Here’s how to get the longest holidays in 2018 while taking the least amount of time off

A LITTLE bit of planning is all it’ll take you to score a number of mini-holidays next year. Here’s all the days you should’ve already requested off.

EVERYBODY loves time off but more often than not, your workplace probably isn’t going to let you just up and leave for a week.

But if you’re organised and determined enough, there’s a way you can manage plenty of week-long, even two week holidays all throughout the year.

Here’s the days you should’ve already requested off in 2018 and the best way to get the most bang for your holiday buck.

AUSTRALIA-WIDE

Friday, December 29 or Tuesday, January 2 — Depending on how long it takes you to beat your New Year’s Eve hangover, you might want to think about taking either or both of these days off. Considering New Year’s Day, a public holiday, falls on a Monday in 2018, you’ll have plenty of time to escape your monotonous office life to bring in the New Year — and of course recover from that hangover.

Thursday, January 25 or Monday, January 29 — Whether Australia Day will stay on January 26 still remains to be seen but at the moment the day is still a public holiday meaning you could easily grab a five-day weekend by requesting either or both of these days off.

Thursday, March 29 or Tuesday, April 3 — The annual Easter holiday isn’t just good for the amount of guilt-free chocolate you can consume — it’s also chock full of public holidays. Considering Good Friday falls on March 30 this year followed by Easter Saturday on March 31 and Easter Monday on April 2, you could easily grab a six day holiday by only taking two days leave. Tasmania also has a public holiday for Easter Tuesday meaning your holiday just extended by one day.

Monday, April 23 and Tuesday, April 24 or Thursday, April 26 and Friday, April 27 — Whether you only want to take two days leave or all four, grabbing an end of April holiday is pretty easy. If you go all the way and take all four days leave, you’re looking at a nine day holiday with Anzac Day smack bang in the middle.

Monday, December 24 or Thursday, December 27 and December 28 — If you have last minute shopping to do, taking Christmas Eve off will give you an immediate five days off. Or, if you’re just looking for a break, taking Christmas Eve plus December 27, 28 and December 31 will nab you a whopping 11 days off for only four days worth of leave.

Public holidays for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve in both South Australia and Northern Territory only kick off from 7pm meaning, you’re probably still going to have to work.

This could be you — if you organise your leave early enough. Picture: Getty

LABOUR DAY AND QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY

It’s worth noting that each state and territory do offer a holiday for the Queen’s Birthday and Labour Day. While they differ in each, all of them fall on a Monday, meaning you’ll still score two long weekends through the year.

ACT

Friday, March 9 or Tuesday, March 13 to March 16 — The ACT’s Canberra Day, which celebrates the official naming of the city, means you can grab a week-long spring holiday for no reason at all.

Tuesday, May 29 to Friday, June 8 — This one’s a little more extreme but the ACT’s brand new Reconciliation Day (May 28), a replacement of Family and Community Day, means there’s two public holidays within two weeks of each other. Considering the Queen’s Birthday falls on June 11, you can take nine days leave to grab a 17 day holiday.

VICTORIA

Wednesday, November 7 to Friday, November 9 — If there’s one state that’s keen on their sport, it’s Victoria, made evident by the fact that they give their entire state a day off, November 6, for a horse race. Which means, you can take three days of leave for a six day holiday.

Victorians also get a day off work, normally a Friday in September, for the AFL Grand Final.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Friday, June 1 or Tuesday, June 5 — Our great western state might have the least amount of public holidays of all the states and territories but it still has Western Australia Day, a public holiday to celebrate the founding of the Swan River Colony.

It used to be called Foundation Day until 2011 however was renamed in 2012 after the law was changed to recognise Aboriginal Australians as the original inhabitants of WA.