How to more than double your annual leave with 2025 bank holidays

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With 2025 less than a month away, you may be starting to think about what holidays you are tempted to book next year, whether that’s two weeks sunning yourself on a sandy Spanish beach or booking a week off for a staycation just to take a break from work.

Yet before you hit the purchase button on those flights out of the UK, there are some particular dates to keep in mind that will actually allow you to get the most out of your annual leave.

Instead of having 28 days of time off from work dotted around the year, there is a simple trick you can use to make you feel like your holiday allowance stretches even further.

By squashing bank together, mixing in a weekend here and there with your allotted time off work, you will have a staggering 65 days to do whatever you please, with a few annual leave days still left over.

Here is how you can more than double your annual leave to 65 days off next year.

16 days off over Easter

Book off four days across 14–17 April and another set of four over 22–25 and you will find that number doubled, with 16 consecutive days off. Having these days off around the bank holidays – Good Friday (18 April) and Easter Monday (21 April) – and the three weekends in a row, gives you plenty of time to soak some sun while holiday hot spots are still a bit cooler. Starting on 12 April all the way to 27 April, you could set your sights on Valencia in Spain or the Greek island of Rhodes.

18 days away in May

Now five months into the year, you may be feeling it is time to relax at home away from the office, or even book a getaway you may have usually saved for the summer months. Book off four days from 6 to 9 May to have to bag yourself nine days of holiday by combining this with two weekends and the Early May bank holiday on 5 May. Or if you want to extend your annual leave even more in May, booking off another four days over 27–30 May will give you another nine days off, utilisng May’s spring bank holiday on 26 May. If you have started to crave some hot weather, jetting off to Seville or Bodrum will deliver temperatures in the high twenties.

9 summer days in August

Book off four days from 26 to 29 August to have nine days away from the office by lining up your dates with the summer bank holiday on 25 August and two weekends. Nine days away from the office is plenty of time to book a flight to Italy to explore the Lakes or a week in Nice, France, to soak up the European summer sun. Or if a break from the summer heat is what you need, a trip to the French Alps or even a train ride up to Scotland to cool off for a few days.

Double your Christmas

Getting 13 days off for only six days of annual leave around Christmastime is easily done, as the festive season delivers three bank holidays to rest before a new year begins. By booking off 22 to 24 December and then the 29 to 31 December, you will gain almost two weeks away from work. This lines up with Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, plus a few weekends to spend time with family and friends. However, if you are feeling a bit more adventurous in 2025, a quick Christmas trip to Malta or Morocco to soak up some winter sun may be something to consider.