Take a hassle-free self-drive holiday

You might be able to pick up a flight to Europe for less than the cost of a Marks and Spencer's sandwich these days, but there are times when it's still cheaper or easier to drive, especially on a family holiday.

Now that the low-cost airlines and even the full-service airlines like British Airways are charging to carry ski and other sports equipment, a self-drive family ski holiday can work out much cheaper than flying.

Most ski resorts in the French Alps are less than a 10-hour drive from Calais. The closest Italian resorts, Courmayeur and La Thuile, are only about nine hours' drive. Resorts in Austria and Andorra are a 10 to 12-hour drive.

Several ski operators offer self-drive holidays, including Neilson (www.neilson.co.uk) Thomson (www.thomsonski.co.uk) and Peak Retreats (www.peakretreats.co.uk)

Self-drive holidays are a good option when travelling to hard to reach places. Scandinavia, for example, is a great destination for a family holiday but some of its best bits are off the beaten track, so it's useful to have your own wheels.

It's especially useful to have your own car when travelling north of the Arctic Circle, which is less well served by public transport than other parts of Scandinavia. Try DFDS (www.dfdsseaways.co.uk) for ferry crossings and self-drive packages.

Taking a self-drive holiday can be a less stressful option when travelling with kids than trying to negotiate a busy airport. Easy places to reach include Brittany and Normandy in northern France, though the south of France is easy to get to on the Motorail (www.raileurope.co.uk) service from Calais.

For crossings, try Brittany Ferries (www.brittanyferries.com)

Northern Spain is accessible from Santander with crossings from Plymouth or from Bilbao from Portsmouth. Holland is easy to get to from Harwich and Hull. There are also ferries from Harwich to Esbjerg in Denmark.

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