How to take 35 days off in 2020 with just 15 days annual leave
WORKERS planning their next holiday can get a whopping 35 days off work in 2020 using just 15 days of annual leave.
We're already approaching Christmas 2019 but if you don't have any getaways booked or time off work then you may want to get planning ahead for 2020 instead.
And Emma Coulthurst, a travel expert at comparison site TravelSupermarket has worked out the best way to maximise your annual leave next year.
She says you can get more than a month off work next year, with less than half of that made-up of annual leave.
Unfortunately you can't get the 35 days off in one go though - you instead have to take it as three separate breaks.
And this trick only makes sense if you don't have to work bank holidays or weekends - something that's not a legal right and is down to your employer.
How to get 32 days off work by booking just 15 days holiday
WITH a bit of planning, you can more than double your holiday. Here's how it works.
- Easter 2020 - take four days off for a ten-day holiday
Book off: April 14, 15, 16, 17
Bank holidays: April 10 and April 13
Your holiday: April 14 to 19
- Bank holiday - take four days off for a nine-day holiday
Book off: May 4, 5, 6, 7 or May 26, 27, 28, 29 May, or August 1, 2, 3, 4.
Bank holidays: May 8, May 25, August 31
Your holiday: May 2 to May 10 or, May 23 to June 1, or August 29 to September 7
- Christmas 2020 - turn seven days off into a 16-day holiday
Book off: December 21, 22, 23, 24 and December 29, 30, 31
Bank holidays: December 25, December 28 (substitute for Boxing Day), January 1
Your holiday: December 19 to January 3
The first trick involves utilising the Easter bank holidays.
Here you can get ten days off from Friday April 10 to Sunday April 19 using just four days of annual leave.
That's because in 2020, Easter Sunday falls on April 12, which means Good Friday on April 10 and Easter Monday on April 13 are bank holidays.
So if you book Tuesday April 14, Wednesday April 15, Thursday April 16 and Friday April 17 off as annual leave, you'll benefit from the weekends of April 11 and 12 and April 18 and 19 off too.
The second trick is to use one of the two May bank holidays or the August bank holiday to get nine days off for four days of annual leave.
This is because you can take four days annual leave immediately after the late May or August bank holiday Mondays, or four days before the early May bank holiday on Friday to benefit from the weekends either side.
When are the Bank Holidays in 2020?
BELOW is the full list of bank holidays next year:
1 January - New Year’s Day
10 April - Good Friday
13 April - Easter Monday
8 May - Early May bank holiday
25 May - Spring bank holiday
31 August - Summer bank holiday
25 December - Christmas Day
28 December - Boxing Day (substitute day)
The first May bank holiday falls on May 8, while the second is on May 25. The August bank holiday falls on 31 next year.
The final tip is to turn seven days of annual leave next Christmas into 16 days out of the office from Monday December 21, 2020 to Monday January 4, 2021.
Here, Christmas Day falls on Friday December 25, so you'll be off work.
While the Boxing Day bank holiday falls on Saturday December 26, which means that because it's on the weekend the bank holiday is rolled over onto Monday December 28.
You've also got the New Year's Day bank holiday on Friday January 1, 2021.
So take off Monday December 21, Tuesday December 22, Wednesday December 23, Thursday December 24, Wednesday December 30, and Thursday December 31 then you'll have 16 days off in total.
That's because you're also benefiting from the weekends of 26 and 27 December, 2020 and January 2 and 3, 2021.
Happy holidays!
More on money
You can also get a 12-holiday over Christmas this year by booking off five days - here's how it works.
Just make sure you ask your boss for permission first, as they can actually reject your holiday request even if you've already booked flights.
Although if the price of your holiday drops after you book it then you can get it back.