Maximise Your Annual Leave With UK Bank Holidays [2025]

The perk of working Monday to Friday is Bank Holidays, aka, more time for travel! ✈️ Because let’s face it - once you’ve started travelling, you’ll never want to stop! So if you want your 4 or 5 weeks of leave to feel more like 2 months (who doesn’t?), read on to see how to maximise your annual leave with UK Bank Holidays in 2025.

But first, here are the essential dates to remember:

UK Bank Holidays Dates in 2025 🗓️

• New Year’s Day – Wednesday, 1st January 2025

• 2nd January - Thursday, 2nd January 2025 (Scotland)

• St Patrick’s Day - Monday, 17th March 2025 (Northern Ireland)

• Good Friday – Friday, 18th April 2025

• Easter Monday – Monday, 21st April 2025 (England, Wales & Northern Ireland)

• Early May Bank Holiday – Monday, 5th May 2025

• Spring Bank Holiday – Monday, 26th May 2025

• Battle of the Boyne - Monday, 14th July 2025 (Northern Ireland)

• Summer Bank Holiday - Monday, 4th August 2025 (Scotland)

• Summer Bank Holiday – Monday, 25th August 2025 (England, Wales & Northern Ireland)

• St Andrew’s Day - Monday, 1st December 2025 (Scotland)

• Christmas Day – Thursday, 25th December 2025

• Boxing Day – Friday, 26th December 2025

When To Take Annual Leave in 2025? 👇

Here’s the secret: combine your annual leave with UK Bank Holidays to turn your full-time job into full-time travel (well, almost.. we can dream!)

January 2025 🎊

There’s no better way to bring in the year than travelling with new friends! Book off the 2nd and 3rd of January (or just the 3rd if you live in Scotland) for 5 days off. If you still have some 2024 days left over, book the 30th & 31st of December 2024 for 9 days off in a row.

Why not spend your time hitting the slopes on our Austria Ski trip (8 days)? Departing on the 28th of December, you can enjoy Christmas at home, before heading to the beautiful Austrian Alps for a real winter getaway. We’re talking snowy mountains, tobogganing, and Après all evening! And if you love a New Year’s party, then you’re in luck because you’ll be staying with new friends in a lively chalet! 🍻

Or, add the trip to your wishlist for winter 2025/26!

March 2025 🍀 (Northern Ireland)

If you’re based in Northern Ireland, you’ll be familiar with St Patrick’s Day! Annually falling on the 17th of March, this extra Bank Holiday can give you 9 back-to-back days off. All you have to do is book 4 days' leave from the 18th to the 21st. Take a look at our short trips.

April 2025 🐣

The Easter Bunny doesn’t just deliver chocolate… but also bank holidays! If you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, you’ll have 2 bank holidays equalling a lovely long weekend! Extend your time off by using only 8 days of annual leave, from the 14th to the 17th and the 22nd to the 25th of April, and you’ll soon have 16 days off to travel. In Scotland, just use 1 extra day of annual leave for Easter Monday, to get the same time off.

That’s plenty of time for a fun-filled group trip, don’t you think? 👀

With 16 days, you could see the cherry blossoms on Japan Intro (13 days) or South Korea Adventure (12 days), or even soak up the lush beaches and rainforest on Ultimate Costa Rica (12 days). How about taking an overland adventure through Southern Africa on Namibia to Cape Town Discovery (14 days)? Your travel options are endless!

May 2025🌷

This month doubles up on Bank Holidays! Request 4 days of annual leave, from the 6th to the 9th of May, for a total of 9 days off. Book off another 4 days, from the 27th to the 30th, for an extra 9 days off. That’s 8 days of annual leave used up and 18 travel days in return.

Why not join our Morocco Adventure (7 days)? Start the adventure on the 3rd, 4th, 24th or 25th for a breathtaking quest through Morocco. Just a 4 hour flight from London, you’ll arrive in the bustling capital of Marrakesh, ride a camel through the Sahara desert in Merzouga and explore the village of Ait Ben Haddou, as seen in Gladiator and Game of Thrones! What’s more, you’ll make lifelong friends along the way!

Keep reading to see how you can get 3 weeks off in April or May below! 😲👇

July 2025 🛡️(Northern Ireland)

Battle of the Boyne (aka Orangemen’s Day) is celebrated in Northern Ireland annually on the 12th of July. With the Bank Holiday falling on the 14th of July, book off the 15th to the 18th for 9 days to go wherever you dream of! Check out all our destinations.

August 2025 🏖️

Excited for Euro-summer? August is the best time for it! Depending on where you’re from, submit annual leave either from, the 5th to the 8th (Scotland), or the 26th to the 29th (England, Wales & Northern Ireland), and you’ll get 9 days off in the sun! 😎

Join our Mediterranean Express (7 days) group trip, on the 2nd or the 23rd of August, and you’ll explore 3 European countries! From enjoying gelato in Rome to admiring La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, you’ll fall in love with the med on this trip! And what’s even better is you’ll only use 4 days of annual leave.

December 2025🎅

If you’re based in Scotland then you’ll have an extra Bank Holiday for St Andrew’s Day on the 1st of December - it’s the perfect time to get festive! Book off the 2nd to the 5th for 9 days off. You could escape for some winter sun or hop over to mainland Europe for one of its many Christmas markets!

Then… it’s Christmassssssss! With 2 back-to-back Bank Holidays, you’ll enjoy 9 days off with just 3 days of annual leave. Simply book off the 22nd, 23rd and 24th.

Remember that Austria Ski trip we were talking about? Now’s the perfect time to book our 20th December start date before it fills up! You can make your white Christmas dreams come true! ☃️

Or, experience winter wonderland on our Norway & Northern Lights (7 days) group trip. Departing on the 21st of December, you’ll explore fairy-tale landscapes and chase the mesmerising Northern Lights. Won’t that be a Christmas to remember? 🥹

How To Take 3 Weeks Off To Travel? 🌏

Want to make the most of your travels? Take a look at this

• With just 13 or 14 days of annual leave, you’ll have 24 days off from the 12th of April to the 5th of May 2025

• With just 14 days of annual leave, you’ll have 24 days off from the 3rd of May to the 26th of May 2025

With over 3 weeks off, you really can take a trip of a lifetime! You can adventure up Australia’s East Coast, backpack through Central America or take a journey through Southeast Asia. Trust us, you’ll fly through your bucket list, taste some incredible cuisines and make core memories with your new best mates. Plus, with your regular job, you can use your monthly paycheck to bring home some incredible souvenirs. You’ll remember the adventure for a lifetime!

Top Gap 360 Trips Under 24 Days 👇

Australia: East Coast & Outback 🐨

Recommended start dates: 12th April (20 days) 📅

On our East Coast & Outback group trip, start your adventure in Sydney before heading up the East Coast. You’ll tick off all the best highlights including learning how to surf at Byron Bay, snorkelling inside the Great Barrier Reef and having breakfast with adorable koalas on beautiful Magnetic Island. And the adventure doesn’t stop there! Journey into the outback for 3 incredible days and watch the sunrise over one of the world’s largest rocks - Uluru. It’s 348m high! Impressive, right?

Central America: Guatemala to Costa Rica Adventure 🦥

Recommended start dates: 13th April & 4th May (17 days) 📅

Explore 5 countries in 17 days! On this Guatemala to Costa Rica Adventure, you’ll visit lush rainforests, surf towns, colonial cities, ancient Mayan sites and active volcanoes! Stay with a local family in Nicaragua, get your adrenaline-pumping in Costa Rica, and swim in cool lake waters in El Salvador – it’s an adventure you won’t forget!

Southeast Asia: Highlights of Vietnam, Laos & Thailand 🏮

Recommended start dates: 13th April & 4th May (22 days) 📅

Dreaming of Southeast Asia? This trip is for you! You’ll see the Highlights of Vietnam, Laos & Thailand, plus tick off loads of destinations and hidden gems, including Ha Long Bay, Kuang Si Waterfall, Chiang Mai and many more! Meet the locals during a homestay at Mekong River, learn how to make Vietnamese noodles in Hoi An and soak up the culture of these 3 incredible countries in just 22 days.

With all these Bank Holidays, you can still travel the world while working a 9 to 5! Take a look at our adventure group tours to discover all the places you can explore in your time off! Book off your leave before your colleagues do 🏃💨