Well, folks, 2026 is officially here. It’s the start of a new year! And as we settle back into our working routine and try to remember how to do our jobs, there’s only one thing on our minds: our next holiday. With that in mind, I’ve found out how you can take advantage of bank holidays and cleverly combine them with your annual leave to maximise your time off this year.
In fact, if you’re careful, you could turn 28 days of annual leave into a whopping 61 days of holiday! With weekends included, you could have a whopping 143 days off from work in 2026. That’s almost 40% of the year spent relaxing!
So, if you’re among those of us who are lucky enough to have 28 days of annual leave to start with, here’s how to transform this year into one of near-endless holidaying and travel. Are you ready?
Bank holidays in 2026
- January 1 (Thursday) – New Year’s Day
- April 3 (Friday) – Good Friday
- April 6 (Monday) – Easter Monday
- May 4 (Monday) – Early May bank holiday
- May 25 (Monday) – Spring bank holiday
- August 31 (Monday) – Summer bank holiday
- December 25 (Friday) – Christmas Day
- December 28 (Monday) – Boxing Day
The eagle-eyed among you may notice that the Boxing Day bank holiday isn’t actually on December 26. Since that’s a Saturday in 2026, they’re giving us the following Monday as a substitute bank holiday.
And, of course, one of those days off has already passed us by. To be honest, I spent the entire time recovering from New Year’s Eve…
How to plan your vacations around the bank holidays
January
When to book off: January 2
Holiday used: 1
Days off: 4
Unfortunately, unless you were already planning ahead last year, you’ve missed your chance for a long weekend to kick off the year. (My co-workers certainly didn’t; I was the only member of my team working on January 2…)
But if you were smart, you made sure to start off the year with a bang to get 4 days off with only 1 day of annual leave? Plenty of time to nurse that sore head after the New Year’s festivities. Start as you mean to go on, and all that.
You’re in luck, though, because there’s plenty of time to book the rest of the year’s vacations!
Easter
When to book off: March 30 – April 10
Holiday used: 8
Days off: 14
You can get a whopping two weeks off around the Easter bank holidays with a little strategic bank holiday usage. Plan ahead, and you get almost double the time off out of your annual leave allowance. And with spring (hopefully) starting to wrap the city up in its embrace, it should be the perfect time of year for the first long break of the year.
Early May
When to book off: May 5 – 8
Holiday used: 4
Days off: 9
It’s been almost a whole month since the last vacation, so by now you’ll be desperate for some time off. If you thought the bank holiday usage was impressive in Easter, check this one out. You’ll get more than double the days off as days of annual leave taken, thanks to an early May weekend and bank holiday.
Spring/Late May
When to book off: May 26 – 29
Holiday used: 4
Days off: 9
After just two weeks back in the office, you’ll be ready for another break, surely! Finish off the month of May by more than doubling your time off once again. That means you’ll have been on holiday for more than half of the month! You’ll need it, though, because there’s a bit of a gap until the next lengthy break.
Summer
When to book off: September 1 – 4
Holiday used: 4
Days off: 9
It’s been a while since your last holiday, so how about a nice break? Relish in the last few rays of summertime with a healthy holiday that hardly makes a dent in your annual leave allowance. Like those two breaks back in May (remember those? What bliss!), you’ll more than double your time off, whilst only using up 4 days of annual leave.
Christmas
When to book off: December 21 – 31
Holiday used: 7
Days off: 16
Christmas is the perfect time to really get the most out of your annual leave allowance. And if you’re careful, you can turn 7 days of holiday into a whopping 16 days off, extending into the new year. That’s because of an extra confluence of dates and days of the week that makes the end of 2026 even more special. New Year’s Eve handily falls on a Thursday this year, meaning New Year’s Day is on a Friday – and it’s a bank holiday! So you’ll start 2027 with 3 days off!
So, how about that? It couldn’t be any easier to go travelling this year by taking advantage of these bank holidays. But you might want to get a head start on booking travel and hotels; some of these time periods will be very popular for vacations!