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6th December 2023
09:32am GMT
This year isn’t quite done yet, but next year could be a lot better if you get ahead on your holiday planning.
And if you're crafty with the days you book, you could bag yourself 50 days off next year using just 27 days of annual leave.
Great news for you; probably not so good for the boss. So best, you don’t tell them, or your colleagues for that matter.
The crucial part of this cunning plan is to book around bank holidays.
In 2024, these are:
Monday, January 1: New Year’s Day
Friday, March 29: Good Friday
Monday, April 1: Easter Monday
Monday, May 6: Early May bank holiday
Monday, May 27: Spring bank holiday
Monday, August 26: Summer bank holiday
Wednesday, December 25: Christmas Day
Thursday, December 26: Boxing Day
So, how do you milk your holiday for all it's worth then?
Let’s start with Easter. Take Monday, March 25, Tuesday, 26th, Wednesday, 27th and Thursday, 28th – you’ll then have Friday, 29th, and the following Monday, April 1st, off for Easter.
If you’re crafty and want to push the boat out a little further put in a leave application for April 2-5. For eight days annual leave you’ll get two whole weeks off.
Moving on to May, book off the 2nd to the 10th, which gives you nine days off – or you can use the late May bank holiday and book off from May 28 to 31.
Hopefully, we get a cracker summer, and here’s how to make the most of it. If you get in early and secure August 27 to 30 off, you’ll get a week thanks to the summer holiday on Monday, August 26.
With a few days of leave left, make the most of Christmas by claiming December 23 and 24, December 27, and December 30 and 31. If you can, you could even book off January 2 and 3 meaning you’ll get a 16-day stretch.
There we have it then. Now you just need to hope that your colleagues haven't had the same idea...
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