Take Off These Days For The Best Maximization Of Your PTO In 2025

It's no secret that Americans are severely overworked. So much so that a study by the Pew Research Center, published in 2023, found that 46% of employees in the country don't use all of their paid time off (PTO). In other words, vacations have been left in the dust. Nevertheless, life is short; let 2025 be the year you take a much-deserved break. Luckily, there are several days you can take off to maximize your PTO. The key? Federal holidays. Plan your time off around them accordingly, and you'll have a four-day weekend. Yes, really. 

Say you missed out on having a holiday recess. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is on Monday, January 20. Use your PTO for Friday, January 17, and you're scotch-free from work until January 21. This same idea applies to Memorial Day, which lands on Monday, May 26. Take off Friday, May 23, and embark on a pre-summer getaway; hit the road or fly somewhere you've never been to before. Take into account that traveling during Memorial Day weekend can be notoriously chaotic, resulting in some of the worst days of the year to fly. 

With that in mind, you could consider taking off Tuesday, May 27, rather than Friday, May 23. Use this day to travel back home to prevent dealing with traffic jams and overcrowded airports on Memorial Day. Whatever the case, the result is the same: A four-day weekend only using one day of precious PTO.

With 11 federal holidays, you could potentially have more than 50 days away from work in 2025. Of course, this all depends on how much PTO you have. That said, besides the days mentioned above, there are plenty of others you can take off to get more out of your PTO. Those who are in need of a brief summer vacation or a late Father's Day trip should take off Friday, June 20. Juneteenth National Independence Day is Thursday, June 19, meaning you'll have a four-day weekend.

In 2025, July 4 lands on a Friday. Take off Thursday, July 3, to hit the beach, barbecue, and relax before coming back to reality. However, if you're prone to having the Sunday scaries or want to keep the Independence Day celebrations going, you could opt to use your PTO for Monday, July 7 instead. If a summer vacation is out of your budget, fall offers more affordable travel opportunities. On that note, you can also have a four-day weekend in November by using your PTO on Monday, November 10, as Veterans Day is November 11.

If you know you want to use your PTO in 2025, grab a calendar and start planning. Likewise, make sure to promptly notify your employer that you'll be gone. Do you need ideas for your next trip in 2025? Keep in mind that it'll be free to visit all national parks on Federal holidays like Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, and Veterans Day, among other dates. If making itineraries isn't your strong suit, read about the best apps for making travel plans, according to expert Rick Steves.