Maximize Your PTO in 2026: Smart Travel Planning Around U.S. Holidays

The key to traveling more isn’t just having more time off but using your paid time off (PTO) strategically. At Time Off Trips, I believe in making the most of every long weekend and holiday. This guide walks you through the 2026 U.S. federal holiday calendar, showing you how to stretch your PTO and turn short holiday weekends into extended getaways.

2026 U.S. Federal Holidays

• New Year’s Day: Thursday, January 1

• Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Monday, January 19

• Washington’s Birthday (Presidents’ Day): Monday, February 16

• Memorial Day: Monday, May 25

• Juneteenth: Friday, June 19

• Independence Day (observed): Friday, July 3 (since July 4 falls on Saturday)

• Labor Day: Monday, September 7

• Columbus Day: Monday, October 12

• Veterans Day: Wednesday, November 11

• Thanksgiving Day: Thursday, November 26

• Christmas Day: Friday, December 25

With some strategic planning, you can turn a three-day weekend into a five-day getaway. Maximize federal holidays by adding on one or two PTO days to it. For example, if a holiday falls on a Monday, consider taking the Friday before and/or following Tuesday off to enjoy a longer, more relaxing trip without burning through your vacation balance. These simple scheduling hacks can help you travel more while using less PTO.

To help you visualize how to make the most of your time off in 2026, here’s an example of a smart PTO strategy. With just 12 PTO days, you can unlock 40+ days off throughout the year by pairing your vacation days with long weekends and holiday breaks.

Here’s how it can look:

1. New Year’s Day

• Holiday: Wednesday, Jan 1

• Take off: Thursday, Jan 2 and Friday, Jan 3 (2 PTO days)

• Total break: Jan 1–5 (5 days off)

2. Presidents Day

• Holiday: Monday, Feb 16

• NO PTO needed

• Total break: Feb 14–16 (3 days off)

3. Memorial Day

• Holiday: Monday, May 25

• Take off: Friday, May 22 (1 PTO day)

• Total break: May 22–25 (4 days off)

4. Independence Day

• Holiday: Friday, July 3 (observed)

• Take off: Monday, July 6

• Total break: July 3–6 (4 days off)

5. Labor Day

• Holiday: Monday, Sept 7

• Take off: Friday, Sept 4 (1 PTO day)

• Total break: Sept 4–7 (4 days off)

6. Veterans Day

• Holiday: Wednesday, Nov 11

• Take off: Thursday, Nov 12 and Friday, Nov 13 (2 PTO days)

• Total break: Nov 11–15 (5 days off)

7. Thanksgiving

• Holiday: Thursday, Nov 26

• Take off: Friday, Nov 27 (1 PTO day)

• Total break: Nov 26–29 (4 days off)

8. Christmas + New Year’s 2027

• Holiday: Friday, Dec 25 (Christmas) and Thursday, Jan 1 (New Year’s Day)

• Take off: Dec 28–31 (4 PTO days)

• Total break: Dec 25–Jan 1 (8 days off)

This approach gives you the flexibility to plan several quick getaways. Alternatively, it can also help you plan for saving your PTO for longer summer and year-end travel. With a bit of strategy, you can enjoy multiple trips in 2026 even with limited leave.

Your 2026 PTO Blueprint

1. Use red-eye flights to your advantage
Fly overnight to arrive early at your destination without losing a day to travel. This works especially well for travel from the West Coast to the East Coast or from the East Coast to Europe.

2. Schedule flights after work
Choose evening departures the day before your PTO starts to squeeze in extra travel time without dipping into your vacation days.

3. Consider less popular travel days
If you opt for an evening departure, consider traveling on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, which often have lower airfare and fewer crowds.

4. Use travel time to your benefit
Travel between destinations on overnight sleeper trains or buses to reach new cities without wasting precious daylight hours on transfers or having to spend extra on another hotel booking. Check out the Santa Claus Express in Finland as a great example of this!

5. Track your PTO early
Map out your year in advance and plug in potential long weekends. Seeing your days visually helps with early planning and better coordination.

6. Sign up for flight deal alerts
Websites like Going, Skyscanner, and Google Flights let you monitor fare drops so you can grab deals around the holidays that you would like to take off.

7. Fly out of alternative airports
Smaller or nearby airports can sometimes offer cheaper and better-timed flights. Don't forget to consider all options!

8. Be flexible with destinations
If you’re set on specific dates (like around a holiday), be open to new places. Let your time frame decide your destination. Tools like Google Flights and Skyscanner allow you to search “anywhere” on specific dates, helping you uncover affordable or unexpected spots that fit your schedule.

Tips to Book Smart & Save PTO

Whether you’re dreaming of a quick long weekend or an extended getaway, these tips will help you make every day count.

Where will 2026 take you? Let's work together to design a custom travel plan for your schedule and interests!