How to Turn 23 Days of Annual Leave into 53 Days Off in 2025: A Guide to Strategic Holiday Booking – Wales Online
By strategically planning your time off around bank holidays in 2025, you can maximise your holiday allowance. It’s challenging to fully relax when holidays are taken in short bursts, which is why it’s crucial to make the most of your available days off with these handy tips. Whether you opt for a trip abroad or a cosy staycation, careful planning of your holidays ensures you can unwind for as long as possible.
It’s also vital to understand exactly what holiday you’re entitled to and the procedures you need to follow to book your time off. Typically, employees who work a five-day week are entitled to at least 28 days’ paid annual leave – equivalent to 5.6 weeks of holiday. Employers aren’t required to grant these holidays on specific dates, and days off often need to be coordinated with co-workers’ shifts and holidays, so it’s important to book days off as early as possible.
Always confirm your time off is approved before you pay for holidays or make other plans to avoid any fees for rearranging or cancelling. By following a few simple steps outlined below, employees can turn 23 days of annual leave into 53 days off in 2025.
Useful tips for holidaymakers:
Easter Sunday falls relatively late next year, on April 20. This places the Good Friday Bank Holiday on April 18 and Easter Monday on April 21. If you arrange your days off around these bank holidays, you’ll manage to secure a 10-day break from work, including the weekend, by using just four days of annual leave.
Another opportunity for a nine-day break is in May, thanks to the Early May Bank Holiday on Monday, May 5. By booking off May 6, 7, 8, and 9, you can enjoy a nine-day stretch away from work, including two weekends. Utilising the Spring Bank Holiday on Monday, May 26, also offers a chance for nine days off work.
August presents another bank holiday on Monday, August 25, which allows for a similar arrangement. Book off four days from August 26 until 29, and you’ll have nine consecutive days off from Saturday, August 23 until Monday, September 1. In December, considering the Christmas and New Year bank holidays can provide a significant break.
Christmas Day falls on Thursday, December 25, and Boxing Day on Friday, December 26. By booking off December 22, 23, and 24, you can have a nine-day break from work from December 20 to Monday, December 29. Alternatively, booking off December 29, 30, and 31, as well as January 2, offers an 11-day break from work, including the weekend.
In conclusion, by strategically booking days off around bank holidays, employees in the UK can maximise their annual leave entitlement and enjoy extended breaks throughout the year. Planning ahead and coordinating with colleagues can ensure a well-deserved rest and relaxation time, whether for a short getaway or a longer vacation.