Holiday hack: How to book 54 days of annual leave with 22 days of holiday

Virgin Radio

4 Jan 2022, 16:05

Thinking about holidays already? Join the club. Here's how to make the most out of your slim holiday dates and blag more time to tan with a little help from Bank Holiday weekends.

Thanks to the Queen, we'll be enjoying an extra day off to mark her 70th year on the throne on Friday June 3 with the end of May Bank Holiday moving back to June 2.

With Easter weekend popping up in April, Good Friday falls on April 15 and Easter Monday on April 18, so if you book four days off on April 19, 20, 21, and 22, you'll be able to make the most of 10 days away from your desk.

The first May Bank Holiday falls on May 2, so if you book four days of holiday following, you'll come up trumps with nine days off.

If you take off three days on May 30, 31, and June 1, you can benefit from 9 days off.

Then if you book annual leave on August 30 and 31, September 1 and 2, you'll get another 9 days with a little thanks for the Bank Holiday on August 29.

Although the Christmas pudding from this year is still giving us indigestion, Christmas Day 2022 is on a Sunday, making Tuesday December 27 a delayed Bank Holiday, plus Boxing Day on Monday December 26.

If you take off the three working days in between the festive season and new year, you can benefit from 10 days off including January 1 and 2 in 2023.

How's that for some savvy holiday-calculating genius?

Don't be duped into thinking you can swan off anytime you want, though. Alan Price, chief executive of human resources consultancy BrightHR told The Sun: "One common misconception many employees have is that they can take annual leave whenever they want.

"This isn’t the case and employers can set a maximum cap on the number of employees that are on leave at the same time to ensure there is adequate cover. 

"If a request for leave is made which would breach those rules, employers can deny the request."

What are you waiting for?