Tips & Advice · 4 min read · October 21, 2025

Turn 27 days' annual leave into 61 days off with our simple hacks

Here's how to maximise your annual leave and MORE THAN DOUBLE your holiday time in 2026 – just don't tell your boss!

Short on time? Let us summarise this guide for you.

With some smart planning around UK bank holidays in 2026, you can turn 27 days of annual leave into a whopping 61 days off. By strategically booking leave around key bank holidays in January, April, May, August, and December, you can unlock multiple extended breaks – ideal for everything from snowy getaways and springtime treks to late-summer escapes and festive retreats. The article provides a month-by-month breakdown to help you maximise your time off without using more leave.

Every year, we help you enjoy some extra-long holidays by booking the right days to maximise your annual leave. Time things so your days off fall alongside public holidays and bank holidays, and you too could be turning 27 days' leave into 61 days off.

But, if you're lucky enough to work with lots of lovely colleagues, you might want to book your days off now before everyone else cottons on. Go go go!

January: Snow boots over gym boots

Bank holidays: Thursday 25 December (Christmas Day), Friday 26 December (Boxing Day), Thursday 1 January (New Year's Day)

Book off: 29 to 31 Dec 2025, 2 Jan 2026 (4 days)

Total time off: 11 days (Thu 25 Dec to Sun 4 Jan)

Start your year somewhere spectacular. Why settle for a hangover or a new workout routine when you could be snowshoeing in Estonia, wolf-tracking in Italy, or sipping hot chocolate in a mountain hut? Four annual leave days buy you eleven glorious ones away – don't waste them on a treadmill.

April: Easter eggs and jungle treks

Bank holidays: Friday 3 April (Good Friday), Monday 6 April (Easter Monday)

Book off: 30 Mar to 2 Apr, 7 to 10 Apr (8 days)

Total time off: 16 days (Sat 28 Mar to Sun 12 Apr)

April's Easter break is the golden ticket. With just eight leave days, you can disappear for over two weeks. Perfect for guilt-free feasting on chocolate eggs while trekking in Colombia, sailing into the Galapagos, or wandering through tulip fields in bloom.

May: Double the bank holidays, double the fun

Bank holidays: Monday 4 May, Monday 25 May

Book off: 5 to 8 May (4 days) and/or 26 to 29 May (4 days)

Total time off: 18 days if you play it right

May sneaks up on us every year with two bank holidays – like finding an unexpected fiver in your coat pocket. It's shoulder season too, so fewer crowds, better prices, and heaps of sunshine. One week you could be hiking the Amalfi cliffs, the next kayaking in Montenegro.

You might have to choose one week or the other if you don't have enough annual leave left. But if you can blag a bit of extra holiday, you could be turning 8 days into 18 glorious ones away.

August: Sun-soaked and shoulder-seasoned

Bank holiday: Monday 31 August (Summer Bank Holiday)

Book off: 1 to 4 Sept (4 days)

Total time off: 9 days (Sat 29 Aug to Sun 6 Sept)

August is peak beach season, but September is shoulder season – our sweet spot for adventure. Four days off get you nine in return. Imagine glimmering alpine lakes, long days in the mountains, or a road trip somewhere blissfully free of summer crowds.

December: Snowy escapes and New Year's magic

Bank holidays: Friday 25 Dec (Christmas), Monday 28 Dec (Boxing Day substitute), Friday 1 Jan 2027 (New Year's Day)

Bank holidays: Friday 25 December (Christmas), Monday 28 December (Boxing Day substitute), Friday 1 January 2027 (New Year's Day)

Book off: 21 to 24 Dec, 29 to 31 Dec (7 days)

Total time off: 16 days (Sat 19 Dec to Sun 3 Jan)

Finish the year in style. Picture Christmas in a snowy Finnish cabin, or swap snow for sand in Sri Lanka. When others are stumbling through a forgettable New Year's Eve, you could be hiking across a Turkish mountain pass or watching the sunrise in Morocco's Atlas Mountains. A year well and truly hacked.

The grand total

With a bit of planning, 27 days of annual leave can give you 61 days of holiday in 2026. Blag an extra 4 days off in May and that number rises to 70! That's two months' worth of adventures. Not bad for just a little calendar wizardry.

So, what will it be? Chocolate eggs in the jungle? Mulled wine by a fireplace in the Alps? Or nine sneaky days in September by a lake? Pack your bags, 2026 is waiting!