Annual leave hack: How to get up to 62 days off in 2024

Here's the ultimate Australian travel hack to maximise your holidays in 2024 by turning 20 days of annual leave into up to 62 days off.

Full-time workers are legally entitled to 20 days of standard annual leave per year.

With that said, it's possible to significantly extend your time off work into larger blocks. All that's required is some careful planning around public holidays.

Depending on the state or territory you live in, you can turn 20 days of annual leave into up to 62 days off in 2024.

For example, Christmas and Boxing Day fall on a Wednesday and Thursday this year. Taking time off from 23 December through to 1 January 2025 gets you loads of time off without using too many days.

Here's how to get the best bang for your buck in select states and territories.

New South Wales

There are 9 official public holidays in NSW in 2024. To get the most consecutive days off, plan for these breaks:

You could place the bonus weekend anywhere you like – I just positioned it to spread the holidays out.

To achieve this, book these dates for your annual leave:

• Mon 22 Apr 2024
• Tue 23 Apr 2024
• Wed 24 Apr 2024
• Fri 26 Apr 2024
• Tue 11 Jun 2024
• Wed 12 Jun 2024
• Thu 13 Jun 2024
• Fri 14 Jun 2024
• Mon 5 Aug 2024
• Tue 8 Oct 2024
• Wed 9 Oct 2024
• Thu 10 Oct 2024
• Fri 11 Oct 2024
• Mon 23 Dec 2024
• Tue 24 Dec 2024
• Fri 27 Dec 2024
• Mon 30 Dec 2024
• Tue 31 Dec 2024
• Thu 2 Jan 2025
• Fri 3 Jan 2025

Victoria

There are 11 official public holidays in Victoria in 2024. For the most consecutive days off, aim for these breaks:

We're maxing out leave here by taking advantage of the AFL Grand Final holiday, a Victorian exclusive.

To get this result, book these dates for your annual leave:

• Mon 22 Apr 2024
• Tue 23 Apr 2024
• Wed 24 Apr 2024
• Fri 26 Apr 2024
• Tue 11 Jun 2024
• Wed 12 Jun 2024
• Thu 13 Jun 2024
• Fri 14 Jun 2024
• Mon 30 Sep 2024
• Tue 1 Oct 2024
• Wed 2 Oct 2024
• Thu 3 Oct 2024
• Fri 4 Oct 2024
• Mon 23 Dec 2024
• Tue 24 Dec 2024
• Fri 27 Dec 2024
• Mon 30 Dec 2024
• Tue 31 Dec 2024
• Thu 2 Jan 2025
• Fri 3 Jan 2025

Queensland

There are 9 official public holidays in Queensland in 2024. To get the most days off, aim for these breaks:

You could place the bonus weekend I've put in August anywhere you like.

To get this result, book these dates:

• Mon 22 Apr 2024
• Tue 23 Apr 2024
• Wed 24 Apr 2024
• Fri 26 Apr 2024
• Tue 7 May 2024
• Wed 8 May 2024
• Thu 9 May 2024
• Fri 10 May 2024
• Mon 5 Aug 2024
• Tue 8 Oct 2024
• Wed 9 Oct 2024
• Thu 10 Oct 2024
• Fri 11 Oct 2024
• Mon 23 Dec 2024
• Tue 24 Dec 2024
• Fri 27 Dec 2024
• Mon 30 Dec 2024
• Tue 31 Dec 2024
• Thu 2 Jan 2025
• Fri 3 Jan 2025

ACT

There are a whopping 11 official public holidays in the ACT in 2024. Here's how to space them for maximum effect:

You could place the bonus weekend anywhere you like – that's useful for weddings, birthdays and other anniversaries.

To achieve this result, book these dates for your annual leave:

• Mon 22 Apr 2024
• Tue 23 Apr 2024
• Wed 24 Apr 2024
• Fri 26 Apr 2024
• Tue 11 Jun 2024
• Wed 12 Jun 2024
• Thu 13 Jun 2024
• Fri 14 Jun 2024
• Mon 5 Aug 2024
• Tue 8 Oct 2024
• Wed 9 Oct 2024
• Thu 10 Oct 2024
• Fri 11 Oct 2024
• Mon 23 Dec 2024
• Tue 24 Dec 2024
• Fri 27 Dec 2024
• Mon 30 Dec 2024
• Tue 31 Dec 2024
• Thu 2 Jan 2025
• Fri 3 Jan 2025

You can head to our sister site Finder for all other states and territories.

As a general rule of thumb, the big nationwide public holiday periods are Easter and Christmas, so try to plan your annual leave around those dates. Good luck!