COVID has done a number on everyone’s vacay plans, we’re all working harder than ever before, and we need –– nay, we deserve –– a bit of good travel related news. And here it is: You can double your annual leave in 2021, from 20 days off to 48, if you’re smart (and a little sneaky) about how and when you take time off.

Yes, the rumours are true. If you’re strategic about when and how you plan out your annual leave dates in 2021, you can more than double amount of time you’ll spend out-of-the-office.

Basically, you can turn your two weeks of annual leave into well over a month off, over the space of 2021.

Between December 25th and January 3rd, you can book three leave days on December 29th, 30th and 31st, and rake in a whopping ten days off, courtesy of public holiday and weekend placements.

From January 23rd to January 31st, you can use just four annual leave days and get nine days out of the office, by booking leave on January 25th, 27th, 28th and 29th.

April and May is another gold mine for strategic leave bookers. Friday April 2nd to Sunday April 11th: Four days of annual leave between April 6th and April 9th will yield ten days off, thanks to public holidays on Friday April 2nd, Monday April 5th and a weekend either side.

Later in the month, Saturday April 24th to Sunday May 2nd: booking four days of annual leave from May 27th to May 30th, will give you nine days off, from May 24th to May 2nd, thanks to a public holiday and two weekends.

Saturday December 25th to Sunday January 2nd: Last, but not least, booking leave for three days in December 2021, from , leave dates on Wednesday December 29th to Friday December 31st, will actually get you a very tidy nine days off, courtesy of a weekend, followed by two public holidays back to back, followed by another weekend.

And hey, who knows… by then, COVID might be a thing of the past and international travel might be a reality once again. No harm in snagging the leave dates, right?

Related travel news: IKEA has launched Vacations in a Box, so you can recreate the travel experience at home