How Aussies can double 2027 holidays and dodge regional airfare traps
Stretch 19 leave days into more than a month off work.
If you've already started dreaming about next year's adventure, a little early planning is all it takes to get a long holiday without blowing the travel budget.
By combining strategic annual leave with flight booking hacks, Australians can double their time off in 2027 while dodging the expensive pricing traps of travel outside capital cities.
Corporate Traveller global managing director Tom Walley said mapping out holiday leave around clusters of public holidays gives regional travellers the lead time needed to book cheaper flights.
"Public holidays in 2027 are well spaced for extended getaways, and the new Anzac Day long weekend in several states is a welcome bonus for anyone planning ahead," Mr Walley said.
"By locking in leave requests now, employees can secure the best fares and accommodation."
How to make the most of annual leave in 2027
Workers with 20 days of annual leave will be able to stretch their time off to 60 days or more in 2027 by booking around four main public holiday clusters.
Over Australia Day, taking four leave days on January 25, and from January 27 and 29, creates a nine-day break from January 23 to 31.
During the Easter break, Mr Walley recommends booking four days off after Easter, from March 30 to April 2, to secure 10 days away between March 26 and April 4.
In 2027, Good Friday is March 26 with Easter Monday closing out the celebration on March 29.
Anzac Day presents another opportunity for holidaymakers.
With the date falling on a Sunday, NSW, ACT, Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory observe a Monday public holiday on April 26.
This means that people in these states and territories can take four days of leave between April 27 and 30 for a nine-day holiday.
With seven days of leave in December 2027 and January 2028, the Christmas period can extend to 16 days of summer holidays.
Taking off December 29 to 31 and January 4 to 7 allows workers to stay away from the office from Christmas Day through to January 9.
How to beat the regional airfare trap
For travellers planning an overseas holiday in 2027, maximising annual leave is only half the battle.
The real savings come from how regional travellers book their connecting flights, Mr Walley said.
The biggest airfare trap, for travellers based in the country, is buying their regional flight and international ticket separately.
If a regional traveller wants to fly internationally, Mr Walley recommends booking the flight from the local airport, not from the nearest international airport.
"If you search for Sydney to New York and then you buy an add-on with a regional carrier, it's probably more expensive than searching for Orange to New York."
"Because domestic connections are often very expensive, it usually pays to buy a through-fare (a single ticket covering a journey on two or more airlines sold as one combined itinerary)."
He said airlines make a lot of their money on regional routes because they've often got a captive market.
But thanks to airline agreements, regional travellers can secure a connection to a major city for a much lower price, Mr Walley said.
Anna Houlahan is a journalist for Explore and the Senior. Reach out with news or updates to anna.houlahan@austcommunitymedia.com.au
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