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Making the most of your annual leave is such a great idea and something that I try and do every year. Mind you being a travel blogger who also has a full time job, I have a long list of places that I would like to visit. But I am also restricted on my annual leave.  I only get 184 hours annual leave, as I work a compressed fortnight, meaning I already get a day off every fortnight – perfect for days out. So that also means I get 23 days a year to use for my holidays and this year I had booked 5  holidays in the world and various experiences in the UK. And still have not finished sorting out my trips.  So to maximise your annual leave, here are my hints and tips – good luck !

1. SET GOALS

Calculate the following

• How many days you have off
• Where you would like to travel too
• How much do you want to spend

2. SUMMER HOLIDAY WORTH IT ?

•  Does your holiday have to be in during the expensive summer period? Some places you can save a lot by going out ‘of season’
• Do you have children ? Look for package deals with free child places – book these well in advance as these most likely go quickly !

3. ALWAYS CHECK DEPARTURE AND ARRIVAL TIMES

•  It’s not uncommon, to work and then go straight to the airport – especially on a Friday night, you could have a weekend away and fly back on the Sunday or Monday – a perfect short break in UK or Europe. But be careful on arrival times !

4. MAKE THE MOST OF PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

• We get eight public holidays a year, you could always add a few days extra. Or you could use the extra days over Easter and Christmas and have two week holiday, but remember everyone does this so plan and book early.

My Annual Leave 2017

8 days in May – trip to China – taking advantage of May Bank Holiday
4 days in June – trip to Slovenia
1 days in August – trips to Brighton, Bristol,
1 days in September –  trip to Madrid
5 days in November – trip to Cape Verde
4 days in December – trip to Disneyland Paris

This post originally written for http://chapterthirty.com/

Also due to my illness this year. I did not use my holiday allowance up. Instead due to being signed off for twelve months. I have to use it all up before the end of March 2018 or I lose it. In addition, I have restricted leave in 2018, due to being made redundant sometime between July-September – interesting times !