A woman has come up with a genius way for those looking to stretch out their days off next year.

We are all trying to dodge burnout where we can and keep our wellbeing in check as it gets to a point in the year where we have worked a lot and we are ready for a break.

It is important to find a perfect balance between professional commitments and essential relaxation time.

Most of us are constrained by a strict number of holiday days or hours, and often getting time off during peak seasons can prove tricky. For those grinding away Monday to Friday, there's typically a minimum of 28 days' paid leave up for grabs each year, adding up to 5.6 weeks of time to take off. Meanwhile shift workers may get time off in lieu if they work overtime or weekends.

It is crucial workers get the green light for their planned escapes to sidestep any potential charges from changing plans or cancellations.

Thankfully, one woman on Instagram has revealed how you can line yourself up for 63 days off work in 2026 if you have 28 days in total. If you have less than 28 days, the trick can still help you optimise your annual leave, but you won't get quite as many days off.

Travel content creator, Danielle, who loves sharing her best holidaying tips from locations, to getting there, and booking time off. She said in an Instagram post: "This is for my UK followers and I know 28 is a bit higher than average but hope this helps."

This is how she's planning her 2026 annual leave...

Annual leave to book off 2026

• Book off Friday January 2 - this way you get four days off from Jan 1 to 4 as New Year's Day is a bank holiday


• Book off March 30 to April 3, as well as April 7 to April 10 - this way you get 16 days off between March 28 and April 13 as this is when Easter Bank Holidays fall


• Book off May 5 to May 10 - you will get nine days off between May 2 and May 10 because there's an early Bank Holidays


• Book off May 26 to May 29 - you can get another nine days off between May 23 and May 31 because of Spring Bank Holiday


• Book off September 1 to September 4 - you can get nine days off between August 30 and September 7


• Book off December 21 to 24 and December 29 and 31 - you can get 16 days off between December 19 and January 3

Danielle trick is to plan holiday days around Bank Holidays and weekends so you can optimise consecutive days off work.

Danielle warns: "The downside of this is that it's peak time to travel and can mean prices are a bit higher than usual. However if you're looking to fit in more holidays or longer holidays, this is the way to do it! Book your flights and hotels far in advance to grab the best deals

"Easy Jet has just release summer 2026 flights too."

Commenting on the post, one individual said: "This is fab. Thanks. I get 33 days holiday plus I do a 9 day fortnight so I get 16 Fridays off."

While one other said: "37 days plus Bank Holidays! This is still really useful. Thanks! Planning for next year now."

Another shared what they get off, adding: "33 days annual leave plus 24 days flexi leave per year = 57 days leave."

A further individual also noted: "All the people complaining about the amount of days they get but they get all the bank holidays and Christmas off. Try working in healthcare, you're working them all."

One more said: "One thing to note is that flight prices absolutely surge over bank holiday weekends and weeks. So be prepared to pay way more than you usually would for your cheap holiday flights."

Another agreed and added: "This works except you're having time off around bank holidays and holidays so prices are doubled."

One other pointed out: "I get 21 days but still helpful thanks. The only trouble is that we have a policy where by if two people are already off then no one else can be due to the small team. So it's unlikely 1 person would be granted the best days off a year."