While The Sun’s ‘£9.50 Holidays’ headline looks stunning, it can work out at much more than this if you don’t know what you’re doing.

The basic cost is £9.50 per person for three or four nights. Yet the minimum holiday price is £38, so this is cheapest for families of four. Nearly all parks add a 'service charge' on top, adding around £20-ish to the total cost. Plus remember this is accommodation only, so factor in the cost of getting there (read the Cheap Flight & Cheap Trains guides).

The parks also recoup their cash by charging for optional ‘extras’ such as bed linen and entertainment. Yet if you take your own sheets and a Scrabble board, the holidays really can be had for as little as little as £58 for four.

With park holidays costing up to £600, the savings can be huge. For example last time this offer was on in August, a four-night at La Croix du Vieux Pont park near Eurodisney would normally cost £419 for four; cost just £84 via this deal.

To book your holiday, you need to collect TEN unique tokens, printed in The Sun (20p) every day, apart from Sunday, until 19 Sept 2009. Be sure to buy the paper on Thursday 29 Sept, as there will be TWO tokens, plus an 8-page supplement including details of all parks. The last day you can start collecting is Thursday 9 Sept to get the ten required tokens.

Next, download a booking form from TheSun.co.uk, and fill in the info described below. These are holidays are always popular, so your form must be ready to roll, the day you get the final token.

One of the reasons these hols are so cheap is that you can’t pick the exact date and place; you have to specify FIVE dates and parks you'd like.

The hols can be taken on selected dates between September 4 and November 27 2009; weekend breaks are three nights, weekday holidays are four nights. For two, three or four people sharing the basic cost will be £38, five people sharing will cost £47.50, six sharing is £57, seven sharing is £66.50 and eight sharing is £76.

Pick five dates you want to go from the choices below:

The dates:

• Monday-Friday (4 night breaks):

  September 21, 28
  October 5, 12, 19
  November 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
  December 7, 14

• Friday-Monday (3 night breaks):

  September 25 
  October 2, 9, 16, 30
  November 6, 13, 20, 27
  December 4, 11, 18
  

Holiday accommodation is caravans, chalets, apartments, tents, lodges, apartments bungalows or cottages at 167 holiday parks across the UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Holland. In the previous summer offer there were some real smashers, including Haven Devon Cliffs in Exmouth, La Croix du Vieux Pont near Eurodisney, and Norcenni Girasole Club in Tuscany. The parks in this Autumn offer have not yet been confirmed, but will be updated here as soon as they are.

Pick a shortlist of five, using the parkfinder (link not live yet )or use the 8-page supplement which will be printed in The Sun on Thursday 9 September. Quality varies, so search the reviews on Tripadvisor, and also compare parks’ service charges (read how service charges work).

If you want to take a dog, check directly with the parks first, or your pooch could end up homeless. Also note that the parks will not accept bookings from parties where all persons are under 21. All-male and all-female parties under the age of 25 are not allowed either.

If you’ve been on a Sun holiday before, please add your feedback in the Sun Holiday Parks Reviews thread, so others can benefit.

Some parks are more costly than others in the first place. First, look on the parks’ websites to see how much it would cost you to book direct. Next, whip out the calculator, and work out how much The Sun's holiday will cost to make sure it’s cheaper.

Basic costs:

• Basic charge. The basic holiday cost is £9.50 per person, and you can take up to seven people with you. The parks will only accept parties of less than four if you pay the four berth price, so in reality the hols start at £38. You can take up to seven people, but here the cost will go up. If your brood is bigger than four, it could well be cheaper just to hire a caravan direct, so do check.

• Service charge. Next add the service charge; this covers caravan cleaning and gas & elec. Nearly all parks charge this fee ranging typically from £10 to £36 per family per holiday. Charges vary according to park; go to the Park Finder, click on a location and check at the bottom. These fees will be charged direct to you by the park before arrival.

Optional extras:

• Bed linen. Bed linen and blankets are not included at any of the holiday parks. Make sure you take your own, or you’ll have to hire it for about £10 per person.

• Entertainment. Parks offering entertainment programmes may charge for optional entertainment passes, around £2 to £10 per person per break. Take a monopoly board!

• Food. No meals are included in the price, so save by self-catering.

An example costing in the previous holiday offer

As soon as you've all ten tokens, post the form. Remember to include a cheque for the basic charge of £9.50 per person; service charges will be invoiced later. The closing date for applications is 25 September 2009.

The Sun will send holiday confirmation by 30 September or, if unsuccessful, your payment will be returned by that date. If you have not heard anything by then, call 0844 543 9777 (calls cost 5p per minute). Make sure you keep a record of your selected parks and dates.

WARNING! Only book if you really want to go!

There are absolutely no amendments or cancellations whatsoever after you’ve sent off the form. So only book if you’re sure about the five dates & parks, and make sure you read the terms and conditions