

The tour operators are unanimous: Turkey is 2010's bargain of the year. But they would say that. After last year's mass desertion from the eurozone, the holiday giants have hugely increased capacity from Kusadasi to Antalya, but caveat emptor: those extra rooms might lack both the spaciousness and the proximity to the beach everybody was raving about last summer, and local costs - eating out, shopping and taxis - have risen sharply, so choose wisely.