Holiday Hack: Maximizing Annual Leave in 2022

(Last Updated On: February 3, 2022)

Booking a trip, especially a long one, can take careful planning. Taking more than a few days of leave can be problematic with work, especially if you don’t get that much in the first place. And you always want to keep some spare in case of family events or other unexpected occurrences. But what if we told you that 2022 offers clever planners the chance to bag maximum time off without using up too much paid holiday. Thanks to the Queen of England’s Platinum Jubilee this year, Brits are getting an extra day off. Aussies can make the most of back-to-back 4-day weeks for Easter and ANZAC. South Africans have an extra public holiday for Workers Day. And Christmas once again falls on a weekend. So, if you’re clever, you can enjoy a long, long holiday in 2022, whilst keeping plenty of annual leave for other events. Perfect now that travel is back. Read on to find out how best to maximise your annual leave for travel in 2022.

We’ve broken it down into nationalities, so scroll to find out how to maximize leave in your country!

 

UK

Easter

Easter is quite late this year, with Good Friday falling on 15 April and Easter Monday on 18 April. Book the rest of the week off and you can enjoy ten days away from the office. Europe is starting to warm up, but perhaps you’ll want to head a bit further south, to Morocco or Egypt to catch some sun. Anyone looking to really maximise their time off could also book 4 more days leave between 11 – 14 April before Good Friday, for a total of 16 days off work!

Days to book off: Tuesday 19 April – Friday 22 April (4 days)

Days to travel: Friday 15 April – Sunday 24 April (10 days)

 

May bank holiday

The traditional May bank holiday is a day late thanks to the weekend, falling on Monday 2 May in 2022. So if you book off four days between Tuesday to Friday, you’ll have nine days in which to travel to your heart’s content. In southern Africa, it’s dry now, but the crowds haven’t yet arrived – perfect for a safari!

Days to book off: Tuesday 3 May – Friday 6 May (4 days)

Days to travel: Saturday 30 April – Sunday 8 May (9 days)

 

Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

Brits have Queen Elizabeth II to thank for an extra bank holiday in 2022. The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee year means that Friday 3 June is becoming a one-off bank holiday. Thursday 2 June is the late May bank holiday. This means that if workers take three days annual leave for Monday to Wednesday, they can get nine continuous days off work, perfect for an early summer trip to Greece or Croatia.

Days to book off: Monday 30 May – Wednesday 1 June (3 days)

Days to travel: Saturday 28 May – Sunday 5 June (9 days)

 

Christmas & New Year

In 2022, Christmas Day falls on a Sunday, and Boxing Day is on a Monday. This means Tuesday 27 December becomes the Christmas Day bank holiday. New Year’s Day is also on a Sunday this year, so Monday 2 January is a bank holiday. Book the Wednesday to Friday after Christmas off work and you’ll get ten days of leave! Some winter sun in South Africa or a snowy escape to see the Northern Lights in Iceland are both a possibility. For an even longer holiday, take an extra 4 days off between 3 – 6 January 2023 to end up with 16 days in total!

Days to book off: Wednesday 28 December – Friday 30 December (3 days)

Days to travel: Saturday 24 December – Monday 2 January (10 days)

 

UK travellers also have the traditional August bank holiday to look forward to on Monday 29 August, another four-day working week to take advantage of!

The Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
Brits could use their extra day off in 2022 to book a long trip to Egypt

Australia

Easter & ANZAC

The big one for Aussies this year is that Easter and the ANZAC weekend fall back to back in 2022, in late April. This means two four-day working weeks in a row. So eight days of leave equals 17 days out of office! Perfect for a Middle East combo tour of Egypt and Jordan, or a multi-country African safari. Simply take off Tuesday, April 19 – Friday, April 22 and Tuesday, April 26 – Friday, April 29 and you have a lot of time for holidays plans. Tasmanians get it even better, as April 19 is a public holiday, so just seven days of leave are needed.

If you’re looking to really push the boat out, then booking four more days leave between 11 – 14 April would give you 23 days leave for the price of 12!

Days to book off: Tuesday, April 19 – Friday, April 22 & Tuesday, April 26 – Friday, April 29 (8 days)

Days to travel: Friday, April 15 – Sunday, May 1 (17 days)

 

Christmas & New Year

We’re going to repeat ourselves here, but you aren’t supposed to read the whole article!

In 2022, Christmas is on a Sunday, and Boxing Day is the following Monday. This means Tuesday, December 27 is also a bank holiday to make up for the loss of Christmas. New Year’s Day is also on a Sunday this year, so Monday, January 2 becomes a bank holiday too. Save some annual leave to book off the Wednesday to Friday after Christmas and you’ll get ten days of leave! Head to the frozen lands of Iceland or Finland to see the Northern Lights or enjoy husky sleigh rides and more! You could even take an extra four days off between 3 – 6 January 2023 to end up with 16 days in a row of annual leave.

Days to book off: Wednesday, December 28 – Friday, December 30 (3 days)

Days to travel: Saturday, December 24 – Monday, January 2 (10 days)

Aussies can use their annual leave in 2022 to book an African safari during the Easter and ANZAC holidays
Aussies get back-to-back four day weeks in 2022 – time to book a multi-country African safari?

New Zealand

Easter & ANZAC

Just like in Australia, Kiwis will benefit from two short working weeks over Easter and the ANZAC weekend, which means a long trip abroad will be possible, pandemic rules permitting. Book Tuesday, April 19 – Friday, April 22 and Tuesday, April 26 – Friday, April 29 off work, and you’ll enjoy 17 continuous days to head abroad. After two years of no travel, we know our New Zealand customers are desperate to get away – perhaps a visit to Egypt or Morocco before the summer heat sets in? Just like Australians, Kiwis could also book four more days of annual leave in 2022, between 11 – 14 April for 23 days of consecutive holiday!

Days to book off: Tuesday, April 19 – Friday, April 22 & Tuesday, April 26 – Friday, April 29 (8 days)

Days to travel: Friday, April 15 – Sunday, May 1 (17 days)

 

Queen’s birthday

The Queen of England continues to deliver for Kiwis, with her birthday public holiday falling on Monday, June 6. Take the rest of the week off and you get nine days in which to head abroad.

Days to book off: Tuesday, June 7 – Friday, June 10 (4 days)

Days to travel: Saturday, June 4 – Sunday, June 12 (9 days)

 

Christmas & New Year

The Christmas and New Year public holidays once more overlap with a weekend in 2022, which means extra public holidays in the week. Book just three days of leave between Christmas and New Year, and you’ll enjoy a whopping ten days off, not returning to work until Tuesday, January 3. Perfect for your first long haul trip post-pandemic. Take an extra 4 days off between 3 – 6 January 2023 to end up with 16 days!

Days to book off: Wednesday, December 28 – Friday, December 30 (3 days)

Days to travel: Saturday, December 24 – Monday, January 2 (10 days)

 

Kiwis also enjoy four-day weeks for Matariki on Friday, June 24 and Labour day on Monday, October 24. These are both great opportunities for travellers to get away for longer, without using up too much leave.

Marrakech, Morocco
If restrictions allow, Morocco would be a great destination for Kiwis to make the most of their leave

Canada

Easter

Easter falls between Friday, April 15 – Monday, April 18 in 2022, meaning four days of annual leave can go a long way for Canadians. Take the week off after Easter Monday and you’ll get ten days of leave for the price of four! Head to Europe or the Middle East before it gets too hot. If you have the leave to use, then why not take Monday, April 11 – Thursday, April 14 off too, for 18 days of vacation!

Days to book off: Monday, April 11 – Thursday, April 14 & Tuesday, April 19 – Friday, April 22 (8 days)

Days to travel: Saturday, April 9 – Sunday, April 24 (16 days)

 

Christmas & New Year

Christmas Day falls on a Sunday this year, and Boxing Day is the following Monday. This means Tuesday 27 December becomes a public holiday. New Year’s Day is also on a Sunday this year, so Monday 2 January is also a day off work. Book the Wednesday to Friday after Christmas off work for ten days of leave! Some winter sun in the Maldives or a snowy escape to Finland or Norway are also great ideas. For an extra-long 16 day vacation, simply book off an extra 4 days off between 3 – 6 January 2023 to end up with 16 days!

Days to book off: Wednesday, December 28 – Friday, December 30 (3 days)

Days to travel: Saturday, December 24 – Monday, January 2 (10 days)

 

Canadians have plenty of public holidays to look forward to, with four-day weeks aplenty for Victoria Day on Monday, May 23, Canada Day on Friday, July 1, Labour Day on Monday, September 5 and Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 24.

Canadians can maximise their annual leave over Christmas in 2022 with an escape to the Maldives
Canadians can escape the cold of home and head to the Maldives with their 2022 annual leave over Christmas

South Africa

Easter

Good Friday falls on 15 April in 2022 and Family Day is Monday 18 April, with Easter sandwiched in the middle. This four-day weekend means just four days of 2022 annual leave can give you ten days off, the perfect time for a long-awaited trip.

Days to book off: Tuesday 19 April – Friday 22 April (4 days)

Days to travel: Friday 15 April – Sunday 24 April (10 days)

 

Freedom Day & Workers Day

South Africans get a bonus public holiday in 2022. This is because Workers Day on 1 May happens to fall on a Sunday. This means that Monday 2nd becomes a de-facto public holiday, giving South Africans an extra day off. If planning a long haul trip, then this can actually be combined with both Easter and Freedom Day on Wednesday 27 April to give workers 18 days of holiday for eight days of annual leave! If somehow that isn’t enough, then travellers could book four more days leave between 11 and 14 April. That’s a grand total of 24 days!

Days to book off: Tuesday 19 April – Friday 22 April, Monday 25 April, Tuesday 26 April, Thursday 28 April and Friday 29 April (8 days)

Days to travel: Friday 15 April – Monday 2 May (18 days)

 

Christmas & New Year

The Christmas and New Year public holidays once more overlap with a weekend in 2022, with Tuesday 27 December becoming a holiday to make up for Christmas being on the Sunday. Book just three days of leave between Christmas and New Year, and you’ll enjoy a whopping ten days off, not returning to work until Tuesday 3 January. Perfect for a long trip abroad to see in the New Year. If you choose, book an extra four days off between 3 – 6 January 2023 to end up with 16 days off in one go.

Days to book off: Wednesday 28 December – Friday 30 December (3 days)

Days to travel: Saturday 24 December – Monday 2 January (10 days)

 

South Africans have lots of other public holidays to celebrate. These include Human Rights Day on Monday 21 March, Youth Day on Thursday 16 June and the Day of Reconciliation on Friday 16 December. Book four days of leave for nine continuous days out of office for any of these public holidays.

The Acropolis at sunset, Athens,Greece
South Africans can get almost three weeks off work with just eight days annual leave over April 2022 – European tour anybody?

USA

Christmas & New Year

Like travellers around the world, Americans will also benefit from Christmas and New Year falling over the weekend in 2022. Four days of leave on December 27, 28, 29 and 30 mean ten consecutive days out of office, from Christmas Eve until Tuesday, January 3. Plenty of time to head somewhere new on vacation!

Days to book off: Tuesday, December 27 – Friday, December 30 (4 days)

Days to travel: Saturday, December 24 – Monday, January 2 (10 days)

 

Unfortunately, there are no extra public holidays for Americans in 2022. But there are still several public holidays offering travellers the chance of a week off using just four days of leave. These include Memorial Day on May 30, Independence Day on July 4, Labor Day on September 5, and Thanksgiving on November 24.


After two years of no travel, we all deserve the longest trip we can possibly take. And by using your 2022 annual leave or holiday days wisely, you can get way more travel for your leave. Where are you planning to travel to in 2022? Let us know in the comments! And get in touch if you’d like to discuss a booking.

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