You could visit 16 countries by taking just 18 days of leave in 2025 - here is how

Dreaming of international travel but don't have enough annual leave to fit in every country?

Well, with some careful planning around Australia's public holidays, you can maximise your hard-earned time off.

You could take just 18 days of annual leave and visit 16 different countries this year. That comes to a total of 41 days off in 2025 (and early 2026) spent travelling the world.

Watch the video above.

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Easter: Take 7 days leave, visit 7 countries

Over the Easter public holidays, you'll be able to score 16 days off by taking just 7 days of leave. To be on holiday from April 12 to April 27, take off April 14 to 17 and April 22 to 24.

With these 16 days of freedom, you'll be able to get a taste of seven different countries in Europe, with time to spare for international flights.

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This is an ideal time of year to visit central Europe - gorgeous spring weather without the stress and overcrowding of the summer tourism season.

We recommend the following itinerary to maximise your leave period:

• 12 April: Fly to Barcelona
• 13-14 April: Barcelona, Spain
• 15 April: Andorra La Vella, Andorra
• 16-17 April: Nice, France
• 18 April: Genoa, Italy
• 19-20 April: Venice, Italy
• 21-22 April: Ljubljana, Slovenia
• 23-24 April: Vienna, Austria
• 25 April: Bratislava, Slovakia
• 26 April: Fly home

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King's Birthday: Take 4 days leave, visit 3 countries

For all states an territories except WA and QLD, the King's Birthday falls on Monday 9 June, meaning you can maximise the long weekend to score 9 days off by taking just 4 days of leave from Tuesday June 9 to Friday June 13.

We recommend a South Pacific itinerary for this shorter holiday, allowing you to enjoy this usually-hot and humid region during the temperate winter months.

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Our ideal itinerary would look like this:

• 7 June: Fly to Fiji
• 8-9 June: Denarau Island, Viti Levu, Fiji
• 10 June: Castaway Island, the Mamanucas, Fiji
• 11 June: Noumea, New Caledonia
• 12 June: Port Vila, Vanuatu
• 13 June: Fly home

Christmas : take 7 days leave, visit 6 countries

The final dates when you can maximise your annual leave are over the Christmas and New Year public holidays - from December 20 to January 4.

This 16-day break is also a perfect time to visit southeast Asia, when the weather becomes dry and pleasantly warm.

This southeast Asia cruise with Norwegian Cruise Lines fits perfectly into those dates, allowing you to visit six different countries in 16 days.

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You'll need to fly into Singapore the evening before the cruise takes off on December 20, and back on the final day from Taiwan, after it docks at 6am on January 4.

Here's the action-packed itinerary:

• Day 1 - Singapore, Singapore (7am departure)
• Day 3 - Ko Samui, Thailand
• Day 4 & 5 - Bangkok, Thailand
• Day 7 - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
• Day 8 - Nha Trang, Vietnam
• Day 10 - Puerto Princesa, Philippines
• Day 11 - Boracay Island, Philippines
• Day 12 - Coron, Philippines
• Day 14 - Hong Kong, China
• Day 16 - Taipei, Taiwan (arrives 6am)

If you're interested in a similar cruise itinerary at a different time of year, you can check out these cruise alternatives from Viking Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, and Princess Cruises.