Wish you had more time off? Well, turns out you do (with some help from yours truly)
Same allowance, more time off
Plan smarter and book annual leave in between public holidays to stretch your holiday periods and make your time-off go even further. We'll show you how...
How to elongate your holidays in 2026:
Getting more paid-time off in 2026
Statutory annual leave in the India is 15 days for most full-time employees, not including three official national holidays, numerous gazetted holidays, varying and state public holidays. So, while how many paid days off you get depends on the region you live in and your employer, if you could unlock even more vacation days, wouldn't you want to know how?
When you add in a public holiday or two around your annual leave, your travel plans go further (probably more than you realise), and you could even keep some of your annual leave in your back pocket for a cheeky day off here and there to extend your weekends too.
So, we've done the heavy lifting for you. Here's how you can combine paid and statutory leave to get even more holidays in 2026:
Public holidays for 2026
Public holidays in India consist of national holidays, gazetted holidays, and state-level public holidays:Here's a quick comparison table of the various types of public holidays:
Type of holiday | Mandatory | Automatic day off |
|---|---|---|
National holidays | Yes, nationwide | Yes |
Gazetted holidays - closed holidays | For central government employees and banks | No, but often adopted by employers |
Gazetted holidays - restricted holidays | For government employees | No, need to be chosen by employees |
State holidays | Yes, state-level | Yes |
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The best trips to go on in 2026 planned around public holidays
What’s previously been popular during these holidays and when to book in 2026
Based on the most popular destinations that Indian travellers visited during their holidays last year, we’ve pulled together some ideas below to help simultaneously inspire your 2026 trips and to help you make the most of your annual leave allowance:
Take 5 days of annual leave and get 10 days off for Republic Day
From Dubai’s glittering skyline to Thailand’s palm-fringed islands, a Republic Day escape to the UAE or Thailand turns late January into a warm winter getaway. The UAE's cooler temperatures and low humidity at this time of year makes it ideal for exploring waterfront neighbourhoods, desert resorts and major cultural landmarks. Meanwhile, Thailand’s dry-season weather brings clear skies to Bangkok, Chiang Mai and the southern islands, for temple visits, night markets and long days on the beach. Average prices for flights booked in 2025 bookings were around ₹31K for the UAE and ₹26K for Thailand.
Take 4 days of annual leave and get 9 days off for Holi
A Holi break of nine days means indulging in Singapore's spring beauty with garden walks at Gardens by the Bay, waterfront strolls around Marina Bay, and hunting for sumptuous hidden-gems in Little India and Chinatown, all without the heat, humidity and summer crowds. Over in the US, early spring brings cherry blossoms in Washington DC while California’s deserts glow with wildflowers, and national parks like Zion and the Grand Canyon are far quieter than later in the season. Average prices on 2025 bookings at this time were ₹24K for Singapore and ₹114K for the US.
Take 5 days of annual leave and get 10 days off for Gandhi Jayanti
10 days of travel is ideal to explore the russet-coloured parks of the UK or Indonesia's golden coastlines at ease in beautiful Autumn. Enjoy the UK's crowd-free museums and theatres and incredibly scenic countryside walks through the Cotswolds and Lake District, or as the first hint of seasonal colour sweeps through London’s parks, while Indonesia's October magic looks like calm seas for excellent visibility for snorkelling and swimming across its islands, along with temple and rice-terrace visits, at around ₹63K for the UK and ₹34.5K for Indonesia based on the average prices of 2025 bookings.
FAQs
More ideas for trips in 2026
Destinations reflect some of the top 10 most popular destinations where travellers booked in 2025. Flight prices are based on fares booked for the equivalent holiday window the previous year. These flights were purchased within 365 days of departure, using data up to 2 December 2025.
