How to maximise your annual leave in 2024

As the summer holiday season comes to a close, many of us are already thinking about planning our breaks in 2024.

And to help with this, experts from travel deals platform HolidayPirates have shared their hacks for strategically using bank holidays, weekends and annual leave so hopeful holidaymakers can make the most of their time away from work.

The helpful guide shows how you can enjoy 55 days of work by taking only 25 days of annual leave, or 66 days off work for those lucky enough to have 29 days of annual leave.

“We all wish we had more time to travel, relax and unwind, and sometimes it feels like annual leave just isn’t long enough for everything we want to do,” explains Raph Giacardi, Chief Editor UK at HolidayPirates. “However, with some advanced planning and knowledge of the UK bank holidays, there are ways to maximise your time off.

If you work Monday to Friday and your job doesn’t require you to work on bank holidays, then use this hack to make the most of your holiday days next year.”

January 2024

Bank holiday dates

• Monday 1st January (New Year’s Day)

Days to book off work

• Tuesday 2nd - Friday 4th January (4 days)

Days off:

By booking off the first week in January, you can get nine consecutive days off work by only using four days of annual leave. Perfect for a wellbeing retreat or spa break to kick-off the new year!

March/April

Bank holiday dates

• Friday 29th March (Good Friday)

• Monday 1st April (Easter Monday)

Days to book off work

• Monday 25th - Thursday 28th March (4 days)

• Tuesday 2nd - Friday 5th April (4 days)

Days off:

Easter falls early this year, with Good Friday on the 29th March and Easter Monday on the 1st April. By taking 4 days of annual leave between Monday 25th March - Thursday 28th March and another 4 days between Tuesday 2nd April - Friday 5th April, you’ll get a whopping 16 consecutive days off in total. Great for long-haul trips!

May

Bank holiday dates

• Monday 6th May (Early May bank holiday)

• Monday 27th May (Spring bank holiday)

Days to book off work

• Tuesday 7th - Friday 10th May (4 days)

• Tuesday 28th - Friday 31st May (4 days)

Days off:

In May it’s all about taking advantage of the bank holidays. If you book Tuesday 7th - Friday 10th May as annual leave, you’ll get nine consecutive days off.

Similarly, if you have more than 25 days annual leave, you could also choose to take Tuesday 28th - Friday 31st May and get another nine consecutive days off.

August

Bank holiday dates

• Monday 26th August (Summer bank holiday)

Days to book off work

• Tuesday 27th - Friday 30th August (4 days)

Days off:

The August bank holiday falls on Monday 26 August. If you take the rest of the week off as annual leave, then you’ll get 9 consecutive days off. A perfect time to take a sun-filled getaway, without the peak summer holiday prices!

December

Bank holiday dates

• Wednesday 25 December (Christmas Day)

• Thursday 26 December (Boxing Day)

Days to book off work

• Monday 23rd and Tuesday 24th December

• Friday 27th, Monday 30th and Tuesday 31st December

Days off:

By booking off the two days off before Christmas Day and then the 27th, 30th and 31st December, you can get yourself a huge 12 day festive break, as Monday 1st January will also be a holiday.

About HolidayPirates:

HolidayPirates, the UK arm of the HolidayPirates Group, is a travel deals platform with a mission to make travel accessible and affordable for everyone.

Our team of travel experts find and curate the best value-for-money deals from packages, flights and hotels, through to car hire, holiday homes, luxury stays and weekend breaks. We also work with leading travel brands to source exclusive offers that simply cannot be found anywhere else.

HolidayPirates takes the time and hassle out of finding genuine travel bargains by sharing deals directly across our website, WhatsApp, newsletters, mobile app, and on social media. 2 million travel enthusiasts visit our website every month, plus we have over 2.2 million followers on social media – the largest of any travel brand in the UK.

Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Berlin, the HolidayPirates Group operates in 10 countries – the UK, Germany, Austria, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Switzerland and the United States. Our expert editorial teams around the world inspire over 20 million consumers every month to travel, explore and holiday more for less.

Press contact

Annabelle Rennie
PR & Communications Manager UK

E-Mail: [email protected]

E-Mail: [email protected]