Holiday hack to get 48 days off by booking just 19 days of annual leave in 2023

01 January 2023 , 07:00

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Maximise your holiday by making the most of bank holidays (Image: Getty Images)

The start of a New Year means you might be planning your holidays for the 12 months ahead.

If you plan your time off carefully, you can get 48 days off work by using just 19 days of annual leave.

This trick involves taking advantage of bank holidays and taking time off around these days.

There are nine bank holidays coming up in 2023. We have an extra one coming in May this year, thanks to the coronation of King Charles III.

The following dates only work if you typically work Monday to Friday and get bank holidays off as standard.

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Most workers are legally required to have at least 28 days’ paid annual leave a year. This is the equivalent of 5.6 weeks of holiday.

Planning your holiday carefully could mean more trips away (Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

April

There are two bank holidays to come in April to celebrate Easter, meaning most workers will get a four-day weekend as standard.

Good Friday is on April 7 and Easter Monday is on April 10.

But to give yourself a 10-day long break, you only need to book the following four days off:

• Monday, April 3

• Tuesday, April 4

• Wednesday, April 5

• Thursday, April 6

May

There will be two bank holidays at the start of May.

The first is the early May Bank Holiday, which will fall on Monday, May 1.

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Brits will then get a second on Monday, May 8, to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III.

You can stretch this into ten days off work by booking these four days as annual leave:

• Tuesday, May 2

• Wednesday, May 3

• Thursday, May 4

• Friday, May 5

May/June

There will be a Spring Bank Holiday at the end of May on Monday, May 29.

Booking these four dates off work can get you another nine consecutive days off:

• Tuesday, May 30

• Wednesday, May 31

• Thursday, June 1

• Friday, June 2

August/September

There is always a Summer Bank Holiday at the end of August, and in 2023 this will fall on Monday, August 28.

You could get nine days holiday if you choose to book these four days off work:

• Tuesday, August 29

• Wednesday, August 30

• Thursday, August 31

• Friday, September 1

December

Workers will get two bank holidays in December next year and one in January 2024 to celebrate Christmas and the New Year.

The first is on Christmas day (Monday, December 25) and the second falls on boxing day (Tuesday, December 26).

There is then another bank holiday on New Year’s Day (Monday, January 1).

You can stretch your festive time off into a 10-day break if you book these three days off on leave:

• Wednesday, December 27

• Thursday, December 28

• Friday, December 29

Levi Winchester