Of course, the big sporting event of 2010 is the World Cup football in South Africa, and thousands of people will already have booked their tickets to be in the country any time from June 11 to July 11 this year – or, if they’re particularly lucky, for the whole month.

But what other sporting events are likely to bring in the holidaymakers this year? Unusually, the UEFA Champions League final will be played on a Saturday this year, May 22 being the date to remember, and it will take place at the Bernabeu Stadium, home of Real Madrid – with the added bonus of course, of the host city being one of the most visited and best-equipped in Europe.

The following day, Sunday May 23, is the day motorsport fans head for the most famous date in the Formula 1 calendar, the Monaco Grand Prix, and many sports fans may combine this with a visit to the French Open tennis tournament, which starts just a day later and runs through to Sunday June 6. Will Andy Murray earn that historic first Grand Slam win on the famous courts of Roland Garros? One thing is for sure – many Britons will be in Paris to witness his progress.

Then there’s barely time to pause for breath before what many consider the big event of 2010 – the football World Cup, taking place in South Africa between Friday June 11 and Sunday July 11. Ten stadiums will host matches between the 32 competing nations, all bidding to succeed Italy for the right to call themselves world champions.

Just as the football enters its frenzied final phase, the Tour de France once again hits the roads, this year starting in Rotterdam before heading to Belgium and, after three weeks, ending with the customary dash along the Champs Elysees in Paris, where glory awaits one lucky (and tired) rider, on Sunday July 25.

Back on the courts, the US Open tennis dominates early September, regularly drawing 750,000-plus fans to New York’s Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. As if 2010 wasn’t a big enough year already, two massive spectacles round off the year. First, the Commonwealth Games head to New Delhi, representing the largest sporting event the city will have ever held.

The dates for your diary are October 3 to 14. Then, ending on a high, it’s off Down Under for the latest episode in the ongoing war which is The Ashes, which begins on November 25, and will straddle the festive celebrations before the little urn symbolically passes to the victors on January 7 2011.

For great worldwide holiday ideas tied in to any of these events, visit The Co-operative Travel soon. Demand is sure to be high, so the best advice is to book early, and then, whatever your sport of choice, sit back and enjoy all the build-up.

With a range of city breaks available, this year offers the perfect chance to get away. For all sports fans, especially football fans cheap Spain holidays is going to be very popular thanks to the Champions League Final.

Are you fed up of the British weather, rain all summer and now freezing all winter. Global warming might be melting the North Pole but its not bringing sunshine to the British shoreline. Are you thinking about affordable alternatives, if so, for many people the option of holidays in France for 2010 has to be worth considering. Particularly if you want value for money and a chance of decent sunny weather.

Clearly the further South you go the better the odds you have for that decent weather. You also have a few options for getting there at an affordable price; many budget airlines fly into the airports located in the South of France. Places like Toulouse, Carcassonne, Perpignan, Rodez or Bezieres. Each one either on or within easy travel distance of the Mediterranean coastline.

Alternatively you can drive down, many of the cross channel ferries are very competitively priced and affordable, or of course you have the option of the channel tunnel for a quicker crossing.

Once over the water you can be in Toulouse in as little as 9 to 10 hours later. If that sounds a little long, especially with kids in tow, then what many people do is to take advantage of the option to stop off on route. Hotels in France are very reasonably priced and usually charge on a room basis rather than per person.

Orleons, Tours or even Paris offer great facilities for a stop off and are all interesting places to visit, even Paris is nearly half way, from a time perspective. Of course by driving you save on the cost of a hire car and it gives you the flexibility to have a bit of a tour around on route and to see a few more places of interest. Having a Sat Nav, as most people do these days, can give you the confidence to explore a little and the opportunity to avoid the ‘Peage’ (toll roads). You would be amazed how many dual carriages or very good ‘A’ roads there are heading your direction with hardly any traffic on them.

Once you arrive in the sunny South of France, there are plenty of opportunities to get yourself a reasonable priced self catering cottage or apartment, often with a pool available for exclusive use.

A holiday cottage or apartment in France is called a gite and many of them are owned and run by English or English speaking owners. The standards of these types of gites have changed over the years, select the right ones and they can be very comfortable with fully fitted kitchens, nice comfortable bedrooms and plenty of bathrooms. More of a home from home, than a ‘make do well you are away’ experience.

The benefit of having these facilities on hand means that you can choose to cook and eat in, rather than at the restaurants; only if you prefer that of course. Also you can buy from the local Aldi or Lidl, they have a policy of stocking local produce, including wine and cheeses at very reasonable prices and, for the wine anyway, much cheaper than the UK for comparable quality. So you can manage your budget exactly how you want to.

If you do decide to eat out then taking a leisurely lunch is often a better option than an evening meal. You can choose a set menu, which usually includes a glass of wine, so you know exactly what you are paying for and the lunchtime menus are much cheaper than for an evening meal. I have seen lunchtime menus of this sort for as little as €11 per person locally here in Languedoc Roussillon.

So the bottom line is, yes the traveling costs may be more than they are in the UK, but if you plan your holiday around taking advantage of all the good deals available, and the cost of accommodation in France versus the UK. Then you will probably find that you will spend less for holidays in France than you would for holidays in the UK; plus you have an excellent chance of getting some sunshine to go with it.