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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

How do you use your holiday allowance each year?

30 replies

Andyouwithyourautumnsweater · 26/04/2022 17:44

I work via agency so technically I can holiday whenever I want and for however long I want, though I don't get paid holidays (I get it in a small amount above my hourly rate)
I give myself 28 days a year off which seems to be the standard.

My last break was 4 days off in late Feb. Thinking that I'm going to take a 3 day holiday next week. Before Feb I had 3 days off last October and that was it.

Just interested to hear how others work.

OP posts:
Waxonwaxoff0 · 26/04/2022 17:47

I'm a single parent so I take all mine in school holidays to save on childcare costs and spend time with DS. My workplace closes on the 23rd December and reopens on 2nd Jan every year so I'm always off then.

Usually take a week in Feb half term, a couple of days at Easter tacked onto the bank holiday weekend to make it longer, May half term, and a week and a few days in the summer holidays. Not allowed any time off from mid October until Christmas as we are extremely busy then.

CMOTDibbler · 26/04/2022 17:48

We have to take a week at Christmas which is great as the whole company shuts down. Then I usually have a couple of days at Easter, some in summer half term, 2 weeks over the course of the summer holidays and then some in the Autumn half term. For various reasons I didn't get Easter, so have some extra days booked off in the summer

TroysMammy · 26/04/2022 17:50

This year, January as I had a few days from last year to take, March to start my seeds and the garden off. June because of the Bank Holiday and I only use one day holiday. July as it's the summer and I can look at my garden. September to bring in the harvest, preserving, dehydrating and freezing. End November/beginning of December for Christmas shopping.

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 26/04/2022 17:56

Pre kids I used to use the odd day Jan-June when needed for house/ admin/ life and then take a weeks holiday in June (hot enough in Europe and still term time).
now saving all for school hols- a wk in august, a wk in October and plots of 2-3 days every other holiday.

Jalepenojello · 26/04/2022 17:58

saved for childcare over school holidays. I take a couple of Fridays a year for myself

Oblomov22 · 26/04/2022 19:14

Whenever I want. Teens so no need for childcare. Both May bank holidays, a week in July. Go away with the girls twice a year to Europe so use a Friday and a Monday. Then just odd days.

Darbs76 · 26/04/2022 19:16

Kids are teens but one still in school so still have to holiday in peak season, have 2wks in Florida booked this summer. I’m counting down the days until I can take breaks whenever I like and I’ll be joining my almost 30yr old son on frequent city breaks in Europe

TheGriffle · 26/04/2022 19:18

I always try and book the week off around my birthday or at least a day either side. Other than that it’s used to cover school holidays and Christmas.

MrsMigginsCat · 26/04/2022 19:19

Usually I take a two weeks in October and we go abroad. The rest I just space out throughout the year, sometime trying to get them round bank holidays to maximise days away from work. This year I'm taking 4 weeks in one lump as we're off to Aus (I'm very excited!) which leaves me with a week to have the odd Friday or Monday off.

Bootskates · 26/04/2022 19:19

Couple of days in each half term, few days in Easter and a week in the summer.

Then my birthday, DD's birthday, a family wedding and some left over to use as a buffer for anything child-related

bellac11 · 26/04/2022 19:21

Ive started utilising the bank holiday weekends a bit better to maximise time away

So often leaving on a Friday after work and going somewhere a few hours away, cheap airbnb for the weekend then coming back on the bank holiday monday

Or if its a bank holiday friday then going away on the Thursday night and coming back on Sunday

Just makes more of the bank holidays throughout the year without taking actual annual leave

OfstedOffred · 26/04/2022 19:22

I only ever take time off in school holidays.

I take a couple in each half term, a week at easter (part of which is bank hols), a week at christmas, and two weeks in summer.

Luckily school holidays usually overlap with most bank holidays.

Nidan2Sandan · 26/04/2022 19:22

We split them for school holidays. DH gets around 28 days and I get 24 days.

Usually I do feb half term, we split easters 2 weeks, I do may/june half term, DH does Oct then DH does the first half of the xmas holidays and I do the second half.

Summer holidays we each try to take a week off somewhere and then juggle the remaining weeks between various options.

I miss being able to take holiday just because I want time off at that time and not because of schools.

devildeepbluesea · 26/04/2022 19:22

Couple of weeks off in the summer hols.
Week off around May half term.
Rarely take more than a few days at Easter or Christmas - DD isn’t home much as she spends time with her grandparents and then does holiday camps.
Odd days here and there.
Also have flexi time so I supplement my very generous leave entitlement with flexi days here and there.

reluctantbrit · 26/04/2022 19:36

Any leftover days I take in February half-term. Then 1-2 weeks at Easter, depending if it is our main holiday or just to spend time with family.

May half term is often just 1-2 days

Summer - 2 weeks

October half-term-1-2 weeks depending on what I had at Easter.

Christmas is often just a day or two as it is hard to get time off.

The odd day here and there for school stuff or in the holidays if DD needs collecting/dropping off from residential camps.

latetothefisting · 26/04/2022 20:17

I usually take shorter breaks but I'm off for over 2 weeks atm and I love it! It's really giving me time to cut off from work in the way a long weekend doesn't. Will def be doing more longer breaks in the future.

Nearly everyone in my work takes a long break over Christmas but I almost always work most of the inbetween time - I find otherwise its a long slog of 14 days when the weather is shit and all you do is watch tv and eat! I'd much rather save my AL to take when it's sunny. It usually only ends up 3/4 working days in the middle anyway, bookended by long weekends/bank holiday either side, so you still have lots of time to see family/do fun stuff and because the office is technically closed gives me a great chance to get on with stuff without phone/email interruptions. Also a great excuse to get out of spending an extended time staying with in laws etc.!

heymammy · 26/04/2022 20:26

It has literally just dawned on me that in a few short years I will no longer need to use annual leave as childcare in the school holidays!

Youngest dc is 10 so it's fast approaching...I've no idea what I'll do with my a/l. Will still take a week or two in the summer, I'm thinking there will poss be a weird transition period where I'll still book time off in the school holidays even though I won't need to 🤣

StCharlotte · 26/04/2022 20:38

No children. 20 days plus bank hols and also closed right over Christmas/New Year.

In a normal year (please God this is a normal year), I'd have a fortnight away with DH in June/July, maybe another week with him or my best friend. A couple of long weekend city breaks with DH or girlfriends and a city break with DH between Christmas and New Year.

I tend to use annual leave for getting away with a day or two held back for "emergencies".

This year I need to use the extra week I carried over from Covid so I tagged a couple of days onto the Easter break and just chilled in the garden with a book. It was lovely.

weegiemum · 26/04/2022 20:40

I don't work due to disability but my dh can take as many holidays as he wants as long as he has a locum paid for (he's a GP Partner). Our dc have all left school so we're not confined to the (Scottish) school holidays any more! Hooray!

This year he's taken 4 days for a funeral in early March we had to travel to, and a week in the middle of March when we went to our second home. He's got long weekends in May with a day or 2 of holiday tacked on. He has 2 weeks off in June when we're going abroad, and then a week in August at our holiday home. He'll have a long weekend in September and a week in October/November. Might take a day or 2 at Christmas if he can get cover. So probably 7 weeks over the course of the year.

He'd have more, but a GP locum is £600+ a day which is quite a lot. He took almost all of his holiday in the school holidays when dc were at school, but now we can be more relaxed about it.

Mummadeze · 26/04/2022 20:43

Two weeks in the Summer, some days off in half terms and a week at Easter. Plus random days off for special occasions eg going to Wimbledon this year.

Rover83 · 26/04/2022 20:48

I'm a nurse I got around 8 weeks leave this year. I make sure I have a week for all 3DCs birthdays and I normally try to get 2 weeks in summer other than this I roughly book a week every other month just to spread it out.

This year I have 1 week in April, June, 2 weeks in August, 1 week in Oct, Nov, Feb, March

WeAllHaveWings · 26/04/2022 20:49

Roughly -

1 day Feb (local holiday sometimes ds's birthday)
1 week easter
2-3 weeks summer split into 2 blocks
1 week October
1.5-2 weeks Christmas/new year

DiamondBright · 26/04/2022 21:09

I don't really need to work around school holidays now, but I still find I take week in February/March to break up the time between Christmas and Easter, a week at Easter, two weeks in the summer, a week around late October/early November and 4/5 days at Christmas I take the rest in odd days but try to hang onto an emergency day I take in late March if I haven't used it.

purpledagger · 26/04/2022 21:13

Mine is used up during school holidays. I tend to fit it in around childcare arrangements (holiday clubs, time with relatives) and work meetings etc so I never feel like im getting a decent break, as it's often ad hoc days. We normally have a week abroad, which is the only 'proper' break I feel like I get. We are going away for the first time since before covid, this summer, so thats my main break.

Otherwise, I always take my birthday off work and have it as a guilt free 'me' day, which normally involves shopping, lunch and a beauty treatment.

balalake · 26/04/2022 21:38

Usually have four breaks of about a week each and then the rest are odd days. Very rarely have a fortnight off at once. No children at home any more.

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