Following the final Bank Holiday weekend before Christmas, many of us are already looking ahead for an opportunity to escape on our next break.

The smartest among us will be looking ahead to 2023 to see how they can maximise their annual leave to take extra days off work.

With careful strategic planning and clever use of Bank Holidays, workers will be able to bag 47 days of holiday in 2023 by taking just 19 days of annual leave.

It's worth bearing in mind, this only works if you get Bank Holidays off as part of your contract with your employer, unfortunately those who work on national holidays, the true heroes among us, will sadly miss out.

But if you typically work Monday to Friday then you are in luck. By combining Bank Holidays with time off around them, you can maximise your time away from the office next year.

Here is how you do it.

Full list of Bank Holidays in England and Wales in 2023

The first step is familiarising yourself with the Bank Holidays in 2023. Here is a full list.

  • New Year's Day (substitute) - Monday, January 2
  • Good Friday - Friday, April 7
  • Easter Monday - Monday, April 10
  • Early May bank holiday - Monday, May 1
  • Spring bank holiday - Monday, May 29
  • Summer bank holiday - Monday, August 28
  • Boxing Day - Tuesday, December 26

Days to book as annual leave in 2023

  • Monday, April 3 to Thursday, April 6 - Including the weekend and bank holiday, booking four days annual leave will give you a 10-day break.
  • Tuesday, May 2 to Friday, May 5 - Booking four days off work after the early May bank holiday will give you a nine-day break from the office.
  • Tuesday, May 30 to Friday, June 2 - Booking the rest of the week following the Spring bank holiday, including the weekend will mean you can enjoy nine consecutive days without the stress and worries of work. 
  • Tuesday, August 29 - Friday, September 1 - Thanks to weekends and the Summer bank holiday, you can swap four days of annual leave for nine consecutive days off work. 
  • Wednesday, December 27 to Friday, December 29 - Booking three days off work around the Christmas period will ensure you can enjoy 10 days off at the end of the year.