If you’re itching to escape to a far-flung destination in 2025 or have a much-needed DIY project on your hands, we’ve put together some tips to help you maximise your annual leave.
The majority of full-time employees are legally entitled to a minimum of 28 days of paid annual leave each year, which equates to 5.6 weeks of holiday and can include bank holidays. However, with some savvy planning, you could enjoy a bumper 59 days off work by using just 27 days of your annual leave.
This can be achieved by strategically scheduling your leave around bank holidays and making the most of the weekends on either side. Please bear in mind that these dates only apply if you work from Monday to Friday and get bank holidays off.
Here’s how to do it….
In April, there are two bank holidays for Easter: Good Friday on April 18 and Easter Monday on April 21. By taking eight days of annual leave – four days in each respective week – you could enjoy a total of 16 days off work, including weekends.
May also offers two bank holidays: the early May Bank Holiday on Monday, May 5, and the Spring Bank Holiday on Monday, May 26. By using just eight days of leave in May, you could get a whopping 18 days off work, including weekends. You’ll get nine consecutive days off by booking days off around each bank holiday, reports the Mirror.
The summer Bank Holiday at the end of August, which falls on Monday, August 25, could give you a nine-day holiday if you book the following four days off work and add on weekends on either side.
In December, there are two bank holidays and one in January for Christmas and New Year. With December 25 falling on a Thursday next year, and December 26 on a Friday, followed by the final bank holiday on January 1, which is a Thursday, you can secure a 16-day break over the festive season by booking off the days around these key dates – simples!
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