There’s nothing quite like setting your out-of-office and closing your laptop at the end of the day to start your annual leave. No Zoom calls, to-do lists or emails, and maybe even the promise of some sun, a good book and a lie-in on the horizon.

But unlike those late afternoons in the office that seem to drag on forever, annual leave seems to fly by and you’re back before you know it.

Even if you have an allocation of 27 days of annual leave, it gets used up quickly, especially when you throw in the odd day off for a wedding, hen party or birthday. So how do you maximise your time off to make the most of your annual leave?

While it might be tempting to live for the weekend and only take the odd day off to stay on top of things in the office, research has found that taking your annual leave can not only benefit your mental health but also your performance at work too.

A healthy work-life balance can help reduce stress, and time away from work can improve mental clarity and even boost productivity and focus when you return.

Last year, the number of workers taking sick leave reached a 10-year high in the UK, so it’s never been more important to use all of your annual leave to rest and recover.

Ideally, you should stagger your days of annual leave throughout the year: a 2020 study found that workers need time off every 43 days to avoid burnout and poor mental health. 

New research from travel company, Omio, has found the best way to optimise your annual leave in 2025 around the bank holidays to get almost two months (or eight weeks) of days off work, even if you only have 27 days of annual leave.

Here’s how to maximise your annual leave in 2025:

Easter

Break: 12–27 April

Time off: 16 days

Book off: 8 days (14–17 April and 22–25 April)

May Bank Holiday 1

Break: 3–11 May

Time off: 9 days

Days to book off: 4 days (6–9 May)

May Bank Holiday 2

Break: 24 May–1 June

Time off: 9 days

Days to book off: 4 days (27–30 May)

Autumn

Break: 23rd- 31st August 

Time off: 9 days

Days to book off: 4 days (26th, 27th, 28th, 29th)

Winter

Break: 22 December–2 January

Time off: 14 days

Book off: 6 days (22–24 Dec, 29–31 Dec) 

The best thing about this hack is that you’re only using the allocated 27 days of leave, without having to take additional days of unpaid leave or buy more days off to get longer breaks more often throughout the year. 

Images: Getty