Here's how to play the airmiles game too and save money on your next trip.

Avid traveller Jason Miller wouldn't call himself a bean counter, but he has been known to use other varieties of green vegetable in his quest to save money on flights. Remarkably, the savvy father-of-two once managed to take his wife and children on holiday to Nice, France, simply by purchasing 600 chilli peppers.

It sounds bonkers, but canny Jason is one of many holidaymakers who have made the airmiles system work in their favour - and he doesn't even earn any points on flights.

"I started collecting British Airways Avios to get the cheapest seats, and I found it difficult to accumulate the number of points needed," explains Jason. "So I was looking at ways to achieve the maximum number of Avios without having to spend lots on credit cards."

A Tesco Clubcard holder, Jason realised he could convert points made on purchases in the store, and quickly took advantage of deals on offer. During one shopping trip, he noticed there was a deal on points for purchases of chilli peppers.

"I ended up buying about 600 chillis costing £5.40, but it gave me 36,000 Avios," he says. "That got me four economy fares to Nice, plus the £140 tax."

Similarly, he saw a deal online for 720 Avios points with the purchase of a Scooby Doo DVD. "It only cost a few quid," he says. "So I ended up buying about 55 DVDs across a few family Clubcard accounts and got 40,000 Avios for just a few pounds.

"I also used a Tesco direct minimum spend code to get it even cheaper." That stash helped pay for his next family holiday to Cyprus.

He's bought multiple newspaper and magazine subscriptions in foreign countries ("I gave them away to strangers") taken out pet insurance ("I don't have a pet") and snapped up boxes of HP printer ink ("Never owned an HP printer").

Of course, there is always the risk of accumulating unnecessary items.

"My wife does not like me doing this, because she doesn't want me buying a load of crap," admits Jason, who says he still has 15 Smurfs' Christmas DVDs sitting in his cupboard at home.

So what happened to the chilli? That was frozen, eaten or given to friends, he says. And the Scooby Doo DVDs? "I bought those in October, so they were a handy gift for trick or treaters," Jason smiles.

Inspired to start using your supermarket shop to pay for a holiday? Jason shares his tips...

1. Use a Tesco Clubcard. You can convert the points to BA Avios, so every £2.50 Clubcard voucher turns into 600 Avios. I buy all my household items and petrol in Tesco. Currently you can collect 1,000 extra Clubcard points when you spend £60 or more on LEGO Toys. 1,000 points get you £10 of Tesco vouchers. You can convert that into 2,400 Avios with British Airways. So if you are in the market for Lego it's a complete no-brainer.

2. Pay for everything on a credit card - then clear the debt. My wife and I both have BA Premium American Express cards. I signed up and got 26,000 then I recommend my wife to take one out and she got 26,000 and I received 9,000. You need to spend a couple of grand in the first three months to get the points, then for every pound I spend, I get 1.5 points.

The advantage of a premium card is that for every £10,000 spent, you get a companion voucher for another flight in the same cabin if there's availability on Avios. So it's buy one get one free. You just pay for the tax.

3. Save up for Business Class and fly long haul - you get much better value for your points.

4. Book early. On every flight, British Airways guarantees two club seats and four economy seats for Avios. Those flights are released one year in advance and you have to book ahead - especially if you want to travel in the school holidays.

5. Treat Avios like a currency. I wouldn't want to pay more than a penny a mile. Ideally buy stuff you need!

For more tips, email Jason at jasonavios1@gmail.com

Tips to stay healthy on holiday

1. Ease the pressure while flying

During a flight, changes to air pressure can mean your ears ‘pop’. Though usually nothing to worry about, it can sometimes result in pain and even hearing loss. The popping sensation is a result of a difference in pressure between the inner ear and the outside environment, causing the eardrum to either swell outward or be sucked inward, explains Gordon Harrison, Specsavers’ chief audiologist.

“This only becomes a problem when pressure changes quickly, so pressure inside and outside the ear doesn’t have time to equalise, for instance, during take-off and landing. A simple solution to the pain, popping and muffled hearing is to introduce as much air as possible to the ear via swallowing or yawning,” he suggests. “Sucking on a hard-boiled sweet, chewing gum or drinking through a straw during take-off and landing all help.”

It’s also recommended that you don’t sleep during take-off or landing, and stay well hydrated during the flight.

2. Be ice, ice, savvy

Traveller’s diarrhoea affects many people on holiday, and is often caused by drinking local water. Although many people are aware they shouldn’t drink it, it’s easy to forget the rule applies to ice cubes in drinks too.

Avoid ice entirely in countries where you’re advised not to drink the water, or try making your own ice cubes from bottled water if you’ve got access to a freezer. Also, be wary of salad or fruit that might have been washed in tap water.

3. Keep your food poisoning radar on high-alert

Water isn’t the only cause of dodgy tums on holiday. In hot countries, be wary of cooked food in all-day buffets that may have been left out for long periods and cooled, as bacteria could have crept in.

Also, check any meat, particularly poultry, is cooked through, and always wash your hands after contact with food, animals and rubbish. In addition, only consume pasteurised milk and fruit juices. It’s a good idea to pack some diarrhoea sachets in your luggage, just in case!

4. Beware of barbecue hazards

If you’re self-catering and fancy a barbecue, make sure you do it safely.

“For a healthier, safer barbecue, avoid cross-contamination between raw and cooked ingredients by keeping them completely separate, and washing your hands and utensils after handling different foods,” advises Seven Seas consultant dietitian Helen Bond.

Make sure meat’s cooked right through and the juices run clear, and Bond suggests part-cooking food in the oven first before giving it a final chargrill-finish on the barbecue. And don’t leave food you’d store in the fridge at home standing around in the warm before cooking or serving.

5. Stay well hydrated

Hydration is always important - but even more so when you’re somewhere hot, as your body loses fluid more quickly, which could result in feeling exhausted and unwell, or heat exhaustion and even serious heat stroke.

Prevention is better than cure, so carry bottled water with you and sip throughout the day, rather than waiting until you feel thirsty or just having a drink at mealtimes.

6. Keep safe in the sun

In hot countries, try to keep your skin covered with light cotton clothing during the hottest part of the day, between 11am and 3pm, and make sure you slap on sunscreen of at least SPF30 regularly throughout the day (even when it’s cloudy).

Quality sunglasses and a wide-brimmed sun hat are a good idea, especially if you’re spending time walking about outdoors.

Ideally, you’ll avoid sunburn entirely. But if you do end up burnt, use iced tea, or frozen aloe vera gel if you’ve got access to a freezer, to soothe it.

7. Don’t let your sleep suffer

If it’s hot and you’re in an unfamiliar hotel bed, where there may be extra noise and thin curtains, you could find a good night’s sleep impossible. Improve your chances of a rejuvenating kip by packing an eye-mask and ear plugs (and maybe even a travel black-out blind), and making sure your room has air-conditioning.

8. Protect your ears while swimming

Water from the sea or pool can get inside ears, and for holidaymakers susceptible to ear infections or ‘swimmer’s ear’, extra care is necessary.

“Swimmers ear is an inflammation of the external ear canal that can often lead to an infection,” says Gordon Harrison. “It occurs when water becomes trapped in the ear, most often as a result of swimming. To avoid it, you should dry your ears thoroughly, or consider wearing ear plugs when swimming.”

9. Take extra care with contact lenses

Don’t swim in contact lenses; apart from the risk of losing them, you could get a serious eye infection from the sea or pool.

Also, never use tap water to rinse lenses, particularly when abroad, advises Specsavers clinical spokesperson Dr Nigel Best (using distilled water isn’t OK either).

If you haven’t packed enough contact lens solution, buy some from a local pharmacy.