How do you use your annual leave?

[KM38]

Do you take a couple of 2 week holidays a year? Single days/long weekends here and there? Individual weeks?

Had a conversation with SIL earlier and to me, her use of annual leave is crazy 🤣🙈

I go out of my way to maximise mine. I get 5 weeks and three days so usually take a 2 week, 2 x 1weeks and use the rest as and when needed for occasions etc 🤷🏻‍♀️
She gets the same, but takes 2x 1 weeks and the rest she uses for single days here and there to do...NOTHING 🤔😳 maybe it’s just me that can’t think of anything worse 🙈 like she’ll book a random Wednesday off to “break up her week and just sleep all day” 🤔

Just got me thinking 🤔

I get 28 days we normally have 2 weeks June and two In September. Plus a week whenever we fit it in.
That leaves 3 days for things like funerals or weddings.. family emgerginces.
I work shifts and no set days. If l ask my boss he will give me 3 days of together.. normally Sunday Mon and Tuesday and we tend to do city breaks then .hotels much cheaper on a Sunday and Monday.

I get 22 days (plus bank holidays) and my husband gets 30 days (plus bank holidays) and we have to take it all for childcare over the holidays. We don't get any annual leave together as a family as we don't have enough days between us. No holiday care around here and no family to help. It sucks.

A mix. I had Wednesday off, because I had some specific to do that day. I took some off at the end of March, because I can't carry over leave past then, but I didn't have anything specific to do, and not much was open.

Usually I'd take a full week or two at some point to go away, but I don't know about this year yet. I might also take a full or half day on a Friday to make a longer weekend, especially if there's a bank holiday, too. Depends what time of the year and what leave I have left. I used about 3 days on funerals 2 or 3 years ago.

I agree with your SIL - I love a random day off

Like a pp most of mine get wasted on medical appointments. Being disabled is shit.

Apart from if i have something planned like a holiday I like to take days and half days to have shorter weeks

It varies. Sometimes a two week holiday and a month holiday. Sometimes it is just two weeks and a few long weekends in dribs and drabs. Last year I lost over two weeks because I couldn't fit it in before the leave year ended.

I don’t have children so am not tied to school holidays. I have 28 days leave + Christmas closure between Christmas and new year + bank holidays.

I tend to take 2-3 weeks at Christmas & then a week somewhere else. Then recently used about 4 days of leave combined with Easter/May bank holidays to have a run of 4 day weeks (marvellous!)

I’m really bad for using up annual leave but definitely benefit from using days here and there to have some short working weeks. I use the days to visit family, go for a long hike or just hang out on my own while DP is at work.

Pre DD I used my 4 weeks as 1x 2 week holiday, 1x 1week, a couple of days at Christmas and then the odd long weekend.

Now I do 1x 1week, an occasional long weekend and have to save the rest for when DD is off or the nursery is closed.

DH gets 5 and a bit weeks per year - he normally takes a week at Easter, two weeks in the summer and then sometimes a week in the Oct half term. The rest of the days he uses over Christmas if he fancies a bit longer off and maybe a couple of odd days for Christmas shopping

I try and squeeze as much 'holiday' as in going away out of mine as possible, but if I've got days left at the end of the year I might take Fridays off for a few weeks.

One of the guys in my team is a real homebody, not interested in holidays at all so takes all of his as random days here and there. It does make it much easier when it comes to covering his work; one day every 3 weeks is so much easier than 3 weeks at a stretch!

@schofieldsunderpants

DH gets 5 and a bit weeks per year - he normally takes a week at Easter, two weeks in the summer and then sometimes a week in the Oct half term. The rest of the days he uses over Christmas if he fancies a bit longer off and maybe a couple of odd days for Christmas shopping

Forgot to add - I'm in education so term time only

I have a different set up. I work 3 days a week term times only and can't take days off during that time. Works out really well with kids though. I also do freelance work that I fit in when I want to. I also get paid sick leave for any children under 12 (although I don't think I have ever used it as they tend to be off sick on my days off!)

I get 6 weeks plus bank hols. I’ve always done a couple of weeks off in summer (a fortnight or two separate weeks depending on holiday plans), the week before xmas and another week in the spring. Plus I take 4 Fridays a year off when DD is at nursery and DH is at work and have a day entirely to myself. It’s bliss! The remaining 6 days go on appointments etc (we can take holiday in hours) or sometimes to make a longer bank holiday weekend. DD starts school this year though so will have to take school holidays into account and will have less spare for random days. My 4 Fridays will remain set in stone though

This year - a week at Christmas (compulsory), next week (4 days), a couple of odd days (family wedding stuff), a week in August family holiday, a few odd days over the summer holidays, and a week for emergencies or the week before christmas if all OK.
I can't imagine the luxury of having enough leave to take 2 weeks solid off without juggling school holidays!

Up until mid 40s I neve4 took time off unless I was going away, on holiday or had something specific and fun to do. Couldn’t understand people who took time off to not do much.

I’m currently on day 2 of a long weekend, went for a walk and lunch yesterday and a bit of ligh5 pottering in the garden. I’m now laid in bed thinking about a nap after a dog walk. Basically naffing about. I like it.

I took a few days off earlier this month to do nothing - I do it every now and again to stave off burnout. I normally have 35 days + bank holidays and they say we’re supposed to take off at least one two-week block during the year which I did at Christmas. Not taking much over the summer as we’re too busy at work. Going away for a few days in September.
I’m really surprised at people taking leave for an operation though, is that not what sick leave is for? Unless cosmetic I suppose.

I can take as much leave as I like (contractor so no work = no pay). Generally take a couple of days at Easter, 7 days in May to make a 10 holiday. Then a week or so in the summer and a week in October and 3 days at Christmas. Also the odd ad-hoc day here and there to do nothing, get hair done or spend a day with DH.

It surprises me that I generally take the same amount of time off as I used to take when I had 25 days plus BH.

We usually take two weeks off and go on a family holiday usually abroad for a week. But because off covid we aren’t doing this this year or last year. So I’m taking 4 weeks annual leave, my partner will take 2 then my sister will take a week off to watch the kids. We don’t want to ask grandparents to watch the children just yet. So we won’t get a holiday together this year. I’m just hoping we get nice weather to maybe do day trips when we are off work.

I do the random days cos I'm too skint to go on holiday and a whole week/fortnight at home would be boring, but odd days regularly feels like a little treat!

I get 29 days per year. I work a four day week.

I get 33 days A/L plus 8 PH - take 2 weeks in the summer, a few days a Christmas, Oct and Easter and then the rest part cover the eleventy billion random school holidays and in service days in either whole or half days, with DH's and the eldest DCs A/L covering the rest.

I get 5 weeks (local government). I work a 9 day fortnight, so have very other friday off. I use at least one day of leave a month turning that into 4 day weekend and a 5 day weekend if it's a bh. I work in a role that if I am not there nobody will be covering so don't like to have too long off but at Christmas work slows so tend to have 2 weeks then. And yes do sometimes book a days leave for no particular reason but to laze in garden/sofa or take the dogs to the forest.

@Oblomov21 Haha, I didn’t mean it to sound at all like I don’t approve! What people do with their time is their own business 🤷🏻‍♀️ I was just interested in how others use their leave 😊

I love a random day off with nothing planned too! It feels like such a luxury! But usually I’ll go out for lunch or for a wander at the shops, a swim, get my hair done, see a friend etc...just something random. I can’t imagine spending a day off just lying in bed napping all day and only getting up for meals! I’d be bored by 9am 🙈 Just personal preference 🤷🏻‍♀️🤣

And just to clarify, I don’t mean she takes 3 or 4 days through the year to do this. She uses more than half her leave on days off for sleep 🤷🏻‍♀️

For all those juggling school holidays etc...I’ve just had my first DC so it won’t be long before that’s me too 😅