As we enter the new year, it’s natural to start thinking about our annual leave and how we can make the most of it. After all, who doesn’t want more time off work to relax and recharge? Well, we have some good news for you – with a little bit of planning and strategic use of bank holidays and weekends, you can maximise your annual leave in 2025 and feel like you have more weeks’ holiday than you actually do. So, let’s take a look at all the ways you can make the most of your time off in the upcoming year.
First things first, let’s talk about bank holidays. These are days that are officially recognized as public holidays and are usually observed by government and financial institutions. In 2025, there will be a total of 8 bank holidays, which means 8 extra days off work for you! Now, let’s see how we can use these bank holidays to our advantage.
The first bank holiday of the year falls on Monday, January 1st – New Year’s Day. This means that you can start your year off with a long weekend and kick off 2025 on a positive note. Next up is Easter, with Good Friday falling on April 18th and Easter Monday on April 21st. By taking off the three days in between (April 19th-21st), you can enjoy a 10-day break from work. Sounds like a dream, right? But wait, it gets even better.
May is the month of bank holidays, with two of them falling on Mondays – May 5th (Early May Bank Holiday) and May 26th (Spring Bank Holiday). By taking off the three days in between (May 6th-8th and May 27th-29th), you can enjoy two more long weekends. And if you’re feeling extra adventurous, you can plan a trip for the entire week in between the two bank holidays, giving you a total of 9 days off work for just 3 days of annual leave.
Now, let’s move on to August. The last Monday of the month (August 25th) is Summer Bank Holiday. By taking off the three days in between (August 26th-28th), you can enjoy another long weekend and a well-deserved break before the end of summer. And finally, we have Christmas and New Year’s Eve, which fall on a Monday in 2025. By taking off the three days in between (December 23rd-25th and December 30th-January 1st), you can enjoy a 9-day break from work and ring in the new year with a bang.
Now, you might be thinking – what about the weekends? Well, if you strategically plan your annual leave around the weekends, you can make the most of your time off. For example, if you take off the week of April 14th-18th, you can enjoy a 16-day break from work by including the two weekends before and after your annual leave. Similarly, if you take off the week of August 11th-15th, you can enjoy a 9-day break by including the two weekends before and after your annual leave.
But wait, there’s more! With a little bit of creativity, you can also use your bank holidays and weekends to create mini vacations throughout the year. For example, by taking off just one day of annual leave on May 2nd, you can enjoy a 4-day break from work by including the bank holiday on May 5th and the weekend before and after. Similarly, by taking off one day on August 22nd, you can enjoy a 4-day break by including the bank holiday on August 25th and the weekend after.
By now, you must be feeling pretty excited about all the possibilities for maximizing your annual leave in 2025. And the best part? You don’t have to wait until the last minute to book your time off. By planning ahead and strategically using your bank holidays and weekends, you can secure your time off and have something to look forward to throughout the year.
Of course, it’s important to keep in mind that everyone’s work schedule and commitments may vary, so it’s important to plan accordingly and discuss with your employer beforehand. But with a little bit of creativity and planning, you can make the most of your annual leave and feel like you
