As the month of January begins to ebb away, people will be searching for getaways from the workplace and booking annual leave.
But when it comes to taking time off work, it can be a difficult process to decide when to book and how to make your holidays last longer. A recent survey of Scotland's tourism sector by the Scottish Tourism Alliance revealed that 38 percent of people living in Scotland are hoping to take more days off this year than they did in 2022.
Following this recent report, the experts at Frank Recruitment Group have revealed some handy tips on how people of the capital can double their annual leave and more in 2023.
READ MORE - Edinburgh binman wants to 'prove himself' as he takes on SAS: Who Dares Wins in new series
How to get 64 days off using just 24 days of annual leave this year
There is a way that you could double your days of annual leave in 2023, as long as you know how to book your holidays.
The month of April is the first chance people could use their holidays to secure nine days off - by only taking four days in total. You can do this by booking off the Monday to Thursday before Good Friday (April 7).
After this, people can book four days off in May - beginning on May 1 - in order to get ten days off in total. Or, for nine days, they could choose to book just Tuesday through to Friday off after King Charles coronation instead - on May 6. If possible, workers could even book all the time off and have 16 days work-free to do whatever they want.
For those looking to plan a holiday closer to June, the Spring Bank Holiday (Monday May 29) is the perfect opportunity for a nine-day getaway. Those who are keen to wait for warmer weather can request off the days that follow the Summer Bank Holiday (Monday August 7).
However, if sunshine isn’t a factor, the same can be done in November by booking off the Monday to Wednesday before St Andrew’s Day (Thursday November 30) as well as the Friday after it.
The Christmas celebrations present the last – but certainly not least – opportunity of 2023 for workers to make the most of their annual leave. By using three days of holiday to book off the remainder of the week after Christmas Day (Monday December 25) and Boxing Day (Tuesday December 26), they can almost quadruple their time off because of New Year’s Day (Monday January 1) and 2nd January (Tuesday January 2).
And to fully maximise their downtime, Scots could also request Wednesday to Friday off of the first week of the year and treat themselves to 16 days.
Date |
Holiday Name |
Number of Days Annual Leave Required |
Days to Book Off |
Consecutive Days Away From Work |
2-Jan |
New Year’s Day (Substitute Day) |
3 |
Wednesday January 4 - Friday January 6 |
9 |
3-Jan |
2nd January (Substitute Day) |
3 |
Wednesday January 4 - Friday January 6 |
9 |
7-Apr |
Good Friday |
4 |
Monday April 3 - Thursday April 6 |
9 |
1-May |
Early May Bank Holiday |
4 |
Tuesday May 2 - Friday May 5 |
10 |
8-May |
Bank holiday for the Coronation of King Charles III |
4 |
Tuesday May 9 - Friday May 12 |
9 |
Combo: Early May Bank Holiday + Coronation of King Charles III |
8 |
Tuesday May 2 - Friday May 5, Tuesday May 9 - Friday May 12 |
16 |
|
29-May |
Spring Bank Holiday |
4 |
Tuesday May 30- - Friday June 2 |
9 |
7-Aug |
Summer Bank Holiday |
4 |
Tuesday August 8 - Friday August 11 |
9 |
30-Nov |
St Andrew's Day |
4 |
Monday November 26 - Wednesday November 29, Friday December 1 |
9 |
25-Dec |
Christmas Day |
3 |
Wednesday December 27 - Friday December 29 |
11 |
26-Dec |
Boxing Day |
3 |
Wednesday December 27- Friday December 29 |
11 |
1-Jan |
New Year's Day |
3 |
Wednesday January 3 - Friday January 5 |
9 |
2-Jan |
January 2 |
3 |
Wednesday January 3 - Friday January 5 |
9 |
Festive Season |
Combo: Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day + January 2 |
6 |
Wednesday December 27 - Friday December 29, Tuesday January 2 - Friday January 5 |
16 |
READ NEXT -
Lorraine Kelly fires dig at Dancing on Ice critics over Ofcom complaints
King Charles shows 'weak leadership' by staying silent on Harry and Meghan
ITV's 'middle-aged Love Island' as Edinburgh kids can sign up single parents
Tesco recalls own-brand free-from product due to undeclared ingredients
'Yawning silence' after Meghan Markle's one-word review of Trooping the Colour
