Clever holiday-planning hacks that can double your time off work

How would you like to turn 30 days of your annual leave into 68 days off?

If you’re back at work after a relaxing holiday break dreaming of your next holiday, read on — because with a bit of clever planning, you can do just that.

Corporate Traveller, a business travel management and solutions provider, has crunched the numbers and come up with a list of holiday-planning hacks that can help workers in WA to stretch 30 days of annual leave to 68 days.

Tom Walley, Corporate Traveller’s Australian-based global managing director, says with some thoughtful planning, public holidays can provide substantial benefits for travellers and businesses alike.

“This year’s alignment of public holidays is a win-win for WA employees and businesses. Our analysis shows that by strategically leveraging these days in conjunction with annual leave, employees can spend extra time away from the office or site, without businesses feeling that they’ve lost their employees in the workplace for that length of time.”

Here are Corporate Traveller’s holiday-planning hacks

+ Get a nine-day break for the price of four this Australia Day. The Australia Day public holiday falls on Monday January 27 to give Aussies a three-day weekend. By dipping into four days of annual leave (from Tuesday January 28 to Friday January 31) you can get a nine-day break from Saturday January 25 to Sunday February 2.

+ Double your Easter break. Good Friday falls on April 18, Easter Monday is on April 21 and Anzac Day is on April 25. This means you can turn seven days of annual leave (from Monday April 14 to Friday April 25) into a 16-day break spanning Saturday April 12 to Sunday April 27.

+ Enjoy a nine-day break over Labour Day. Labour Day falls on Monday March 3 in WA, and by adding four days of annual leave from the Tuesday to the Friday in that same week you get a nine-day holiday, including the weekends.

+ Celebrate the King’s birthday with a nine-day getaway. Similarly, the King’s Birthday public holiday falls on Monday September 29 in WA. By booking four days of annual leave from the Tuesday to the Friday in the same week, employees can nab a nine-day break.

+ Get bang for your buck for Western Australia Day. This year, Western Australia Day falls on Monday June 2, and by taking four days off (from Tuesday June 3 to Friday June 6), you can secure a nine-day holiday from Saturday May 31 to Sunday June 8.

+ Wrap up 2025 with a 16-day holiday. For the organised travellers, the 2025 Christmas period presents another prime chance to maximise public holidays to turbocharge your annual leave with seven days of annual leave transforming into an extended break. This year, Christmas Day and Boxing Day fall on Thursday December 25 and Friday December 26. By taking seven days of leave (Monday December 22 to Wednesday December 24, Monday December 29 to Wednesday December 31 and Friday, January 2) you can again nab a 16-day break from Saturday December 20 through to Sunday January 4, 2026.