Full-Time Traveler Explains Hack For Getting 42 Days Off Work A Year Using Only 10 Vacation Days
Make the most of your PTO this year!
Peera_Stockfoto / Shutterstock / @sunday_travel / TikTok Extra vacation days are always an opportunity you cannot afford to miss, especially since most companies only offer employees a week or two of them. Thankfully, one travel expert reveals how you can score 42 days off work using only 10 vacation days in the year 2023, and it’s all about smart scheduling and efficient planning.
The full-time traveler shares how to use PTO so that you have extended time off.
Liz (@sunday_travel) is a TikTok user who shares her travel tips as a remote worker and offers advice on how to wisely balance work life with travel. In one of her videos, Liz reveals how exactly employees can make the most of their paid time off (PTO) by having off work for 42 days while using only 10 of their vacation days.
On average, employees are given 10 to 14 days per year. They may receive extra vacation days depending on how long they have been with a company.
According to Liz, it is best for employees to use their vacation days close to holidays when companies already have off for the day so that they get consecutive days off. She lists the most ideal days to take vacation based on the 2023 federal holiday calendar.
“By mid-June, we will have 15 days off with the observed federal holidays,” she says. If employees want 42 days of vacation while only using 10 of their paid vacation days, Liz shares that it is best to take your first vacation day on Monday, July 3rd, the day before July 4th. This way, you will already have a four-day weekend.
The most ideal time to use your vacation days in 2023 is between Veterans Day and Thanksgiving.
“You will then use the remaining nine days of vacation between Veteran’s Day and Thanksgiving, giving you a consecutive 17 days of vacation,” Liz says. In 2023, Veterans Day will be on Friday, November 10 and Thanksgiving will be on Thursday, November November 23, with November 24th being an observed holiday.
When you add the Christmas holiday, it totals up to 42 days off a year.
“If your work has any flexibility I also recommend requesting to work remotely three days a week so that we have three-day weekends,” Liz suggests. “You’ll get two weekends to enjoy your destination and it’ll feel like you’re getting a full week instead of just a long weekend.”
Putting in time off requests as soon as possible is key to getting your vacations approved.
Since these specific days are often popular days to travel, with 42% of American adults traveling around the Thanksgiving holiday, Liz encourages employees to request off as far in advance as they can to ensure they do not overlap with their co-workers’ requests. She also advises employees to book their travel plans as soon as they can since popular vacation destinations tend to book up.
Liz uploaded a Google spreadsheet detailing her vacation day planning schedule that others could use as a reference if they wanted to do the same thing.
Although every company policy regarding vacation time varies and employees may not be granted their time-off requests, it is best to plan ahead and have a conversation with your employer beforehand to ensure that you are making the most of your limited time off.
We all deserve a vacation, and when our jobs offer us paid hours to take one, it’s an opportunity we cannot pass up!
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.