Many people have asked if I “even work” a full-time job since I travel so frequently. Although I probably get more time off than the average person as a nurse, I still work full time. The truth is if you want to maximize your own PTO, you need to start thinking about your days off now. If you follow this travel guide, you can get as many as 46 days off this year! Here’s how to maximize your PTO in 2025, so that you can travel more!
I’ll also give you suggestions of places you can go during your time off!
Maximize Your PTO in 2025: Federal Holidays
There’s 11 officially recognized federal holidays in the United States. If you want to maximize your PTO in 2025, you need to use them to your advantage. Make note of them now, and request your PTO around them as soon as possible!
- New Year’s Day- Wednesday, January 1
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day- Monday, January 20
- Presidents’ Day (Washington’s Birthday)- Monday, February 17
- Memorial Day- Monday, May 26
- Juneteenth- Thursday, June 19
- Independence Day- Friday, July 4
- Labor Day- Monday, September 1
- Indigenous Peoples’ Day– Monday, October 13
- Veterans Day– Tuesday, November 11
- Thanksgiving Day- Thursday, November 27
- Christmas Day- Thursday, December 25
You’ll notice that a lot of these holidays fall on a Monday. When people think of a 4-day weekend that involves a Monday, they plan to request off the Friday before. The reality is that the Friday before a holiday is probably going to be a slow, easy day. Also, a lot of your coworkers will probably request the Friday off as well. If you take the Tuesday, you likely have a greater chance of getting your PTO approved. And you’ll miss a busier day. It’s also typically cheaper to fly on a Tuesday than it is on a Friday.
Your Monthly 2025 PTO Playbook
Here’s the monthly breakdown of when to take off in 2025, and where you should go!
January
- Federal Holiday: Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Monday, January 20)
- Request Off: Tuesday, January 21
- Total Time Off: 4 days (January 18-21)
- Where You Should Go: Consider a trip to Quebec City, Canada or Seattle, Washington. Both are still very much in the holiday spirit this time of year. They have ongoing winter festivals, and aren’t too far away if you’re traveling from the East Coast. I have a 3-day itinerary for Quebec City from NYC that you can read here! Or if you choose to go to Washington, flights from EWR to Seattle are only $257 for a non-stop on United on these dates.
February
- Federal Holiday: Presidents’ Day (Monday, February 17)
- Request Off: Tuesday, February 18th
- Total Time Off: 4 days (February 15-18)
- Where You Should Go: Consider a trip to Iceland to chase the Northern Lights! February is one of the best times of the year to see them. Iceland is close enough for a 4-day weekend from the East Coast. Airfare is admittedly more expensive around this time. A round-trip, non-stop from Baltimore’s BWI to KEF airport is $598 for these dates.
May
- Federal Holiday: Memorial Day (Monday, May 26)
- Request Off: Tuesday, May 27
- Total Time Off: 4 days (May 24-27)
- Where You Should Go: Consider a trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico. May and June are considered the shoulder season in San Juan. So you’ll have less crowds, good weather, and lower prices! A round-trip, non-stop flight out of EWR for these dates is $450 on United.
June
- Federal Holiday: Juneteenth (Thursday, June 19)
- Request Off: Friday, June 20
- Total Time Off: 4 days (June 19-22)
- Where You Should Go: June is one of the most expensive times to fly. If I was planning to take a trip around this time, I would try to keep it domestic. But, it’s also pretty hot in the US, especially on the West Coast. So if you’re feeling adventurous, consider a trip to Alaska! June is one of the best times to visit, as the weather is warmer (but not hot), and tourism season is in full swing. The most special part about visiting during these days is that you’ll be there for the Summer Solstice (the longest day of the year). Alaskans celebrate with festivals all over the state! Flights from EWR to Anchorage for these days is $586 round trip, non-stop on United (about $200 cheaper than normal!).
July
- Federal Holiday: Independence Day (Friday, July 4)
- Request Off: Monday, July 7
- Total Time Off: 4 days (July 4-7)
- Where You Should Go: July is another super expensive time to fly thanks to summer breaks. It’s best to keep travel domestic this month. But there is a relatively cheap flight from EWR to Bermuda for these dates. At $396 for a round-trip, non-stop flight, it might be one of the best non-domestic fares at this time. The only caveat is that you have to book each leg on a different airline. To Bermuda you’d fly American Airlines, and back to EWR you’d fly JetBlue.
September
- Federal Holiday: Labor Day (Monday, September 1)
- Request Off: Tuesday, September 2
- Total Time Off: 4 days (August 30-September 2)
- Where You Should Go: International flights are still pretty expensive at this time, so I’d recommend taking a domestic trip. Savannah, GA is eerily beautiful, and only a couple hour flight from EWR. For $242 round-trip, non-stop on JetBlue from Newark, this is one of the best flight deals at this time.
October
- Federal Holiday: Indigenous Peoples’ Day (Monday, October 13)
- Request Off: Friday, October 10
- Total Time Off: 4 days (October 10-13)
- Where You Should Go: This one might be ambitious, but I recommend going to Rome on these days. It’s an 8-hour flight, but Norse Airways is now offering a non-stop flight from JFK for just $415! And the flight times are great, so you’d actually have almost a full 3 days to explore. You’d leave out of JFK on Saturday, October 10th and arrive in Rome at around 2:30 pm. The departing flight leaves Monday night at 7 pm, leaving you with the full day to explore. It’ll also be less crowded, as this is off-season. Going to Rome for just a weekend might not seem worth it. But from someone who has been 5 times (2 of those for just a 3-day weekend), I’d definitely say it’s worth it.
November
- Federal Holiday: Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 27)
- Request Off: Monday, November 24 – Wednesday, November 26, and Friday, November 28 (4 PTO days total)
- Total Time Off: 9 days (November 22-30)
- Where You Should Go: If you’re able to swing that much time and you don’t mind spending Thanksgiving away from home, then this is a great time for travel. Leaving before the holiday means that flights will be a bit cheaper. And since you’re aiming for more time off here, you’ll be able to travel further! Consider going to Dubai. For these dates, United has a non-stop, round trip flight from EWR for just $865.
December
- Federal Holiday: Christmas Day (Thursday, December 25)
- Request Off: Monday, December 22 – Wednesday, December 24, and Friday, December 26 (4 PTO days total)
- Total Time Off: 9 days (December 20-28)
- Where You Should Go: I always travel this time of year, because there are great flight deals! Flights schedules aren’t currently available for this month. But in the past I’ve been to Germany, Morocco, and most recently Argentina! You can’t go wrong with requesting the holiday off, whether or not you choose to travel. So be sure to submit that PTO request ASAP!
Maximize Your PTO in 2025: Airline Bonus Miles
If you’ve made it this far you’re clearly serious about traveling more in 2025. Another perk to researching your trips early is racking up airline miles throughout the year. If you get enough, some of these flights could be completely free. I’ve traveled many places using just credit card miles, and the easiest way to do this is with sign up bonuses. Basically, if you spend a certain amount on a credit card within a certain amount of time, you get bonus miles. My favorite travel credit card is the Capital One Venture. If you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months, you get 75,000 bonus miles. This equates to $750 dollars. You can fly many places on this list for completely free! You can sign up for this card with my referral link, here. (Disclaimer: I also get 20,000 miles if you use it).
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Now that you’ve got a solid strategy for requesting time off this year, it’s time to take action! I hope this has inspired you to plan some epic trips this year! For more destination ideas or travel hacks, check out the rest of my blog for more tips to turn your wanderlust into reality. Let’s make 2025 the year of unforgettable adventures!
