As someone who loves to travel but is constrained by a 9-5 job, I always look to maximise my annual leave. By planning my trips around the UK bank holidays, I’ve been able to organise larger trips overseas. This approach has helped me visit over 55 countries! I’ve put this guide together to help you make the most of your time off. This guide assumes that many jobs in the UK offer 25 days of annual leave per year and focuses on the period from January to December 2025. If you have leave to roll over, yo
Bank Holidays 2025
The UK bank holidays in 2025 are as follows:
- New Year’s Day: Wednesday, 1 January
- Good Friday: Friday, 18 April
- Easter Monday: Monday, 21 April
- Early May Bank Holiday: Monday, 5 May
- Spring Bank Holiday: Monday, 26 May
- Summer Bank Holiday: Monday, 25 August
- Christmas Day: Thursday, 25 December
- Boxing Day: Friday, 26 December
How to Maximise Annual Leave 2025
New Year’s Day (5 days off)
- Dates to book: Thursday, 2 January – Friday, 3 January
- Total days off: 5 (Wednesday, 1 January – Sunday, 5 January)
- Leave used: 2 days
With New Year’s Day falling awkwardly on a Wednesday, the best way to maximise this time would be to take the Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday off! I can’t stand the cold, dreary winter months of the UK, so I tend to save my annual leave for Jan-March. Places I’ve loved to go during this time include Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Porto and Lisbon!
Easter Break (8 days off)
- Dates to book: Tuesday, 22 April – Friday, 25 April
- Total days off: 10 (Saturday, 19 April – Sunday, 28 April)
- Leave used: 4 days
Alternatively, you could book the days off before the Easter weekend. Take Monday 14th April – Thursday 17th April. This will mean you’ll have Saturday 12th – Monday 21st off. This will also give you 10 days off during the Easter break, with Easter weekend falling towards the end of your time off.
Early May Bank Holiday (9 days off)
- Dates to book: Tuesday, 6 May – Friday, 9 May
- Total days off: 9 (Saturday, 3 May – Sunday, 11 May)
- Leave used: 4 days
Spring Bank Holiday (9 days off)
- Dates to book: Tuesday, 27 May – Friday, 30 May
- Total days off: 9 (Saturday, 24 May – Sunday, 1 June)
- Leave used: 4 days
Summer Bank Holiday (9 days off)
- Dates to book: Tuesday, 26 August – Friday, 29 August
- Total days off: 9 (Saturday, 23 August – Sunday, 31 August)
- Leave used: 4 days
Christmas Break (10 days off)
- Dates to book: Monday, 22 December – Wednesday, 24 December
- Total days off: 10 (Saturday, 20 December – Monday, 29 December)
- Leave used: 3 days
Using this plan, you can stretch your annual leave from 25 to 50 days off! This includes the weekends and bank holidays!
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