With little more than a month until 2025, it's that time of year again. No, I'm not talking about getting your Christmas tree up early (although those that do are apparently much happier, according to science). I'm talking about planning your annual leave.
That's right - a little bit of forward planning now, and you'll thank yourself next year. There's a very easy way to turn 29 days of annual leave into a well-deserved 64 days off in 2025 - and who doesn't want more time to tick off their bucket list destinations? Whether you're dreaming of treehouse escapes or once-in-a-lifetime ski trips, with over two months-worth of holiday the world is pretty much your oyster.
Researchers at New Millennia have worked out exactly how to do it - and it's rather clever. This applies to UK employees who work a five-day week, with an annual leave entitlement of 28 days. If you take the 2nd January 2026 off too (which would round it up to 29), the additional day makes a big difference - and strategically booking time off around bank holidays means you can more than double your leave allowance.
We've got the handy cheatsheet so that you can make the most of your time off in 2025. Want to know how it's done? Take a look:
January - 2 days of annual leave becomes 5 days off
Book off: 2nd, 3rd January
"Make sure to book off the 2nd and 3rd January to get five days off after the New Year bank holiday. What’s better, booking flights in January is usually cheaper, so it makes it a great time to book a holiday."
April - 8 days of annual leave becomes 16 days off
Book off: 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th and 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th April
"In order to get 16 days off, book off Monday 14th April through to Thursday 17th April (the week of Good Friday). With Easter Monday being the following week, you could also book off Tuesday 22nd April until Friday 25th April – totalling 16 consecutive days off."
May - 8 days of annual leave becomes 18 days off (over two 9 day periods)
Book off: 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th May
"To get nine days off in May, book off the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th May, the days following the May Bank Holiday. But to get an additional nine days off in May, make sure to book off the 27th, 28th, 29th and 30th May, the days following the Spring Bank Holiday."
August - 4 days of annual leave becomes 9 days off
Book off: 26th, 27th, 28th and 29th August
"Due to the summer Bank Holiday, you can get another nine days off work by booking off the 26th, 27th, 28th and 29th August."
December - 7 days of annual leave becomes 16 days off
Book off: 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 29th, 30th, 31st December (plus 2nd Jan 2026)
"In order to prepare for a long break over Christmas 2025, book off the 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 29th, 30th and 31st December – as well as 2nd January. This will mean that you’ll be able to relax for sixteen consecutive days."
So there you have it - 29 days of annual leave magically transformed into 64 days off. Now you just have to log it in your work calendar before your colleagues do...
