IF the end of summer leaves you feeling a little blue, planning a getaway for next year can help lift your spirits.
Even better, plotting next year’s holiday early also means you are usually in a better position to get longer stretches of time off work by being clever with your annual leave days.
By strategically booking time off around bank holidays, you can maximise your holiday allowance.
This effective planning trick means that in 2025 you could get a bumper 53 days of holiday with just 23 days of annual leave.
It tends to be easier to fully switch off from work and feel more refreshed if time off is taken over longer stretches.
You don’t have to jet off on a fancy holiday, the days can be used to relax, do odd jobs or just spend time with family and friends.
However you want to use your time, the key to getting longer breaks is with some careful planning.
Here’s how to make the most of your annual leave next year…
Next year Easter Sunday next year falls relatively late on April 20. This makes the Good Friday Bank Holiday April 18 and the Easter Monday on April 21.
If you schedule days off around the bank holidays, you will be able to get a 10-day stretch off work, including the weekend with just four days of annual leave – and you have a couple of options.
Either book off Monday April 14 through to Thursday April 17.
Or book from Tuesday April 22 until Friday April 25.
Either way, you’ll get a 10-day break, including weekends, in exchange for four days annual leave.
And if you’re looking for one long period off.
You could book all eight days off work to get 16 days off work, including the weekends.
In May, you can get another nine-day break with only four days of leave thanks to bank holidays.
The first one is the Early May Bank Holiday on Monday, May 5.
Use it to then book off May 6, 7, 8 and 9, to get the nine-day stretch off from work, including two weekends.
Or you can use the Spring Bank Holiday instead, which falls on Monday, May 26 for the nine-day stretch.
Take off Tuesday, May 27, through to Friday, May 30, meaning you’ll be off from Saturday, May 24 and then back at work on Monday, June 2.
In the summer, there’s another bank holiday on Monday, August 25.
Book off four days from August 26 until 29, and in total you’ll get nine days off in a row from Saturday, August 23 until Monday, September 1.
This stretch is perfect if you have children off from school and want to take a holiday with them.
As the year draws to a close, there are two more bank holidays that you can take advantage of.
Next year, they will fall on Thursday, December 25 for Christmas Day, and Friday, December 26 for Boxing Day.
These national holidays give a couple of options to maximise time off.
You can book off December 22, 23 and 24, to get a nine-break from work from December 20 to Monday, December 29.
Or book off December 29, 30 and 31, as well as January 2. January 1 is another bank holiday so you don’t need to book it off.
This way you’ll have 11 days off from work, including weekend, meaning you can relax and make the most of the festive season.
If you book off all seven working days, you’d get a lovely long break of 16 days from December 20 to January 5.
Of course, you’ll need to make sure you get your time off agreed by your employer to make the most of bank holiday hacks.
Most employees who work a five-day week must get at least 28 days’ paid annual leave a year – the equivalent of 5.6 weeks of holiday.
There is no obligation for employers to give these holidays on specific dates.
Often holiday is granted depending on how many other employees plan to take time off at the same time.
It’s usually on first to book off is granted the leave.
Getting in requests early can make it more likely that you’ll get the leave you want.
Always get time off approved before you pay for holidays or make other plans to avoid have to pay any fees to rearrange or cancel.
IN the UK, workers are entitled to a minimum of 28 days off work including 8 bank holidays.
But most employers offer more than this to attract talent.
According to the IRS, the average number of holidays is 34 including bank holidays – so 26 days of annual leave.
On average, public sector employees receive 37 days including bank holidays, while private sector staff tend to receive 34 days.
