Are you using all your holiday entitlement?
With only a month to go for many before the end of the annual leave year, have you made the most of your time off from work?
For many, the Easter break marks not only a couple of days off work for the bank holiday, but also the end of the year’s annual leave. While it will be a time to kick back and relax for most of us, a growing proportion will be unhappy that yet again they have failed to take all of the days off they are entitled to from their job and that they have again waved goodbye to some of their annual leave allowance.
Last year TravelSupermarket researched how many days we failed to take. It was a staggering 6.2 million days of leave that we are entitled to, equating to £500 million worth of paid days to our employers.
So what should you do to ensure that you get all of the breaks you deserve?
It’s all about the planning and organising. Whether you are about to start your new annual leave cycle, or if you are already part way through the year, the first thing to do is to ensure you know how many days you are entitled to. If you don’t know, check with your boss and at the same time get to know your company’s annual leave policy.
The next thing is to get planning when you can take the time off and when you would like to be on your holiday from the day to day grind. If you have school age children you may need to factor in days during the holidays or for ‘in service’ days when the kids are suddenly off school in term time. The last thing you want is for these to come and surprise you and leave you with childcare problems.
Once you have a good idea of when you want to be off, then get to work booking the days with your employer. As soon as you know you have these secure you can start the planning for your time off, especially if you are looking to travel away on holiday. The earlier you plan and research deals, especially in the peak holiday weeks, the better the deal you are likely to get.
And of course, you don’t need to actually book a holiday away to make the most of your time off. It’s a great way to pack in mini weekends away using a day’s leave or to take some time to go on day trips and adventures within the UK.
The fact that you are doing something different from the norm will make all the difference with over 62 per cent of Brits claiming they relax within one night’s sleep when they are away from home. No doubt your boss will welcome you back refreshed after some time off so it’s another great reason to get time booked in.
And with many worrying they can’t actually afford to do anything if they take time off from work, then it’s an incentive to see what you can change in your day-to-day life to make a few little savings here and there to save for your break.
When we asked 5,000 Brits what they would give up to ensure they could go away, 43 per cent said they would give up things like daily takeaway coffees and 44 per cent said they would cut back on clothes spending. The daily coffee can cost the average Brit over £500 a year, easily the cost of a holiday abroad, a weekend for two or several days out with the kids.
So don’t leave it too late and waste your leave. Get those days booked in now and take what you are entitled to. You’ll feel better for it and glad you took that time out.
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