Life Hack: How to hack your annual leave in 2026 to take longer breaks from work

Including how to turn three days of annual leave into a 10-day stretch off work

With some strategic planning, your basic annual leave allowance can translate into long, enjoyable breaks.

Christmas is fast approaching, and many of us are counting the few days — if any — of annual leave we have left to use before the end of the year.

If you feel like you have squandered your days for 2025 and want to really get the benefit from longer breaks next year, you can do this very easily without fruitlessly begging HR for more days to be added to your allowance.