Next Monday welcomes the last of our summer bank holidays for 2016. With 2017 offers already available, now is a good time to start thinking about next year’s travel plans. Booking early brings a host of benefits – good flight availability, a greater choice of accommodation and early bird offers which can be excellent value.
And if you are able to be creative, weaving time off around UK-wide bank holidays can stretch annual leave (on average 26 days of paid holiday per year) creating opportunities across the year for holiday getaways. Here are a few ideas (by no means exhaustive) for seasonal long and short-haul destinations that fit well around the windows created by UK bank holidays.
Christmas and New Year
This year (2016) Christmas Day will fall on a Sunday which means that the 26th and 27th December are bank holidays along with Monday 2nd January. Taking three days of annual leave can secure a 10 day Christmas break!
Short haul destinations include Southern Europe, the Canary Islands and at a push, Cape Verde. Look to the Caribbean and Mexico and the U.S. Virgin Islands for long-haul sunshine destinations. For travellers looking for a Winter break, the ski season will be well under way with a choice of destinations across Europe, USA and Canada. And don’t forget Germany and Austria’s Christmas markets during the build up to Christmas.
Easter 2017
Easter Friday (14th April) and Easter Monday (17th April) combine to create two four-day working weeks which offer the opportunity to take eight days off work and enjoy a 16 day break.
The Canary Islands and Southern Europe and Morocco are great short haul destinations at this time of year, with temperatures pleasantly rising. Spring flowers are in full bloom in the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris and at Keukenhof near Amsterdam. Also consider Dubai. Further afield, the Caribbean and Florida remain a good options for a long-haul break, with pretty reliable weather.
May 2017
The May Bank holidays (1st and 29th May) offer the chance, by taking four days off work, to create two nine day breaks.
Short-haul, consider Southern Europe – Sicily is beautiful in early May. Later in the month, the temperatures in Crete and Cyprus will be rising. And the Canary Islands are a good consistent option. Long-haul, temperatures in Bermuda will be in the mid-20s, whilst in Florida, they will be pushing high 20s. It is Winder in Peru in May – the climate is dry and temperatures can climb into the 80s – a good time to visit Machu Picchu. In South Africa, May is wine harvest season whilst in Australia, it is the best time to spot whale sharks.
August 2017
August 2017’s bank holiday falls on the 28th of the month and again offers the opportunity by taking four days annual leave, to create a nine day break.
Consider Greece for a short-haul destination in August – hot, picturesque and beautiful. The Canary Islands remain a popular alternative option. And August is a good time to holiday here in the UK. Further afield, the Seychelles and Mauritius, Indonesia and French Polynesia are all wonderful destinations. Rain fall and humidity are relatively light in August and temperatures are good.
All-year-round sunshine
Ecuador and the Galapagos are situated on the equator and enjoy consistent temperatures and weather, making them good all-year-around sunshine destinations, along with the Maldives, Seychelles and Hawaii. Closer to home, the Canary Islands are a good short-haul destination all-year-round – temperatures do dip in the Winter but remain pleasant.
If you would like further details about any of the ideas listed in this article, call Ultimate Destinations on 01923 284 148 or send an email to info@ultimatedestinations.co.uk. As an ABTA registered independent travel agent, we can shop round for you to find the best prices and tailor a holiday that meets and often exceeds your requirements, helping your annual leave stretch that little bit further. We look forward to being of service.
