We know, we know, 2018 isn’t even over yet and we’re already planning ahead for 2019? That’s the “kiasu” spirit in us! Plan ahead before everyone else does! And also, we’re already in the last quarter of 2018 so it’s not too early to plan now.

Here’s a look through of the gazetted public holidays in Singapore for the year 2019:

In total, we have 11 public holidays annually but the main question here is, how do we utilize these public holidays fully?

It’s the best when public holidays fall on a Friday or a Monday because then we can have long weekends!

Looking at the calendar, we only have 4 long weekends next year. That is a little bit miserable and disappointing knowing that we actually have 11 public holidays but only turns out to be 4 long weekends.

Here is the breakdown of the 4 long weekends we can get in 2019.

1. Good Friday Weekend
19-21 April
Friday, Saturday, Sunday

2. Vesak Day Weekend
18-20 May
Saturday, Sunday, Monday

3. National Day & Hari Raya Haji Weekend
9-12 August
Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday

4. Deepavali Weekend
26-28 October
Saturday, Sunday, Monday

But fret not! We can make this 4 long weekends into 6 long weekends! Here’s how:

1. New Year’s Day Long Weekend

Ok, so here’s the thing. Who would want to work on New Year’s Eve? Nobody, am I right? All you could think of is the big countdown celebration with your friends and family to usher in the new year.

New Year’s Day (January 1)- Tuesday

Take: one day leave on the day before (December 31)
29 Dec- 1 Jan
Saturday, Sunday, Monday Tuesday

2. Chinese New Year Long Weekend

So Chinese New Year is about the same as New Year’s Day, right in the middle of the week. We are definitely grateful to have a two day holiday for Chinese New Year but we want more because this is when all your relatives and favorite cousins and generous aunties and uncles get together and you get to spend some quality time with your extended family. You definitely don’t want to be late for your Reunion Dinner with your family! Instead, how about taking the day off and help out with the cooking and cleaning?

Chinese New Year (February 5 & 6)- Tuesday & Wednesday

Take: one day leave the day before (February 4)
2-6 February
Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

As for Labour Day, Hari Raya Puasa and Christmas, these days coincidentally all fall on a Wednesday.

This gives us a mid-week break which isn’t so bad because it feels like you’re just working two days a week. But if you are lucky enough to have plenty of annual leaves to use upon, why not take a long weekend by taking two days of leave on either Monday and Tuesday or Thursday and Friday. With that long weekend, you can actually plan on a trip somewhere to wind down and relax.

Plan your trips ahead of time so you can apply for your leave days and get them approved before your colleagues do. Bookmark this so that you can easily refer them for future reference. Also, share this with your friends and family and start planning ahead for your vacations next year!