How to get 9 days off work in May while only using up 4 days of holiday

God, work is a relentless drag isn't it? I mean honestly, whose idea was it to keep everybody cooped up in ugly, fluorescent-lit offices when the sun's shining? They should be burnt at the stake.

Anyway, thank heavens for bank holidays.

Here's how many more 2019 Bank and Public Holidays we have left here in the UK in 2019:

• Spring bank holiday: Monday 27 May
• Battle of the Boyne: Friday 12 July (Northern Ireland only)
• Summer bank holiday: Monday 5 August (Scotland only)
• Summer bank holiday: Monday 26 August (England, Wales and Northern Ireland only)
• St Andrew’s Day: Monday 2 December (Scotland only)
• Christmas Day: Wednesday 25 December 
• Boxing Day: Thursday 26 December

With the next one falling on Monday 27 May, we will at least be getting a much needed three day weekend fairly soon.

But, if you're smart about it, you can capitalise on that welcome three-dayer and turn it into a much longer and even more leisurely nine day break while using up only four days of your annual work holiday allowance.

"But how?" I hear you cry.

By taking off Tuesday 28, Wednesday 29, Thursday 30 and Friday 31 May from work, you can string together that three day bank holiday break with the following weekend, creating a nice long stretch in which to get away from it all.

Beautiful.

You could also apply the same trick on 26 August when the summer bank holiday rolls around and the weather is a surer thing, giving you 18 days off this summer using just eight from your work allocation.

And while we've got you, here are some other important dates to remember - they might not be days off but you probably won't want to forget them:

• Father’s Day: Sunday 16 June
• Halloween: Thursday 31 October 
• Bonfire Night: Tuesday 5 November
• St Andrew’s Day: Saturday 30 November 

More: How to have 24 days off work - but only use 14 days leave