Tag: Responsible Travel

How to get more holiday at work

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Welcome to our ultimate guide on how to get more holiday at work and maximise those precious days off! We get it – we all want more time to explore, unwind, and recharge without sacrificing our work commitments. In this blog, we spill the beans on clever time management techniques and the art of striking the perfect work-life balance. From mastering the art of requesting time off to planning strategic annual leave days, we’ve got you covered. Say goodbye to endless hours of daydreaming about your next adventure and say hello to a well-deserved break without the stress!

Both Scott and I work full time, and one of the things we get asked constantly is “how are you always on holiday?”. Admittedly, it does probably seem like that seeing as we manage to get away at least 4 or 5 times a year, but really, we are just very smart about using our annual leave. We both only use around 23 days holiday a year, but we time our leave to make the most of every single day, and here’s how…

Book as much of your leave in advance as possible.

If you get ahead of the game, not only are you getting first-dibs on the days you want, but you’ll also make sure you’re actually booking your holiday and spreading it out, rather than getting towards the end of the year and panic-booking your leftover days. Also, you’re giving your employer plenty of time to find arrangements for your cover, so there shouldn’t be many reasons why they would decline the request.

Time it around bank holidays and weekends.

This one is arguably the most important if you want to get more holiday at work; play your cards right and you can have a 10-day getaway using only 4 days of your annual leave around Easter every year. Also, adding just one day onto the beginning or end of all bank holiday weekends could result in quiet a few 4-day city breaks spread out over the year, without eating into your leave allowance too much!.

Bear in mind that these can sometimes be the most popular days to book off which is why it’s so important to get in early with your holiday requests. If you want to get ahead of your colleagues, I’ve put together a cheat-sheet for how to get more holiday at work next year; How to get the most holiday in 2024, where I’ve broken down and highlighted which days to book off to turn 27 days annual leave into 52 days of holiday.

Don’t book days off un-necessarily.

Need this Friday afternoon off to go to a dentist appointment? Think about how you could try and work the hours back in the week as opposed to booking the time off (if your company allows it). Or maybe you could swap shifts with someone so you can go to that party next month? I’m not at ALL suggesting you stop living your life and work 24/7, but perhaps try and think of other ways to make your time work as opposed to jumping straight into booking holiday as your only option.

Make the most of your evenings.

If you’re looking at how to get more holiday at work, this is an easy fix. Instead of wasting an entire Saturday travelling, why not pack your bags so that you can jump in the car straight after work on the Friday evening, head to the airport and get to your destination the night before? You might want a bit of a lie-in the next morning, but you can wake up in your new destination and begin your holiday adventures a day earlier and squeeze more out of your day off.

Maximising your holiday days at work is all about striking the perfect balance between your professional commitments and your desire to explore and unwind. By using these savvy time management strategies and knowing your workplace policies (you can read about UK holiday entitlement rights here), you can unlock the secret to getting more holiday without sacrificing your career growth.

Remember, taking time for yourself is not just a luxury; it’s essential for your overall well-being and productivity. So, embrace your inner wanderluster, plan those holidays strategically, and don’t be afraid to request time off when you need it. Life’s too short not to savour every moment, and with these tips in your arsenal, you’ll be well on your way to becoming the master of your work-life balance.

Happy holidaying!  

Booking Accommodation with Airbnb

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We love Airbnb, but I found out recently that not everyone else does; some people have concerns that they’re going to be conned or that the property won’t be safe.

Let me just say, we have never had a bad experience with Airbnb… This isn’t to say that every place we’ve stayed has been 5* (some have been pretty close though), but you get what you pay for and we were fully aware what we were booking for all of our trips!

We use it for most our holiday stays and we usually find that it’s quite a bit cheaper than hotel rooms or holiday apartments, so I thought I would share some handy tips and advice for booking with Airbnb – you may soon love it as much as we do!

Check the sleeping arrangements

One of the first things that I check when booking with AirBnB are the sleeping arrangements. Just because you put in a certain amount of guests, doesn’t mean there are always that same number of actual beds available. Sometimes, they have sofa beds and futons, often meaning someone’s ‘bedroom’ will in fact be a communal space – and someone has to draw the short straw! On the main overview, underneath amenities, you will be able to see the sleeping arrangements where it tells you how many bedrooms, and what type of beds are in each.

Let’s face it, if you’re on a romantic getaway then twin beds in separate rooms isn’t exactly what you would want to see when you walk into your stay….

Sleeping arrangements when booking with AirBnB

Read the reviews!

Okay so in all honesty, I think the reason we have never had a bad stay is because I won’t book anywhere that hasn’t been reviewed yet. If it’s a brand new property that’s only just been listed, I won’t stay in it – let’s face it – nobody wants to be the guinea pig! The more reviews the better, as you get a clearer idea of the place, but even just a couple of reviews to confirm that it’s trust-worthy is enough!

The actual reviews themselves are important, as they give you honest feedback from previous guests about what works and what doesn’t with the accommodation. If you’re a light sleeper for example, the reviews will usually tell you if there are issues with the street noise, how effective the blinds/shutters are and any other information that you need to know! There’s also a search bar above the reviews where you can search for specific terms that people have used which are important to you i.e. pool, mattress, location etc..

Unique stays

Airbnb doesn’t just have people’s houses and flats available to stay in – oh no! You can find yurts, camper vans, lighthouses and castles! At the top of the page, under ‘more filters’, you can scroll down to ‘property type’ and ‘unique stays’ which have a huge range of different properties for you to whittle it down to.

If sleeping in a windmill is on your bucket list, Airbnb is a great place to go!

How to find unique stays when booking with AirBnB

Check amenities

If you’re like me (you pack half of the house when you go away for a weekend) then I’d glance a look over the amenities! Most stays will offer the basics – sheets, soap and toilet roll – but things like hairdryer, shampoo and towels can save a load of packing space, and can help you travel a lot more efficiently! It could be the difference between a cabin bag and hold luggage.

View the check-in info

This is especially important if you have a timeline that you need to stick to. Some places have very specific check-in/check-out times, which can sometimes be an issue when you have a particularly early or late flight somewhere. It’s always worth checking this before you book to be able to see whether there is any flexibility and if it fits around your schedule! Usually, the properties that offer self check in (normally the key is kept in a lock box) are best for unsociable times!

Take note of the cancellation policy

Some places on Airbnb let you cancel up to a few days before you’re due to arrive in order to get a full refund, and others only let you cancel within 48 hours of booking. If your fights and plans are all set in stone, then it shouldn’t really matter, but if you’re just going for a weekend break in your own country where plans can change, it might be an idea to choose a stay with more flexibility! It’s also worth noting this when you book anyway, just so you are aware of your rights and are prepared if the worst was to happen!

Entire place, or just a room?

To some people, the thought of staying in a room in someone’s home sounds exciting as you get to meet new people and feel safe if travelling to a new country. For us however, we prefer to stay in a place on our own so that we can feel free to come and go as we wish, and don’t have to worry about staggering in at 3am if we chose to spend the night bar-hopping and gallivanting around. At the top of the page with the filters, you have the choice to pick your ‘type of place’, where you can choose from either entire place, private room, shared room or hotel room. Private rooms are generally cheaper than the entire place, so it all depends on your preferences and your budget.

Booking with AirBnB- property type

Check the map

A great perk of booking with Airbnb is that it has a great feature on the website (and the app) where you can look at an overview of all available properties which match your requirements, on a map! This is really handy if you know there’s a rough area of a city that you’re hoping to stay in, but in my experience, the prices that are shown on the map aren’t always accurate and will quite often end up reducing when you click into the property. Winner!

If you don’t use this feature to actually search for your property, it’s always useful to double check where your desired stay is on the map, in case it’s in a rough area or miles away from the centre of where you want to be!

So that’s just about it! It’s really not that complicated, it’s just about getting to know how it works and what to look for to ensure you have the very best stay! You can find some truly amazing properties on Airbnb, you just need to have a little look around and don’t always be fooled by the first image that’s displayed. Take your time to look into the details of the properties and you can find some great homes to make your holidays wonderful!

Airbnb have also got an area for ‘experiences‘ as well, which we’re yet to try. If you’ve used this then please let us know how you got on!!!