How to Maximize Your Vacation Days in 2025

In recent years, several countries—including Belgium, Iceland, and France—have implemented four-day work weeks to help their labor force achieve a healthier work-life balance. 

Americans are not so lucky. Not only do we work longer hours than people in other industrialized countries, but we also get less paid time off (PTO). According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American employee in the private sector gets 11 days of PTO for vacations per year, a number that goes up slightly with each year of employment. 

In comparison, the average German, Dutch, or Belgian employee gets 20 days of PTO per year. Spanish workers get 22, while Norwegian, Swedish, French, and Danish workers get 25. The country with the highest amount of PTO in Europe is Luxembourg, where the average worker enjoys a whopping 26 days of freedom. 

And yet, despite the comparatively limited amount of PTO available to them, surveys from Pew Research Center show that an astounding 46 percent of American workers take off less time than their employer offers them, a number that stays fairly stable across income levels.

While refusing to make use of your PTO has its benefits—many companies allow their employees to exchange their days off for cash, for example—taking your well-deserved rest can be equally fruitful, especially when considering that, with a bit of scheduling, Americans can turn their 11 or so days off into 44 or more. 

As Travel and Leisure explains, employees can maximize their PTO by taking time off around public holidays. In December 2024 and January 2025, for example, they can take off December 30 and December 31, turning their New Year’s Day into a longer break.

June and July 2025 also offer opportunities for PTO maximization. Workers can take off June 20, which, combined with Juneteenth (June 19), turns their weekend into a four-day break. The Fourth of July falls on a Friday in 2025, meaning that if you take off July 3, you get another four-day vacation. 

Here’s how it all breaks down in 2025, with the U.S. federal holidays in bold:

Using your PTO is not just fun, but good for your mental and physical health. According to the Harvard Business Review, vacations can have a hugely positive impact on your wellbeing simply by allowing you to catch up on sleep—by which you can avoid the stress and anxiety associated with sleep deprivation. 

In fact, a good employer would encourage you take time off, as research has shown that fully using PTO can increase worker productivity by improving job satisfaction and mental health. 

Collectively, American employees forfeit a total of 768 million vacation days per year. With the handy chart above, you can start maximizing your vacation days—which would benefit not just you, but your employer as well.

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