Ducoffs.com
Most American workers get somewhere between 10 and 15 vacation days a year. Used one or two at a time, they disappear without much to show for it. Used strategically around weekends and public holidays, the same days can become four or five proper trips.
This guide explains the simple math behind "stacking" time off, the best holidays to build around, and how to avoid paying peak prices for the privilege.
The basic idea
A public holiday that falls on a Monday or Friday already gives you a three-day weekend. Add four vacation days next to it and you have nine days off in a row, from Saturday to the following Sunday. That is a full week away for just four days of leave.
Holidays that fall midweek are even better. When a holiday lands on a Thursday, taking just the Friday gives you a four-day weekend.
- Monday holiday + 4 days off (Tuesday to Friday) = 9 days away
- Thursday holiday + 1 day off (Friday) = 4 days away
- Two holidays in one week, such as Christmas and New Year, + 3 to 4 days off = 10 days away
The best U.S. holidays to build around
Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Martin Luther King Jr. Day always fall on a Monday, which makes them easy to extend. Thanksgiving gives most workers Thursday and Friday off, so adding three days before it creates a nine-day break. The Christmas to New Year period offers the biggest return of all, though it is also the most expensive time to travel.
Presidents' Day in February is one of the best-value holidays to extend. It falls in a cheap travel month for most destinations, so you get a long trip without paying peak fares.
Use the vacation planner on any flight page
Every Ducoffs.com flight page includes a vacation-day planner. Choose how many days off you have and it finds the upcoming holidays that give you the most time away, then fills the dates into the flight search with one click.
Try it on popular routes like New York to Miami, Chicago to Orlando, Dallas to Cancun, or Atlanta to London.
How to avoid paying peak prices
Holiday weekends are expensive because everyone travels at the same time. You can get most of the benefit without most of the cost by shifting your trip a day or two.
- Fly out on the holiday itself, which is often quieter than the day before
- Return on a Tuesday or Wednesday instead of Sunday
- Pick destinations that are off-season during that holiday, such as Europe over Presidents' Day or the Caribbean in early November
- Book flights earlier than usual, about two to three months ahead for holiday weekends
Trip ideas by length
Four-day weekends are perfect for short flights to big cities or beaches. From Tampa, New York is under three hours. From Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Francisco are about an hour. From Miami, Nassau and San Juan are quick international escapes.
Nine-day breaks open up Europe, Hawaii, and longer Caribbean trips. Consider New York to Rome, Los Angeles to Honolulu, or Chicago to Dublin.
With ten days or more, Asia is within reach. Los Angeles to Tokyo is an ideal first long-haul trip; see our first-timer's guide to Tokyo for help planning it.
Plan the whole year at once
The best time to plan your vacation days is at the start of the year, before colleagues book theirs. Sketch out three or four trips around the holidays, then book flights for the first one. Spreading trips throughout the year also helps avoid the burnout that comes from waiting months between breaks.
