After a year where many of us worked and played at home, it’s hardly surprising we’re keen for a change of scenery. With Australians making the most of our own backyard, local tourism is booming, and ‘holidaying here this year’ has become the hot travel trend.

The new year has given us increasing opportunities to get out and about. Want more good news? With a bit of clever planning, you could increase your time off in 2021 - without exceeding your annual leave. By simply scheduling your holidays around public holidays and long weekends you can actually make your hard-earned holiday leave go further.

How to max your relax time

The trick is to use public holidays to your advantage. You could take a 10-day break from April 2-11 by booking four days off around the Easter long weekend (which falls on April 6-9 this year). There’s also the option to take nine days off from April 24 – May 2 around ANZAC Day, if you take four days’ leave from April 27-31.

So, what if you wanted to really check out of daily life and take a whole month off? If you have plenty of leave up your sleeve, you could take off 31 days straight from April 2 – May 2, and only 16 of those would need to be annual leave days.

The Queen’s Birthday weekend is another opportunity to take a long weekend, but the dates differ from state to state (June for NSW, September for Queensland and October for WA), so check your local guides. The next chance you’ll have to maximise your leave will be around Christmas. By taking three days of leave from December 29-31, you’ll end up with a nine-day summer break, from Christmas Day through to January 2, 2022.

Take your time

Already imagining how much ground you could cover with all that time to indulge your wanderlust? When you’ve put your leave in and made sure it doesn’t clash with your co-workers (who hopefully haven’t had the same idea as you), all that’s left to do is decide what to do with all that time off.

Why not take a road trip? It’s a great way to relax, unwind and see some spectacular scenery. Pack the car or hitch up your caravan and hit the road! In fact, caravanning is on the rise in Australia with many holidaymakers escaping the hustle and bustle of city life by taking the Sloways, caravan-friendly routes through regional areas that allow travellers to reconnect with the world at a gentler pace.

By taking the Sloways, you’ll be directed away from the hectic pace of freeways. Instead, you’ll discover towns that motorway bypasses have left behind. You can stop and start with ease and take your time to unearth those hidden gems you might never have found otherwise. Pull in for lunch, stay a night or a few days and you’ll find artisan bakeries, farm gate producers, great pubs, unique shops and friendly locals who appreciate your support.

Join the caravanning share economy

If you’re new to the caravanning set, or you’re likely to only take the occasional road trip, you might prefer to try before you buy. Check out Camplify, Australia’s largest caravan hire and RV sharing community. They make it easy to find the right vehicle and book a road trip. Simply go online, choose the van or motorhome that suits your size and needs, decide on your starting point and plan your trip from there knowing your insurance, roadside assistance and support are all taken care of in the one place.

And if you do have a van that spends more time off the road than on it, why not consider renting it out with Camplify? That way, when you’re back in the office planning your next trip around your extra annual leave days, your van could be helping to pay its way.

If you need caravan or trailer insurance let NRMA Insurance help with cover for accidental damage, fire, theft, storm and more. Call 132 132 or go online to get a quote today.