The start of 2026 means many employees will have their paid time off balances updated for the year. With strategic planning and travel know-how, you can make your vacation even more rewarding.
One popular strategy, sometimes referred to as “PTO maximization” on social media, is to incorporate vacation time into holidays and weekends to get the most out of your time off. By doing so, some estimates suggest that by using just 10 to 15 days of paid vacation this year, you can get about 40 days of vacation.
Of course, maximizing your paid time off may not work within everyone’s schedule, your team’s needs, or your employer’s policies. But it can be strategically placed every day.
There are 11 federal holidays in the United States this year, some of which fall on Mondays. If you request time off on the previous Friday or the following Tuesday, you’ll suddenly have 4 days off instead of just 1 day of paid time off. Similarly, if Friday is a holiday, requesting the previous Thursday or the following Monday will create a four-day vacation.
If you are planning a trip, you can also save money by taking an extra day.
“If you can fit a day off into a three-day weekend, you have a little bit of an edge because you don’t have to fly on the same day everyone else is flying,” said Tom Carpenter, co-owner of travel agency Huckleberry Travel.
For big holidays like Thanksgiving, when many people travel to spend time with family, you can request time off from Monday through Wednesday and Friday if your employer hasn’t designated a company holiday yet. There are two weekends on either side of Thanksgiving week, so using your 4 days of paid time off gives you 9 days of vacation.
And if you frequently travel for work, consider adding paid time off to your business trips if possible, since your company already covers your travel expenses and you’re already at your destination, Carpenter says.
travel tips
If you want to make the most of your PTO, you’ll also want to keep in mind some tips for increasing your profits.
Pay attention to events happening at your destination and time of year. These events can impact hotel and residential rental availability, pricing, and crowding. (February might be a bad time to visit Milan, especially if you’re not going to the Winter Olympics.)
According to Carpenter, the best time to book flights is 1.5 to 4 months out. Any earlier and you won’t get any real benefit, and any later the price will start to rise. When it comes to flights, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays tend to be cheaper than other days, he added.
For short vacations, consider flying direct from the airport to minimize travel time and spend more time locally at your destination.
Plan ahead wherever you go.
“If you think about the weekend holidays when a lot of people travel, they’re going to run out of stock faster than a random weekday trip,” Carpenter said. “There is no such thing as a last-minute deal.”
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