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How to Maximise Your Annual Leave in 2024

Making the most of your annual leave is all about smart planning. By aligning your leave days with public holidays and weekends, you can significantly extend your time off in 2024. This strategy lets you enjoy a better work-life balance, plan longer holidays, and even work around school holidays to take your family on trips. With a bit of forethought, you could turn your 25 days of leave into over 50 days away from work.

Smart Ways to Maximise Your Annual Leave

Full-time employees in the UK typically have around 25 days of paid leave each year. While you may need to use some of these for emergencies or personal events, planning your leave around key holidays allows you to stretch your time off without using additional days.

With fewer bank holidays next year than in previous years, you’ll need to be strategic to get the most out of them. Below is a breakdown of how to plan your leave around public holidays in 2024.

Maximise Time Off with the New Year Holiday

Start the year on a high note by extending your New Year holiday. Book your leave from 2nd to 5th January, allowing you to enjoy a break from 30th December to 7th January. This is especially useful if you didn’t get a chance to visit family over Christmas.

Flying out of London Gatwick Airport, you can head to a winter destination or simply enjoy extra time with loved ones to recharge for the year ahead.

Extend Your New Year Holiday

You can start 2024 with a few days off and extend your New Year celebrations. Simply take your leave days between 2nd and 6th January. This will help you extend your holidays from 30th December to 7th January.

You can take advantage of these days if you didn’t manage to visit your family members during the Christmas holidays. Book your flight for 29th December from Bari Airport and visit your family members.

Extend Your Easter Holiday

If you prefer a spring holiday, Easter is the perfect opportunity. Easter falls at the end of March in 2024, so you can book leave from 25th to 28th March and 2nd to 5th April. This means you only use 8 leave days to enjoy 14 days off, from 23rd March to 7th April.

With this extended break, why not spend Spring in Italy by flying into Bologna Airport, or explore new destinations in the US?

Make the Most of Bank Holidays in May

May offers two bank holidays—6th May and 27th May—which provide great opportunities to extend your leave.

  1. Option 1: Take leave from 7th to 10th May, giving you a 9-day holiday from 4th to 12th May.
  2. Option 2: Use the second bank holiday on 27th May. Book leave from 28th to 31st May and enjoy time off from 25th May to 2nd June.

Both options allow you to maximise your holiday with minimal leave days.

Enjoy a Summer Break in August

August is ideal for a summer getaway. With the 26th August bank holiday, you can create a 9-day break by booking leave from 27th to 30th August. This gives you time off from 24th August to 1st September.

You could also add a few extra days to extend your trip and make the most of the warm weather. Perfect for a beach holiday or exploring a new city!

Plan a Long Christmas Break

The festive season offers another opportunity to maximise your leave. In 2024, Christmas Day and Boxing Day fall on Wednesday and Thursday. By booking leave from 23rd to 24th December and 27th to 31st December, you’ll get 12 days off between 21st December and 1st January 2025.

If you also book 2nd and 3rd January, you’ll enjoy a 16-day holiday to relax, spend time with family, or even travel abroad.

How to Maximize Your Annual Leave

Tips for Booking Your Annual Leave

Since many people plan their holidays around bank holidays, it’s essential to book your leave early. Offices can’t be left unattended, so managers may need time to coordinate schedules. The earlier you submit your leave request, the more likely it is to be approved.

Remember that flexibility is key—if one period is already fully booked at your workplace, you can plan around other holidays and still maximise your leave.

Final Thoughts

With smart planning, UK employees can turn 25 leave days into over 50 days off by aligning with bank holidays and weekends. Even if you only use one round of May leave dates, you can still achieve a work-life balance by getting more time away from the office without using up all your leave days.

For stress-free travel during your time off, reserve your airport parking early. Services like Parkos at Manchester Airport offer secure, budget-friendly parking options, allowing you to focus on enjoying your holiday to the fullest.