Blog How to Maximise Your Annual Leave for 2025 and Leave More Time for Camping

If there’s one thing camping enthusiasts can agree on it’s that life is better when you balance your busy work life with as many days living the good life in your camper as possible! If you work hard but want to play even harder, this one is for you. We’re going to show you exactly how to maximise your annual leave by strategically planning your time off around public holidays and weekends, so you can potentially turn 20 annual leave days into 45 days of camping adventure!

January

Australia Day falls on a Sunday in 2025, so to score yourself a three-day long weekend from Saturday 25th – Monday 27th January, be sure to lock Monday 27th January in as an annual leave day.

April/May 2025

Thanks to the 2 public holidays either side of the weekend at Easter, April is always a popular time to plan a getaway. To maximise your annual leave and turn Easter into a 10-day break, all you need to do is request Tuesday 22nd April, Wednesday 23rd April, and Thursday 24th April off. That’s right, by taking just 3 annual leave days and utilising the fact that ANZAC day falls on the Friday after Easter, you can plan an extended adventure in your camper from Friday 18th April all the way to Sunday 27th April.

In 2025 Queenslanders can get real bang for their buck – potentially taking 8 days annual leave and ending up with an 18 day break! Go for the Easter stretch, include ANZAC Day and add the week of 28th to 2nd May 2025 for the Labour Day long weekend and you could be off work from 18th April 2025 to 5th May 2025 inclusive.

December 2025/January 2026

Planning a fishing trip with your mates, or looking forward to some quality time with family over the Christmas break? You can maximise your annual leave and turn 5 of your annual leave days into a 12-day break. Not too shabby, eh? By organising in advance with your employer to take off Tuesday 23rd December, Wednesday 24th December, Monday 29th December, Tuesday 30th December, Wednesday 31st December, and Friday 2nd January. This will give you from Tuesday 23rd December through to Sunday 4th January to fit in some end-of-year travel.

If you have the standard 20 days of annual leave, this still leaves you with 10 days up your sleeve. We recommend looking at what other public holidays your state observes. For example, for Victorians Melbourne Cup Day falls on Tuesday 4th November, so by using an annual leave day on Monday 3rd November, you could secure yourself a nice little 4-day break. You get the idea!

Camping Spots Within 2 Hours of Your Capital City

The great thing is that, thanks to the diversity of the Australian landscape, you don’t have to go far to find adventure. There are so many great camping options within just 2 hours of each capital city. Here are just a few you might like to add to the wish list!

• Melbourne: Yarra Valley and the Dandenong Ranges, Mornington Peninsula
• Sydney: For a comprehensive list, read our Top Ten Places to Camp Within 2 Hours of Sydney
• Brisbane: Bribie Island – Ocean Beach camping, Brisbane Valley Rail Trail

What are you waiting for? We’ve done all the hard work for you! Now all you need to do is square those dates with your employer and start planning where to take your JAWA off-road camper in 2024!