If there are no limits to your spending power there are a plethora of expensive long-haul packages to choose from.
According to travel agents, holidaymakers have increased their spending at the upper end of the market in recent years.
One reason people can spend more on winter holidays is that many customers do not bring their children on winter breaks.
Indeed, some people do not holiday in summer, say travel agents, and hold out until the winter when they spend liberally. Holidays booked during the Christmas period tend to be the most expensive, with heavy demand for all destinations.
Below are examples of some of the more expensive holidays currently being offered by Irish travel agents:
A week in the scenic Caribbean island of St Lucia during the chilly days of December is available at £2,249 per person from JWT. This involves staying at the luxury Le Sport hotel.
Included in the cost is full board for the week, no green fees on local golf courses and a wide variety of free water sports to choose from, including sailing, snorkelling, windsurfing and water skiing.
Alternatively, you could fork out £1,754 (departing December 26th) for a one-week stay at the Italian resort of Madonna di Campiglio and its four-star hotel, Relais des Alpes. Included in the package is full board and a New Year's Eve gala dinner.
The Swiss resort of Zermatt is equally prestigious and a one-week stay at the four-star Alpenhof hotel will set you back £1,328, for a booking beginning on December 26th.
How about a visit to the Seychelles for a week in December? Thomas Cook is quoting a price of £2,139 per person or £2,349 if the week is split between two centres. For that price you stay in the La Reserve hotel, where guests reside in bungalows surrounded by palm trees and overlooking the sea.
If you fancy the luxury resort of Bora Bora in Tahiti, which is surrounded by lagoons and white sands, you will have to pay £3,270 sterling for a week in an overwater bungalow.
Trailfinders in Dawson Street, Dublin, is offering the luxury package in Hotel Bora Bora until March 31st. This may seem like a lot of money. But the average temperature in Tahiti in January is 32C.
