UK Bank holidays: How to double your time off in 2022

From sandwiching your trips between UK bank holiday weekends, to making the most of the Queen's Jubilee extra day off, there are plenty of opportunities to maximise your time away from work in 2022.

Somehow it never quite feels as if there's enough annual leave to cover your plans. And between the rebooking holidays disrupted by Covid, RSVPing postponed weddings and planning in fresh travel plans, for many 2022 looks to be busier than ever.

But even if your time away from the grind depends on your annual leave allowance, it's possible to make your days off go a little further, by bookending them between bank holidays and weekends.

Is there an extra bank holiday in 2022?

Yes. To commemorate the platinum jubilee, an extra bank holiday has been added to the 2022 calendar, taking place on 3 June. And its placement, straight after the Spring bank holiday is particularly handy if you've got travel plans in mind.

How to maximise your 2022 annual leave

First, you'll need to take note of the 2022 bank holidays, and check which of them your employer honours. Bank holiday dates may differ regionally and in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Bank holidays in England and Wales 2022

Friday 1 January - New Year's Day
Friday 15 April - Good Friday
Monday 18 April - Easter Monday
Monday 2 May - May bank holiday
Thursday 2 June - Spring bank holiday
Friday 3 June - Platinum jubilee bank holiday
Monday 29 August - Summer bank holiday
Monday 26 December - Boxing Day
Tuesday 27 December - Christmas Day substitute day

Tip 1: Run your Easter days off into the May bank holidays

Annual leave days needed: 9
Actual days away from work: 18
Dates for the diary: 15 April - 2 May

Method: Take four days off from 19-22 April and you'll extend the Easter break into 10 days off. If you've got another five holidays to spare the following week between 25-29th, you'll end up running the Easter break into the May bank holiday on the 2nd, effectively giving you 18 days off, running from Good Friday on 15 April all the way up to the May bank holiday on 2 May.

Tip 2: Extend the Spring bank holiday and Queen's platinum Jubilee

Annual leave days needed: 3
Actual days away from work: 9
Dates for the diary: 28 May - 5 June

Method: Britons get an extra bank holiday on 3 June 2022 to celebrate the Queen's platinum jubilee, and it takes place the day after the existing Spring bank holiday on 2 June. If you use three days' extra annual leave to book off Monday 30 May - Wednesday 1 June, you'll end up with 9 days away from work.

Booking abroad? Protect your plans by choosing a holiday company with a flexible booking policy.

Tip 3: Maximise your August bank holiday

Annual leave days needed: 4
Actual days away from work: 9
Dates for the diary: 27 August - 4 September

Method: You'll get Monday 29th August off as a bank holiday, so book off the rest of that week (i.e. 30 August - 2 September) and, including weekends, you'll be off for nine consecutive days.

Fancy carving out time for a long haul trip? If you've got further annual leave days to spare, you could also book off Monday 22 - Friday 26 August, which would give you 16 days off work, while only using up 9 annual leave days.

Tip 4: Stretch out your festive break

Annual leave days needed: 3
Actual days away from work: 11
Dates for the diary: 24 December - 3 January

Make the most of substitute days this festive season and you'll end up with 11 days off, spending only 3 days of your allowance. As Christmas takes place on a Sunday in 2022, your holiday will transfer onto the 27th. You'll already have Boxing Day off, so book off 28, 29 and 30 December and you'll be off right through until the new year. Speaking of which - New Year's Day also falls on a Sunday, with a substitute day falling onto 2 Jan, meaning you'll be able to kick back until 3 January, kicking off 2023 with a gentle half-week back at the grind.