It’s the start of a new year, and our wanderlust is itching again! But let’s be real—most of us working in the U.S. don’t get nearly as much PTO as we’d like. Compared to many European countries that enjoy 20+ days of annual leave, we’ll be lucky to receive 10-15 days (if any at all).
However, that doesn’t mean we can’t make the most of it. So if you’re determined to maximize your PTO and make travel a bigger part of your life, you’ve come to the right place. Now’s the perfect time to plan all your next adventures!
Every year, I challenge myself to fit in at least one big international trip and one domestic adventure, plus a few quick getaways—and trust me, it’s totally doable with some clever planning.
So grab your 2025 calendar and let’s figure out how to turn those precious PTO days into epic adventures you’ll never forget.
Are you ready? Let’s do this!
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Tips for Maximizing PTO for Longer Vacations
If you want to maximize your paid time off, we’ll need to use some strategies. Here are some tips to help you stretch those precious PTO days into as many adventures as possible:
1. Quick Getaways on Holiday Weekends
Did you know there are five federal holidays that always fall on a Monday? These are Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Columbus Day.
Take advantage of these guaranteed long weekends throughout the year for quick short trips, allowing you to explore new destinations while saving your paid time off for bigger adventures.
Here’s an itinerary for the best of Boston in one day!
If you can’t resist the urge for a longer trip, adding just one to two PTO days can turn a long weekend into a four to five-day vacation. That’s enough time for a nearby international adventure!
With just five days, I was able to fly from NYC to Vancouver and had an incredible time exploring the city. From the waterfronts to the nature walks, it’s amazing how much can fit into a five-day itinerary to Vancouver!
2. Half Days Strategies
If you plan strategically, you don’t always need to take a full day off. Heading out early on a Friday afternoon or starting later on a Monday can give you more time for your trip without using up a full day’s worth of PTO hours. It’s perfect for maximizing a long weekend.
For example, if your flight departs in the late afternoon or evening, you can work a half day in the morning and still make it to the airport on time.
On the flip side, take the morning off on the day you come back. This way, you can book an early morning return flight to maximize the last day at the destination.
If you have a flexible schedule like I do, consider adjusting your hours by starting the day earlier so you can clock out sooner, saving those additional PTO for another time! It’s all about making slight adjustments to create more time for travel without taking a full day off.
3. Take Advantage of Time Zone Differences
The best PTO hack is to use the time zone differences to your advantages. It can seriously be a game-changer to optimizing your PTO.
For example, LA is three hours behind NYC, while the flight is 6.5 hours. That means if you leave NY at 7am, you’ll arrive in LA around 10:30am. You got a whole day to explore!
Combine this with the half day strategy. That means if you work half a day and then head to the airport, you’ll still make it to LA in time for an afternoon stroll!
Similarly, if you’re flying east, I highly recommend overnight flights for international trips. Say you’re traveling from NYC to Rome, that’s 8.5 hours for direct flights, which is the perfect amount of time for sleeping.
Since Rome is six hours ahead of NY, if you depart NYC at 9pm (giving you enough time to finish work and take care of chores before leaving for the airport), you’ll arrive at your destination before noon!
Just drop your luggages off at a storage place before check-in and go explore!
4. Plan Ahead
Get those leave requests in early!
Many workplaces allow you to submit PTO requests for up to six months or more in advance. Planning ahead ensures you’ll be able to secure days off around popular holidays (Christmas and New Year’s) and peak travel seasons before your coworkers beat you to it.
It’s especially important to request your vacation days if you want to take off for the entire week.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) releases the federal holiday schedule years in advance—it’s already mapped out through 2030! Use this schedule as a tool to plan trips strategically around long weekends, maximizing your vacation days year after year.
5. Consider Non-Paid Time Off
If you really want to extend your travels, consider taking unpaid leave. While it’s not always ideal, it can help you lengthen your trip by bridging it with a weekend or holiday—especially when your PTO has already been maxed out.
I have a coworker who added two non-paid days to connect two holiday weekends, stretching his vacation into a full month! I’ve also taken advantage of this myself to take 5 weeks off to backpack across Europe.
Vacationing in Europe? Save some time with this Europe packing list!
Vacationing around Public Holidays: 2025
Here’s a chart of all the federal holidays in the US, along with some potential vacation days for 2025. Luckily, most holidays fall on a Monday or Thursday in 2025, giving you a four-day weekend by simply taking Friday off!
One PTO day can turn into a four-day vacation! For example, I get 13 days of annual leave per year. By connecting holidays to the weekends, I can easily turn 11 days of paid time off into 44 days of vacation time! Plus, I’ll still have one day of PTO left to extend any trips I want.
Or, follow the chart to maximize your vacation time in 2025 by using just 4 PTO days. This would allow you to take off an entire week plus two weekends, giving you 9 days of vacation.
With 13 days of paid leave, that means you could have 3 nine-day vacations and 1 four-day getaway! In one year, that’s three international trips and 1 domestic trip!
2025 Holidays | Day of the Week | Date | 1 PTO Day for 4 Vacation Days | 4 PTO Days for 9 Vacation Days |
---|---|---|---|---|
New Year’s Day | Wednesday | January 1 | Jan 2-3 (2 PTO for a 5 day trip) | Dec 30-31 & Jan 2-3 |
Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Monday | January 20 | Jan 17 | Jan 21-24 |
President’s Day | Monday | February 17 | Feb 14 | Feb 18-21 |
Memorial Day | Monday | May 26 | May 23 | May 27-30 |
Juneteenth | Thursday | June 19 | Jun 20 | Jun 16-18 & 20 |
Independence Day | Friday | July 4 | Jul 3 | Jun 30-Jul 3 |
Labor Day | Monday | September 1 | Aug 29 | Sep 2-5 |
Columbus Day | Monday | October 13 | Oct 10 | Oct 14-17 |
Veterans Day | Tuesday | November 11 | Nov 10 | Nov 10 & 12-14 |
Thanksgiving | Thursday | November 27 | Nov 28 | Nov 24-26 & 28 |
Christmas | Thursday | December 25 | Dec 26 | Dec 22-24 & 26 |
Final Thoughts on Maximizing Your PTO for Travel
Even with limited paid leave, we can still make travel a very active part in our lifestyle with a few adjustments (and sacrifices). Travel has a unique way of brightening our mood and broadening our outlook on life.
I hope that with these tips and the holiday chart, you’ll be able to make the most out of your PTO in 2025 and create memorable experiences along the way!
Now what are you waiting for? Go submit those leave requests!