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Want longer vacations? Maximise your PTO time in 2025

We love a good travel hack, and maximizing your PTO (paid time off) might be one of the best. With a little strategic planning in 2025, you can turn public holidays into epic long weekends or even full-blown international adventures with Trafalgar—without blowing through your entire leave balance.

The secret? Easter, Christmas, and New Year’s are jackpot seasons for doubling your time off while halving your PTO usage. But don’t sleep on the other public holidays sprinkled throughout the year—they’re perfect for sneaky mini-breaks. Keep scrolling to uncover the ultimate cheat sheet for maximizing your PTO in 2025, whether you’re based in the UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa.

United States: How to maximise your PTO in 2025

If you live in the USA you’ll know there are 11 annual federal holidays that gain you a day off. Sadly, in addition to those days, there are no laws guaranteeing paid time off for employees – though the average US employee gives their staff two weeks or 10 paid days of vacation. 

Your Italy packing list should include swimwear in summer

So, how do you use your paid vacation time to maximise the fun in 2025? We’ve wrapped up a few ideas in the table below. Your best chance for a long vacation is always around Christmas and New Year. If you take five days off at the end of the year, you’ll get an 11-day break – more than doubling your PTO time. That’s enough time to hop, skip and jump over to Europe and join Trafalgar’s 10-day Imperial Europe or the eight-day European Dream.

Plus around Independence Day and Thanksgiving you can take two days to create a five-day long weekend – which might be just enough time to squeeze in a quick city trip to Paris or New York.

US Public Holidays in 2025PTO dates to take offDays off in a row (including weekends)
January 1, New Year’s DayDecember 30 & 31, 2024
January 3 & 4, 2025
9 days off
January 20, MLK Birthday & Inauguration DayJanuary 21, 20254 days off
February 17, Presidents DayFebruary 14, 20254 days off
May 26, Memorial DayMay 23, 20254 days off
June 19, JuneteenthJune 20, 20254 days off
July 4, Independence DayJuly 3 & 7, 20255 days off
September 1, Labor DaySeptember 2, 20254 days off
October 13, Indigenous Peoples DayOctober 10, 20254 days off
November 11, Veterans DayNovember 10, 20254 days off
November 28, ThanksgivingNovember 27 & 29, 20255 days off
December 25, Christmas
January 1, New Year’s Day
December 24 & 26, 2025
OR December 26, 29, 30 & 31
+ January 2, 2026
5 OR 11 days off

United Kingdom: Hack your bank holidays in 2025

For a big international trip, the British bank holidays that fall around Easter or the Christmas-New Year break are ideal for maximizing your PTO. At the end of 2025 you can take up to 11 days off using just four PTO days. Ideal! If you’re lucky, your employer might even give you a bonus day off around this time, or unfortunately force you to use your precious holiday time while the office is shutdown. If you live in Scotland, you’ll get an extra day on January 2 as a vacation day!

Blue Lagoon Iceland

If not the end of the year, Easter is the next best opportunity – and springtime April is a good time to get away for an international trip. By taking just two PTO days around the Good Friday and Easter Monday bank holidays, you can enjoy a six-day spring holiday. That’s enough time to join our six-day Iceland tour. Add an extra five PTO days and you could take a two-week trip to Vietnam, experience spring flowers in the Netherlands, or beat the summer crowds in Greece.

Beyond the major holidays, the UK’s numerous three-day weekends throughout te year present opportunities to strategically plan short trips. Spreading your PTO days around these weekends can create multiple four- or five-day mini-breaks, perfect for exploring nearby European cities like Paris or enjoying the British countryside.

And don’t forget that school holidays and public holidays vary slightly across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland!

UK Public Holidays in 2025PTO dates to take offDays off in a row (including weekends)
March 17, St Patrick’s Day (Northern Ireland)March 14, 20254 days off
April 18, Good Friday
April 21, Easter Monday
April 17 & April 22, 20256 days off
May 5, Early May Bank HolidayMay 2, 20254 days off
May 26, Spring Bank HolidayMay 23, 20254 days off
July 14, Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen’s Day Northern Ireland)July 11, 20255 days off
August 25, Summer Bank HolidayAugust 22, 20254 days off
December 1, St. Andrew’s Day (Scotland)November 28, 20254 days off
December 25, Christmas
December 26, Boxing Day
January 1, New Year’s Day
December 29, 30 & 31 + January 2, 202611 days off

Australia & New Zealand: Make the most of public holidays

In both Australia and New Zealand some clever PTO planning around key public holidays will help you make the most of your annual leave. Easter is particularly exciting. Of course, Good Friday (April 18) and Easter Monday (April 21) are marked as public holidays. Many locals know that taking time off the following week ahead of the Anzac Day holiday on April 25 can create an extended 10-day break. 

You could use this time to cross the ditch and snorkel the Great Barrier Reef or explore New Zealand’s stunning landscapes, or head abroad. Asia is not so far away, so a 10-day break could be perfect for the 9-day Splendors of Japan or the 10-day Classic China tour.

Beyond Easter, Christmas-New Year is your other chance for a big vacation, while other public holidays offer the chance to snag a long four-day weekend. Don’t forget to check for regional holidays like the Melbourne Cup Day!

READ NEXT: 20 best places to visit in 2025

Aus + NZ Public Holidays in 2025PTO dates to take offDays off in a row (including weekends)
January 27, Australia Day (AUS)January 24, 20254 days off
February 6, Waitangi Day (NZ)February 7, 20254 days off
April 18, Good FridayApril 21, Easter MondayApril 25, Anzac DayApril 22, 23 & 24, 202510 days off
June 2, King’s Birthday (NZ)May 30, 20254 days off
June 9, King’s Birthday (AUS)June 6, 20254 days off
June 20, Matariki (NZ)June 23, 20254 days off
August 4, Bank Holiday (AUS)August 1, 20254 days off
October 6, Labour Day (AUS)October 3, 20254 days off
October 27, Labour Day (NZ)October 24, 20254 days off
December 25, ChristmasDecember 26, Boxing DayJanuary 1, New Year’s DayDecember 29, 30 & 31 + January 2, 202611 days off

South Africa: Extend your PTO time and vacations in 2025

In 2025, South Africans can make the most of their PTO time by carefully aligning it with the country’s public holidays. Make the most of your vacation days without depleting your annual leave balance by aligning your trips around Christmas, New Year’s, and Easter – similar to the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

Easter in 2025 offers another golden opportunity: with Good Friday and Easter Monday as public holidays, adding just two PTO days transforms a standard weekend into a six-day escape. Add a few more days of leave and you could join our 9-day Wonders of Kenya, or the new for 2025 13-day Namibia Adventure.

South Africa Public Holidays in 2025PTO dates to take offDays off in a row (including weekends)
March 21, Human Rights DayMarch 22, 20254 days off
April 18, Good Friday
April 21, Family Day
April 17 & 22, 20256 days off
April 28, Freedom Day (Observed)April 25, 20254 days off
May 1, Workers’ DayMay 2, 20254 days off
June 16, Youth DayJune 13, 20254 days off
December 16, Day of ReconciliationDecember 15, 20254 days off
December 25, Christmas 
December 26, Day of Goodwill
January 1, New Year’s Day
December 29, 30 & 31 + January 2, 202611 days off

So if you’re itching to stamp your passport in 2025, or just want to swap spreadsheets for sunsets – use our tips and some crafty planning to make the most of your precious vacation PTO time.

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