Best Way to Use Your PTO to Get the Most Out of Your Vacation Days

It's about as close as you can get to "cheating" your way to the most time off without those fake sick days everyone has taken at some point.

Whether we've (cough, cough) taken sick days to extend a long weekend, vacation time, or just because, this approach below is the safe bet. So here we go with an easier way to maximize your paid time off or PTO as human resources likes to call it, for 2024. But let's be honest, it's vacation days to us even though PTO usually encompasses sick, personal, and vacation days combined.

While it's nice to have a random day off, you truly get more bang for your buck if you will, when you combine PTO with national holidays. It's not rocket science to figure this out, however here it all is laid out in front of you like a cheat sheet.

According to The Points Guy website, casually planning getaways now even if they're staycations is the best way to go if you can. Even if you can't take advantage of each national holiday, it's surprising how much you can benefit from the perfectly timed vacation requests.

Here are the national holidays for 2024 sans January 1, 2024, and below is how you can maximize them according to the Tipsy Critic on Instagram who created a handy dandy quicky outline.

• Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.: Monday, Jan. 15
• Presidents' Day: Monday, Feb. 19
• Memorial Day: Monday, May 27
• Juneteenth Independence Day: Wednesday, June 19
• Independence Day: Thursday, July 4
• Labor Day: Monday, Sept. 2
• Indigenous Peoples Day (also observed as Columbus Day): Monday, Oct. 14
• Veterans Day: Monday, Nov. 11
• Thanksgiving: Thursday, Nov. 28
• Christmas: Wednesday, Dec. 25

Also, if you're planning any overseas trips, click here to see the holidays in other countries since that could make a difference in your plans.