Thanks to the global COVID pandemic, it’s been almost two years since Aussies have been able to take a real, honest-to-goodness, old fashioned holiday either interstate or overseas. 

But perk up, 2022 is the ideal year to make up for lost time. This year, you can actually double your annual leave, turning 23 days into a whopping 54 days off. 

All you need to do is be strategic about when you take leave days, and you can turn two weeks (or so) of annual leave into well over a month off, over the course of the year. Here’s how maximise your paid time off in 2022. 

January 

In 2021, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day both fall on weekends, meaning there are several ‘substitute’ public holidays throughout December and January. 

Monday December 27 will be the stand-in public holiday for Christmas, meanwhile Monday January 3 will become a public holiday for New Year’s Day. 

This means that if you book four days of annual leave on December 28, 29, 30 and 31, you’ll rake in a whopping ten days off, courtesy of public holiday and weekend placements.

In addition, with Australia Day falling on Wednesday January 26 this year, from January 24 to January 30, you can use just four annual leave days and get seven days out of the office, by booking leave on January 24, 25, 27 and 28.

Related story: These are Airbnb’s 10 most wishlisted stays in Australia

April and May

April and May 2022 is another gold mine for strategic leave bookers, with Easter holidays and Anzac Day offering another chance to set your OOO for a decent amount of time. 

Good Friday and its accompanying public holiday will fall on April 15 this year, and Easter Monday – which will also be a public holiday – falls on April 18. 

Anzac Day 2022 will be on Monday April 25 — another public holiday. 

This means that if you book four days of annual leave between April 19 and April 22, you’ll get a whopping 11 days of freedom, thanks to the public holidays on Friday April 15, Monday April 16, Monday April 25 and a weekend on either side. 

If you’re feeling particularly bold, you can take another four days of annual leave from Tuesday April 26 through Friday April 29 and score an extended 17-day vacay.

Related story: 50 low-key Australian getaways where you can keep your distance this summer

May and June

Depending which Australian state you’re based in, May and June also offer a chance to maximise your annual leave, with key public holidays in several states. 

For all states except Queensland and WA, the Queen’s birthday long weekend means a public holiday on Monday June 13. If you’re based in NSW, Victoria, SA, Tassie, the NT or ACT and book four days of annual leave from Tuesday June 14 through to Friday June 17, you’ll score a tidy nine days off. 

If you’re based in the ACT, there’s also a public holiday on Reconciliation Day, which marks the beginning of National Reconciliation Week. In 2022, Reconciliation Day falls on Monday May 30, which means Canberrans who book four days leave between Tuesday May 31 and Friday June 3 can score an extra nine days off. 

In Western Australia, the Queen’s Birthday falls on Monday September 26 and in Queensland it falls on Monday October 3. 

(Interestingly enough, none of these dates is actually the Queen’s real birthday. That’s April 21.)

Related story: Australia’s 50 best natural pools for your summer swim sesh

October

The ACT, NSW and SA will celebrate Labour Day on Monday October 3, offering another chance to use the same strategy. By booking four days of annual leave on October 4, 5, 6 and 7, you’ll bag nine days’ holiday from Saturday October 1 through to Monday October 10. 

Queensland celebrates Labour Day on Monday May 2, Victoria on March 14, and WA on March 7. Meanwhile Tasmania has Eight Hours Day on March 14 and the NT celebrates May Day on May 2. 

Any of these Monday public holiday dates, no matter where they fall throughout the year, offer a chance to use the old ‘four days of leave for nine days off’ tactic described above to yield extra holiday time.

Related story: Bookmark these 50 solo travel destinations for your post corona vacay

December 2022 and January 2023

Just like last year, Christmas and New Year’s will fall on weekends again, pushing the public holiday dates forward to the following Monday. 

The Christmas public holiday will be Monday December 27 and the New Year’s Day public holiday will take place on January 2, 2023, giving us all yet another chance to catch up on the last two years of much-needed holiday time. 

By booking leave for three days in December 2022, with leave dates on Wednesday December 28, Thursday December 29 and Friday December 30, you’ll snag yourself ten wonderful days off, courtesy of a weekend, followed by two public holidays back-to-back, followed by another weekend, and another Monday public holiday. 

Yep, by 2023, we should be almost ready to tackle work again. 

Related story: 100 cities that deserve a place on your post-pandemic bucket list

Public holidays in 2022

Here is a complete list of Australian public holidays in 2022.