Want to get a bit more time off this year? Look no further. We've looked at how you can use bank holidays in 2025 to make the most of your annual leave. You could get up to 53 days off if you plan it right! Here's how you do it.
How do I make the most of my annual leave in 2025?
You can make the most of your annual leave by strategically booking leave around the bank holidays. In fact, three in five (59%) of travellers think about utilising 'bank holiday hacks' and half have already planned to use them in 2025.
Here are the bank holidays for the rest of the year, and the days to book to get the most of your annual leave. Weekends are included:
- Easter break: 18 April and 21 April: book 4 days (22 April to 25 April) for 10 days off
- Early May bank holiday: 5 May: book 4 days (6 May to 9 May) for 9 days off
- Spring bank holiday: 26 May: book 4 days (27 May to 30 May) for 9 days off
- Summer bank holiday: 25 August: book 4 days (26 August - 29 August) for 9 days off
- Festive season: 25, 26 December, 1 January: book 6 days (22 - 23 December, 29 - 31 December) for 16 days off
Book 22 days off during these dates and you could get 53 days off. That's over double the time!
How far in advance should I book annual leave?
It really depends on your job, but it's always a good idea to book leave in advance. Here's some reasons why people book their holidays early:
| Reason | % of holidaymakers |
|---|---|
|
To ensure I can get the time off, prior to booking the holiday
|
53%
|
|
To avoid conflict with other team members' annual leave
|
49%
|
|
To save money
|
35%
|
|
Company policy
|
29%
|
|
To allow my company time to arrange my cover
|
28%
|
Most brits tend to book earlier rather than later. Over half (56%) have already booked leave for later in the year. 10 days is the most common amount of annual leave.
Most people request their leave 2-3 months before a holiday (47%). A third (33%) book as far as 7-12 months before.
While we're on the topic of planning ahead, it's a good idea to buy your travel insurance as soon as you book your holiday. This means you're covered for things that might happen in the lead up to your holiday. For example:
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Unexpected illness
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Cancellations because of personal circumstances
-
If your accommodation falls through before you go
What should I do if I run out of annual leave?
It depends on your employer. Some companies let you 'buy' annual leave, usually this is about a week.
You could try working abroad. Some employers have a 'work from anywhere' policy that could last up to 30 days. But this varies depending on the company. You should always check with your employer before you do this though.
A third (33%) of people we asked admitted to travelling against restrictions and secretly going on holiday outside of their annual leave, without informing their employer.
Some of the reasons for doing this were:
-
Uncertainty around their company’s work from abroad policy (43%)
-
Being denied annual leave (35%)
-
Going anyway, even though they know they're not entitled to work from abroad (23%)
An important reason for checking with your employer is your work equipment. If you go and something happens to your laptop or work equipment your travel insurance might not cover you. And if your employer didn't know, you might have to pay to replace the equipment yourself.
According to our research, people who are allowed to work from anywhere (24%) plan to use 18 days in 2025. This can help to extend the amount of holiday time without having to use as much annual leave.
Our tips for making the most of your annual leave
Our travel expert, Alvaro Iturmendi, has shared his tips for making the most of time off:
“Understand what leave you are entitled to:
Ensure you're clear on how many annual leave days you get annually, so you can plan your travel accordingly.
It’s a good idea to do this early in the year, roughly plotting when you will use the days. This way, you can work around any work or personal commitments as well.
Don’t forget to look into additional benefits your company may offer that could provide extra travel days. For example, bonus days off for birthdays or wellness, or work from abroad schemes.
“Book as far in advance as possible:
Booking annual leave in advance means you can get the days you want off. Booking the holiday itself in advance will offer flexibility through increased choices and give you plenty of time to plan.
Early booking usually also helps avoid increased costs. The optimal timeframe for booking international flights is 60 days before the holiday - doing this can save up to 10% on average[1]. Securing travel insurance ahead of time is important too, as it not only covers incidents while you’re away, but can also protect you from unexpected cancellation.
You’ll have more time to explore different options, find the right travel insurance for your needs and ensure you’re covered if something goes wrong.
"Strategically plan your travel time:
Carefully planning when you go away can extend your leave and save you money. Booking days off around bank holidays can optimize your time off, so you have longer breaks while using less leave.
But if you want to cut costs, travel outside of peak times. If you can to travel outside of school holidays or festive occasions (e.g. Christmas, Easter) you’re likely to find better deals for lower prices on accommodation, flights and even activities.”
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Unless otherwise stated, all research was carried out by OnePoll on behalf of Confused.com. A survey of 2000 UK full time employed adults (excluding those on probation and those who don’t get annual leave) was conducted between 7th to 13th January 2025.
[1] https://www.expedia.com/newsroom/air-travel-hacks-2024/
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