Here’s How to Turn 15 PTO Days into 48

Here’s to even more vacation time in 2025!

As a travel advisor, I’m going to tell you how to TRIPLE your time off this year. Here’s how to maximize your vacation days and make the most of your paid time off.

You just gotta be strategic about which days you request vacation. It’s an easy hack: Plan your paid time off with holidays and office closures, which allows for more overall time out of office. Effectively, you get more vacation from the same number of vacation days.

In the U.S., the average number of paid vacation days for employees after five years is 15 days. But if you plan them right around a few holidays, they can start to multiply. By my math, if you have all typical federal holidays off, you can turn 15 days of PTO into 48 days of vacation. Maybe even 61 days of work-free time when you throw in some long weekends. Every company schedule is a bit different, so my suggestions are based on those that have all federal holidays off. I posted all my tips and the full calendar on my blog so tap the link in my bio to get your cheat sheet.

Take off 4 days in February (get nine days of vacation)
Presidents’ Day falls on Monday, February 17, this year, so if you take off February 18-21, you can enjoy a long, nine-day vacation for just four days of PTO.

Take off 2 days in June (to get five days of vacation)
Juneteenth is a Thursday in 2025, so if you take off the following Friday, June 20 and Monday, June 23 you can enjoy a five-day vacation for just two PTO days. If your company offers summer Fridays, you’ll just use one-and-a-half PTO days. For longer trips, take off the 16-18 as well so your five PTO days can extend to 10 days of vacation

Take off May 23 or July 7 or August 29 (get four days of vacation for the price of 1)
Extending your Memorial Day weekend, Independence Day weekend, or Labor Day weekend with one PTO day. For some, the Friday before Memorial Day is a half-day, which means you’ll only have to take half-day of PTO to get a four-day weekend. Take the Monday following July 4 off to get a similarly beneficial deal, or the Friday before Labor Day for the final hurrah of summer. If you get summer Fridays, the one before Labor Day is likely the last of the year—and it means you’ll only have to take half a day off.

Take off November 28 (get four days of vacation)
This is the one most people already do but don’t even realize the same concept applies all year ’round!  Thanksgiving lands on November 27, so if you take the 28 off you’ll be able to luxuriate in a four-day weekend for the price of one PTO day. If you get Black Friday off—or are just looking to extend your vacation—take off November 26 too.

Take off December 22-24, 26, and 29-31 (turn 7 days into 13 days of vacation)
Make this year’s Christmas one you won’t forget, by taking off the week before and after Christmas Day. Seven days of PTO turn into 13 days of vacation (including New Year’s Day). Plus, if you dip into your 2026 PTO and take off Jan 2 and 3, your vacation can be extended to 17 days.  For those that have company-wide closures between December 25 and January 1, you’ll be able to save even more PTO than you thought, securing 17 days of vacation for just 4 PTO days.

Here’s to a 2025 in which you can vacation more than ever.

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