Britons can make the most of their annual leave in 2025 by strategically planning their holiday days.
Using just 27 days of annual leave, it can be possible for savvy workers to enjoy an impressive 59 days off.
This is possible by taking advantage of the numerous bank holidays throughout the year and aligning them with weekends.
By booking time off at the right moments, people can create longer breaks without using up extra days of leave.
Discounting January 1, which is the first bank holiday of the year, there are seven bank holidays in England and Wales spanning four different months in 2025.
Here’s how workers can plan their holidays better to get the most out of their annual leave.
April – get 16 days off
April has two bank holidays for Easter: Good Friday on April 18 and Easter Monday on April 21. By booking four days off, workers can extend their time off to 16 days, using just eight days of annual leave.
Here are the eight days to book off to secure this:
- Monday, April 14
- Tuesday, April 15
- Wednesday, April 16
- Thursday, April 17
- Tuesday, April 22
- Wednesday, April 23
- Thursday, April 24
- Friday, April 25.
May – get 18 days off
May has two bank holidays: the early May Bank Holiday on Monday, May 5, and the Spring Bank Holiday on Monday, May 26. By booking eight days off, workers can enjoy 18 days off in total, including weekends.
Here are the eight days to book off to secure this:
- Tuesday, May 6
- Wednesday, May 7
- Thursday, May 8
- Friday, May 9
- Tuesday, May 27
- Wednesday, May 28
- Thursday, May 29
- Friday, May 30.
August – get 9 days off
August has one bank holiday – the Summer Bank Holiday on Monday, August 25. By booking four days off, workers can enjoy a nine-day holiday, including weekends.
Here are the four days to book off to secure this:
- Tuesday, August 26
- Wednesday, August 27
- Thursday, August 28
- Friday, August 29.
December – get 16 days off
December offers two bank holidays for Christmas, with December 25 falling on a Thursday and December 26 on a Friday.
The New Year’s Day bank holiday is on Thursday, January 1. By booking seven days off between these dates, workers can enjoy 16 days off over the festive season.
Here are the seven days to book off to secure this:
- Monday, December 22
- Tuesday, December 23
- Wednesday, December 24
- Monday, December 29
- Tuesday, December 30,
- Wednesday, December 31
- Friday, January 2.
