The guide on how to hack your annual leave for 2022 is here. Contrary to how it might have felt for the past two years, there is more to life than bludgeoning your fingertips on a laptop keyboard each day and only taking 15 minutes of your hour-long lunch break. There’s a big, beautiful world out there, why not get out and see it? The best way to do that, if you work five days a week, is to make your annual leave work as hard as you do.
Hacking your annual leave doesn’t require magical powers. It doesn’t even require an allen key or zip ties. All you need is a calendar and a list of bank holidays - or, better yet, this article.
There’s a big, beautiful world out there and hopefully, we'll soon be off to see it.
Of course, how much annual leave you’re going to be given for 2022 will depend on your employer. So, how to hack your annual leave 2022 will probably be a bit different for everyone. We hope that you have a boss who’s generous with annual leave, but even if you’re employed by Ebeneezer Scrooge, the basic concept of hacking your annual leave hack would still work - whether for one day off or 30.
In the UK, many people who work a full-time, five-day week all year round are entitled to 28 days of paid annual leave. What we’re going to do here is take the dream scenario where you get 28 days annual leave for 2022, plus bank holidays on top of that, and show you how to supersize your annual leave from there.
If you were to take every suggested holiday, it’d take up 28 annual leave days, and allow you 64 days off work. They’re good chunks of time off too - perfect for a life-changing adventure. The following is based on 2022 bank holidays dates in England and Wales (as Scotland and Northern Ireland have different holidays). Here is your guide to the annual leave hack 2022.
January: Annual Leave Hack 2022
Keen to start your new year right? Leave the hangover at home and get an adventure lined up to start your year off right. 2022 is a fresh start, and after 2021 (and 2020) restricting our movement, we reckon there’s more than a few travellers out there feeling like they certainly need one. What’s it to be for you?
Bank holidays in January 2022: Monday 3 Jan (Monday - New Year’s Day, substitute day)
Days away from the office: 10 (Fri 31 December - Sun 9 January)
Days to book off work: 4-7 January (4 days)
Annual Leave Hack Adventure ideas for January 2022:
- Trek Ecuador's Avenue of Volcanoes to Cotopaxi (31 Dec - 9 Jan)
- Trek the Torres del Paine in Patagonia (8-16 Jan)
- Ultimate Arctic Circle Adventure in Norway (4-7 Jan)
- Summit Ben Nevis & Learn Winter Skills (7-9 Jan)
April: Annual Leave Hack 2022
Spring has sprung and Easter has arrived. Alongside it come two Easter bank holidays. That means not just a long weekend, but a really long weekend. Take off the four days remaining either side of it, and you’ve got a period that'll last over two weeks long where you can go and play (and eat lots of chocolate).
Bank holidays in April 2022: Friday 15 April (Good Friday) and Monday 18 April (Easter Monday).
Days away from the office: 16 (Sat 9 - Sunday 25 April)
Days to book off work: April 11-14 (4 days) & April 19-22 (4 days)
Annual Leave Hack Adventure ideas for April 2022:
- Raft, Kayak and Hike the Canyons of Albania (13-18 April)
- Explore Jordan and Sleep in a Martian Dome (14-19 April)
- Isle of Rum Expedition in Scotland (20-24 April)
- Climb Mount Toubkal in Morocco (21-25 April)
May: Annual Leave Hack 2022
The early May bank holiday (aka May Day) is probably the most niche bank holiday in the UK calendar. It's the one that everyone forgets is coming until it arrives and you randomly have Monday off work. Instead of going through that process again in 2022, how about booking off the four days after it, freeing up nine days in total off work, and clearing up plenty of adventure time?
Bank holidays in May 2022: Monday 2 May (Early May Bank Holiday)
Days away from the office: 9 (30 April - 8 May)
Days to book off work: 3-6 May (4 days)
Annual Leave Hack Adventure ideas for May 2022:
- Raft the Tara River in Montenegro (30 April - 3 May)
- Hike, Kayak and Wild Camp the Norwegian Fjords (30 April - 5 May)
- Adventure Hiking in Romania (5-8 May)
- Camping and Packraft in Finland’s Thousand Lakes (5-8 May)
June: Annual Leave Hack 2022
The Spring Bank Holiday in 2022 is being beautifully bolstered by the following day, Friday 3 June, also being a bank holiday. This is in celebration of the Platinum Jubilee - the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II on the throne. Basically, it means you get an extra day off work, and only need to take off three days to get nine in a row free. Maybe we should give The Crown a watch after all.
Bank holidays in June 2022: Thursday 2 June (Spring Bank Holiday), Friday 3 June (Platinum Jubilee bank holiday)
Days away from the office: Sat 28 May - Sun 5 June (9 days)
Days to book off work: Mon 30 May - Wed 1 June (3 days)
Annual Leave Hack Adventure ideas for June 2022:
- The Snowdon Challenge (28-29 May)
- Hike, Kayak and Wild Camp the Norwegian Fjords (2-5 June)
- Climb Mount Olympus (2-5 June)
August: Annual Leave Hack 2022
August is a month of sun, strolling and stinky hiking boots. The final huzzah of summer, it’s the time to get yourself onto a long-distance trekking trail in some part of the world you’ve never been before, and breathe it all in before Autumn arrives. How about taking yourself to the Tian Shan Mountains of Kyrgyzstan?
Bank holidays in August 2021: Monday 29 August (Summer Bank Holiday).
Days away from the office: 9 (Sat 27 August - Sun 4 Sept)
Days to book off work: 30 August - 2 September (4 Days)
Annual Leave Hack Adventure ideas for August 2022:
- Climb Mt Triglav (27-29 August)
- Trek the Tian Shan Mountains of Kyrgyzstan (27 Aug - 5 Sept)
- Trek the Republic of Georgia (28 Aug - 4 Sept)
- Adventure Hiking in Armenia (28 Aug - 4 Sept)
- Hike Slovakia’s Tatras Mountains (28 Aug - 4 Sept)
- Rewilding Adventure in Italy’s Abruzzo Mountains (31 Aug - 4 Sept)
- Raft, Hike and Canyon in Bosnia (1-4 Sept)
December: Annual Leave Hack 2022
Some people like to spend Christmas in their living room with their nearest and dearest. Fair enough - it’s a pretty nice way to spend it. Other people like to spend Christmas in the place where the magic actually happens - Finnish Lapland - and combine it with a bit of snowshoeing and skiing. Some people like to follow Christmas up by getting drunk on New Year’s Eve and starting the New Year with a hangover. Others like to create memories they’ll never forget. How does ringing in the New Year up the top of Mt Toubkal in Morocco sound?
Bank holidays in December 2021: Monday 26 December (Boxing Day) and 27th December (Christmas Day substitute day) + 1st January (New Year’s Day 2023, flying cars and such).
Days away from the office: 10 days (24 Dec - 3 Jan)
Days to book off work: 24 Dec, 28-30 Dec (4 days)
Annual Leave Hack Adventure ideas for December 2022:
- Ice, snow and sauna in Finnish Lapland (24-28 Dec)
- 100km Jungle Expedition in the Heart of Colombia (28 Dec - 4 Jan)
- Spend New Year’s Eve on Mt Toubkal (30 Dec - 3 Jan)
Inspired? Check out our full range of adventure holidays now!