No matter how many vacation days you get each year, it would always be nice to have more time to head off on an adventure. But, depending on what country you live in, there are some well-timed national holidays that can help maximise your time off.
Travellers can try to optimise their vacation time in 2019. Image by Zemira Bosnjakovic / EyeEm / Getty Images
In the US, many of the 2019 national holidays fall on Mondays – like Memorial Day (27 May), Labor Day (2 September) and Veteran’s Day (11 November) – which are perfect for planning a long weekend getaway using any vacation days. Unfortunately, if you work in a job with only two weeks’ vacation, the 2019 holidays don’t present many opportunities to secure an extra-long weekend or two. However, there are a couple of opportunities to use one day of leave to take a four-day weekend – and a chance to travel further afield.
Plan in advance and you may have time to go to Costa Rica this year. Image by ©Jonathan Gregson/Lonely Planet
“Budget conscious travellers looking to maximize their vacation time should consider taking advantage of long weekends and holidays. For example, July 4th and Thanksgiving both fall on Thursdays in 2019, making it easy to take a long four-day weekend while taking just one day off of work. Another popular time is the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve,” said the vice-president of North America marketing for KAYAK, David Solomito. But, he notes that if you’re more flexible on time, KAYAK data shows you can score some of the best deals by departing on the actual holiday.
Australians will fare better with their national holidays, as April brings an opportunity for a long vacation without using much annual leave. Australians will take Good Friday (19 April) and Easter Monday (22 April) off work, which is quickly followed by Anzac Day (25 April) on the Tuesday. That means if you book the 23rd, 24th and 26th off work, you can take a 10-day holiday and only use up three days of leave.
In the UK, travellers will have to use four days of leave to get a 10-day break at Easter, as they won’t have Anzac Day to help out. But that still might be the best opportunity to extend a holiday – so anyone looking to do so may want to book soon if they want to secure the time off.
Will you find enough time to take a holiday as far as Argentina? Image by ©Philip Lee Harvey/Lonely Planet
However, no matter where you live, there are some other ways to try and extend your holiday time. One rising trend is “bleisure travel”, or combining a vacation with a work trip. For anyone lucky enough to work in a job that allows them to travel, tacking on a few extra days for your own adventure is a great way to get more out of your time away. And if you want even more time to explore the world, you could always consider getting into a career that allows you to work as a digital nomad.
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