How to get 18 consecutive days off in 2019 for just nine days of annual leave

Jordon Cox | Edited by Anthony Hill

Updated 2 January 2019 | Created 29 October 2018

I don’t know about you, but I’m already thinking about my holidays for 2019 and where I could jet off to. Luckily for me, and anyone else who works Mon-Fri, there’s a way to get a massive 18 days off in a row this year – for just nine days’ annual leave.

For 2019, we’ve hit the jackpot when it comes to bank holidays in April and May. By booking annual leave in the days between Easter Monday and May Day, you’ll be stringing them together with your bank holidays to give yourself a close to three-week break from work (sorry bosses of the UK). In 2018, the dates were too far apart to pull off this trick.

This may not work for everyone but we've based this blog on a typical five-day working week (there may be ways to work around this if you work different hours).

How to do it

The Easter dates in 2019 fall quite late, on 19 April (Good Friday) and 22 April (Easter Monday), and with the May Day bank holiday on Mon 6 May, by taking nine days of annual leave in between those dates (from 23 April until 3 May), combined with the weekends you’ll get 18 consecutive days off work.

Here’s a calendar view of the days you need to book. I've highlighted the days to book off in yellow, with the bank holidays marked in a red font:

I hope this helps you out when planning your holidays this year. As soon as I’ve finished writing this, I’m going to go book these dates off (Editor’s note: Request denied).

What would you do with 18 days off in a row? Let me know in the comments below on Twitter @MSE_Deals.

Have your say

This is an open discussion but the comments do not represent the views of MSE. We want everyone to enjoy using our site but spam, bullying and offensive comments will not be tolerated. Posts may be deleted and repeat offenders blocked at our discretion. Please contact fbteam@moneysavingexpert.com if you wish to report any comments.

Update: We are aware that some users may currently be having issues seeing the comments and we're working on it.

What the * means above
If a link has an * by it, that means it is an affiliated link and therefore it helps MoneySavingExpert stay free to use, as it is tracked to us. If you go through it, it can sometimes result in a payment or benefit to the site. It's worth noting this means the third party used may be named on any credit agreements.

You shouldn’t notice any difference and the link will never negatively impact the product. Plus the editorial line (the things we write) is NEVER impacted by these links. We aim to look at all available products. If it isn't possible to get an affiliate link for the top deal, it is still included in exactly the same way, just with a non-paying link. For more details, read How this site is financed.

MoneySupermarket.com Financial Group Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 303190). The registered office address of both MoneySupermarket.com Group PLC and MoneySupermarket.com Financial Group Limited (registered in England No. 3157344) is MoneySupermarket House, St. David's Park, Ewloe, Chester, CH5 3UZ. MoneySavingExpert.com Limited is an appointed representative of MoneySupermarket.com Financial Group Limited.

How this site works

We think it's important you understand the strengths and limitations of the site. We're a journalistic website and aim to provide the best MoneySaving guides, tips, tools and techniques, but can't guarantee to be perfect, so do note you use the information at your own risk and we can't accept liability if things go wrong.

This info does not constitute financial advice, always do your own research on top to ensure it's right for your specific circumstances and remember we focus on rates not service.
We don't as a general policy investigate the solvency of companies mentioned (how likely they are to go bust), but there is a risk any company can struggle and it's rarely made public until it's too late (see the Section 75 guide for protection tips).

Do note, while we always aim to give you accurate product info at the point of publication, unfortunately price and terms of products and deals can always be changed by the provider afterwards, so double check first.
We often link to other websites, but we can't be responsible for their content.
Always remember anyone can post on the MSE forums, so it can be very different from our opinion.

MoneySavingExpert.com is part of the Moneysupermarket Group, but is entirely editorially independent. Its stance of putting consumers first is protected and enshrined in the legally binding MSE Editorial Code.

Please read the Full Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, How this site is financed and MSE's Editorial Code.

Deals Hunters

How to get 18 consecutive days off in 2019 for just nine days of annual leave

How to do it

Have your say

Related Articles

Recent Blogs

Blog Topics

Archives

How this site works

More tools from

Cheap Energy Club

Credit Card & Loans Eligibility Calculator

Income Tax Calculator

Ultimate Mortgage Calculator

Cheap Mobile Finder

Credit Club

Compare Travel Money

Compare Broadband Deals