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Here’s how to maximise your annual leave in 2024

Who doesn’t love extra time off?

Amy Houghton
Written by
Amy Houghton
Contributing writer
2024 diary
Photograph: Shutterstock
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2024 has rolled around and, for a lot of us, annual leave has been reset. In other words, now is the perfect time to get some holidays booked in. But what if we told you that with a bit of strategic planning, you could actually secure longer periods of time off than you thought?

Well, you can. This is how you can use 2024’s national holidays to your advantage and get some sweet, sweet extended holiday time without using any extra leave. Let’s get straight into it.  

Easter 

So, we’ve all got Good Friday (March 29) and Easter Monday (April 1) off work. But you can make it a ten-day break using just four days of your annual leave. Take either March 25-28 or April 2-5 – or treat yourself to 16 days respite by booking off all eight. 

May Bank Holidays

No, we won’t quite be getting the glorious string of bank hols that we got last year thanks to King Charles’ corrie naish, but you can still secure some decent time off. The early May bank holiday is May 6, so book off May 7-10 to get nine days rest for the price of four. You can do the same after the spring Bank Holiday on May 27. 

August Bank Holiday

Get another nine days off for the price of four in August by requesting annual leave on August 27-30, after the bank holiday weekend. 

Christmas and New Year

Finally, you can give yourself an extra long break over the festive season and get 12 days off using only five days of annual leave. Christmas Day and Boxing Day fall on a Wednesday and Thursday this year so you'll have to book off December 23, 24, 27, 30 and 31 to make the most of the final days of 2024. 

Make the most of 2024 

What are you meant to do with all this time off, you ask? Great question. How about visiting one of Time Out’s top UK spots of 2024 or trying out one of the 24 new things to do that have our office very excited. Want to go a bit further afield? No problem. These are the best new things happening across the world that we think you should check out and here are the best city breaks in Europe for 2024

Did you see that this Scottish music festival has been named the best in the UK?

Plus: This Welsh cinema has been named Britain’s best tiny attraction.

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.

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