Just as work always expands to fill the time allowed, conversely, your annual leave allowance never seems to fill the working year it is meant to brighten. No matter how careful you are when using those precious 24-hour nuggets, you can always use a few more; For a long weekend here or a much-needed run into the sun there.
So how can you make sure you don’t use up every minute of your allowed time off come November? One way is to take advantage of some important extra moments through wise use of public holidays and other national holidays. Depending on where you live in the UK, you’ll be eligible for at least eight of them throughout the year, and with clever planning they can ensure your out-of-office memo is activated to maximum effect. .
How can we distribute them in 2024? Continue reading…
Easter
Book nine days off for a 17-day holiday (March 29 – April 14)
Bank holidays: March 29 (Good Friday); April 1 (Easter Monday)
Book: April 2-5, 8-12
The months of March and April have always been a fertile ground for making the most of your annual leave; With two precious bank holiday periods capping off the Easter weekend. But with summer months becoming increasingly hotter around the world (witness the wildfires on the Greek islands last July), it’s worth reframing the first proper pause of the working year not just as a chance for an easy mini-break, but as a chance for that momentous annual getaway it could be. Especially since school holidays also fall within the same window. A full two weeks away? From where?
Big idea: April is a perfect month to visit Florida. The Sunshine State is not yet trapped in the humidity of summer and is well clear of the threat of September’s tornadoes. Bon Voyage (0800 316 3012) offers a 15-day “Discover the Real Florida” cruise that explores the state in detail, starting from the Gulf coast in Tampa, heading down the Atlantic coast and ending in Miami. Prices start from £2,125 per person with flights.
Family fun: The extended Easter period is long enough to host the ‘Highlights of Morocco’ trip, a 15-day adventure trip combining Saharan camel rides and Atlas mountain walks with Fez and Marrakech, offered by family travel specialist Stubborn Mule (01728 752751). Prices start from £2,400 per person including flights.
Home shores: Two weeks in Cornwall at Easter? This isn’t the worst idea; The district should be less busy than in August and the weather should be nice. You can still book “Lakeside,” a four-bedroom retreat that sleeps eight people on Millbrook’s south shore. The total cost for a 16-night stay on 29 March through Sykes Cottages (01244 356 6666) will be £3,426.
early May
Book four days off for a nine-day holiday (May 4-12)
Public holiday: May 6 (May Day)
Book: 7-10 May
Unless something happens A lot Due to an unexpected turn of events, there will be no coronation this year to increase the number of bank holidays (8 May has been logged as a bonus day off in 2023, 48 hours after the Crown and King officially meet at Westminster Abbey). But the traditional national break for May Day celebrations is the opportunity for a week’s leave without the expense of annual leave; Just as Europe has reached its shoulder season sweet spot.
Big idea: Unlike last summer’s harrowing high 30s, temperatures in Greece tend to drop into the low 20s at the beginning of May; An ideal setting to escape to the beaches of the Ionian Sea. Here Kefalonia is an excellent choice; Not only is it the largest island off the country’s west coast, it is also a tourist destination served by a wide range of flights from the UK. Flying from Gatwick on May 4, an eight-night stay at the four-star Magnolia Resort (at Katelios, on the south coast) starts from £816 per person with Olympic Holidays (020 8492 6868).
Home shores: May also brings the kind of weather where you can easily step out into the English countryside in your shirt sleeves rather than hunkering down in a jumper by the fireplace. And eight days is long enough to stride along one of the most important stretches of our coastline. Macs Adventure (01415 304497) offers an eight-day walk covering 95 kilometers from Pembroke to St David’s, along the middle section of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. Prices start from £910 per person – including hotels and daily bag transfers.
spring festival holiday
Book four days off for a nine-day holiday (May 25-June 2)
Public holiday: May 27 (Spring Bank Holiday)
Book: 28-31 May
Unlike the government-mandated first day off of the month, the Spring Bank Holiday at the end of May coincides exactly with the school half-term break. Great news if you have kids and want to soak up the sun for a week before the Mediterranean warms up; and if you’re not hindered by teenagers and just want to relax by the pool, it’s still a pretty special scenario.
Big idea: Like the Greek islands, Mallorca can be at its best in May, flirting with highs in the mid-20s when July could be 10 degrees higher. There is also greater availability of villas in the area, which is the largest of the Balearic Islands and has a mountainous landscape along its northwestern flank. Vintage Travel (01954 261 431) offers a wide range of Majorca properties, including Marinara, a two-bedroom retreat with swimming pool, close to Pollenca in the north-east of the landmass. Still available from 25 May for £1,474; flights are extra.
Family fun: The same delicate dance on the temperature gauge applies to the Algarve, where temperatures hover around 22°C in May, but are 10°C warmer in August. Then it’s a good moment for a getaway with young family members. Maybe to the five-star Pine Cliffs Hotel, which towers over Praia da Falesia beach outside Albufeira. Various kids’ clubs here entertain children up to the age of 12; but culinary mastery is also available at restaurants such as seafood specialist O Pescador. Eight nights accommodation for a family of four flying from Birmingham (to Faro) on 25 May with Sovereign Luxury Travel (01293 324157) costs from £6,498 in total, including private transfers and breakfast.
Home shores: Britain’s woodlands are slightly easier to reach and can be accessed through Forest Holidays (0333 011 0495) and its portfolio of cabins under the canopy. Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire (from £1,895), Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire (from £1,835) and Cropton in North Yorkshire (from £1,645) and Strathyre in the Scottish Highlands (from £1,465). Prices starting from). All prices are based on a seven-night stay for a family of four arriving after school on 24 May.
summer bank holiday
Book four days off for a nine-day holiday (August 24-September 1)
Public holiday: 26 August (Summer Bank Holiday)
Book: 27-30 August
Big idea: If you decide to stay away from the Mediterranean during Mercury’s highest time, you may need to look north. Maybe to Scandinavia. While Sweden can be snowy and dramatic in December, it is also sunny and delightful in August, with the last bank holiday of the year before Christmas coming at a time when the land of Abba and Ibrahimovic is still enjoying long evenings. Baltic Travel Company (020 8233 2875) offers a tour to the south of Sweden that makes the most of the available window, covering the idyllic delights of Stockholm, Gothenburg and the Dalarna region. This nine-day ‘Highlights of Sweden Fly-Drive’ starts from £1,085 per person, including flights and car hire.
Family fun: In addition to looking north for cooler climates, above. The August Bank Holiday is one last chance to squeeze in a summer break with the kids before school starts, with the French Alps offering a mix of warmth and wildness. Club Med (0345 367 6767) has a number of Alpine resorts that, while primarily designed for winter and skiing, are great mid-year options. A week’s stay at the group’s Val d’Isère resort, flying from Heathrow to Geneva on 24 August, starts from £7,292 in total, including meals, transfers and kids’ club activities.
Home shores: Of course, you can look north and up at the same time without leaving the UK. Exodus Adventure Travels (020 3553 0108) will happily fill this August window with a break on “Walking the West Highland Way”, a nine-day self-guided trek through 150 kilometers of Scottish landscape from Milngavie via Loch Lomond, Ben, to Fort William. Nevis and Glen Coe. Prices start from £1,079 per person including accommodation.
Christmas and New Year
Book five days off for a 12-day holiday (December 21 – January 1)
Bank holidays: December 25 (Christmas Day); 26 December (Boxing Day); January 1 (New Year’s Day)
Book: 23-24, 27, 30-31 December
Big idea: If you’ve told yourself that you’ll swap Christmas next year for over-the-top feasting on the beach and anxious family conversations, the festive period’s three bank holidays will make that fantasy completely realistic. Book flights on the right days and you can be in Barbados long before Santa Claus lands on your roof and Auld Lang Syne stoped. True, December is one of the most expensive months for a Caribbean getaway, but what’s the cost of relaxing without a turkey? An 11-night all-inclusive escape to the adults-only five-star Sandal Barbados starts from £5,607 per person, flying from Heathrow on 21 December via Virgin Holidays (0344 472 9646).
Family fun: If you’re really ambitious or determined to avoid another grumpy game of charades then you could treat all your pups to a festive treat by the sea. You can literally scream on a Christmas run to Mauritius; The rainy season for this Indian Ocean gem doesn’t start until January. Flying from Gatwick on 21 December, a 12-day half-board holiday for a family of four at the four-star Preskil Island Resort starts from £9,904 total with Last Minute (020 3386 8411).
Home shores: If you prefer, beachside Christmas escapes (the refreshing, no-fuss kind) are also available in the UK. Luxury Coastal (0330 113 7005) has a wide range of seaside properties, including the three-bedroom Lighthouse View in Brixham, Devon. The total cost for an 11-night stay arriving on 21 December will be £1,590.