Have you been stressing out about all the work you have this year? That’s understandable, but you shouldn’t forget that you can take breaks and vacations from work here and there to make your upcoming year less exhausting and more productive. We did the research so you don’t have to. Use our bulletproof month-by-month vacation guide to hack the most convenient vacation bridges in 2018.

January

Remaining credit days: 19/21

• Group (1): Jan 4-7 (4 days)

Sunday, Jan 7, is the Eastern Christmas holiday. To have four days of vacation in a row, you can take either Thursday, Jan 4, or Monday, Jan 8, from your vacation credit. This will be great for having a fresh start for the new year. And since we are in January, traveling to a warm destination like Red Sea coast cities will be a great idea.

• Group (2): Jan 24-27 (4 days)

Thursday, Jan 25, is the January 25 Revolution/Police holiday. Get four days of relaxation by adding another day from your vacation credit. This day could be Wednesday, Jan 25, or Sunday, Jan 28. This vacation will be perfect to start planning for the new year.

Unfortunately, there are no public holidays in February or March. So:

April

Remaining credit days: 17/21

• Group (3): Apr 6-9 (4 days)

Monday, Apr 9, is the Easter holiday when all spring celebrations begin. A four-day vacation can be taken here to kick off spring. Sunday, Apr 8, is the perfect day for a bridge. Perhaps you can spend some time with your family or go for a barbecue party.

• Group (4): Apr 25-30 (4 days)

Wednesday, Apr 25, is the Sinai Liberation holiday. By bridging Apr 26, you will have a four-day vacation. Or you can make it an 11-day vacation by taking another two days off, Apr 29 and Apr 30. Then Tuesday, May 1, is the Labor Day holiday. So you can take another two-day bridge, May 2 and May 3, to get a long vacation that will be perfect for traveling to a far place.

May

Remaining credit days: 15/21

• Group (5): May 1-5 (5 days)

The Labor Day holiday is on Tuesday, May 1. If merging this vacation group with the previous one wasn’t suitable for you, you can have it as a five-day vacation only. It will be a good idea to finish what you’ve been procrastinating or maybe to start learning something new.

June

Remaining credit days: 13/21

• Group (6): Jun 13-17 (5 days)

Jun 14-17 is the Eid El-Fitr holiday. Take another day off from your credit and make it a five-day vacation. Choose between Wednesday, Jun 13, and Monday, Jun 18. If you don’t prefer traveling during the high travel season, maybe this vacation will be perfect to learn a new skill or binge-watch that show on your watchlist.

• Group (7): Jun 27-30 (5 days)

Saturday, Jun 30, is the June 30 Revolution holiday. Since it’s already a weekend, you will get a day off as compensation. Most probably that day will be Thursday, Jun 28. To get four days of vacation in a row, you can get Jun 27 off from your credit. This vacation will be perfect to recharge before starting the second half of the year.

July

Remaining credit days: 12/21

• Group (8): Jul (20-23) (4 days)

Monday, Jul 23, is the July 23 Revolution holiday, so bridge Sunday, Jul 22, and take a four-day vacation to have a quick escape from Cairo’s heatwaves.

 August

Remaining credit days: 10/21

• Group (9): Aug 17-25 (9 days)

August 21-25 is the Eid Al-Adha holiday, including the eve of Adha. A long perfect vacation to enjoy the summer can happen by taking a two-day bridge from your credit, Aug 19 and Aug 20.

September

Remaining credit days: 6/21

• Group (10): Sept 7-15 (9 days)

Tuesday, Sept 11, is the Islamic New Year holiday. This is another great chance to have a nine-day vacation in case you missed it in August. All you need is to take the whole week off from your credit. Don’t miss this excellent chance to travel and enjoy the summer!

October

Remaining credit days: 5/21

• Group (11): Oct 3-6 (4 days)

Saturday, Oct 6, is the Armed Forces holiday. Since it’s already a weekend, you will get a day off as compensation. Most probably that day will be Thursday, Oct 4. If you are stressed because of work, make it a four-day vacation by taking Wednesday, Oct 3, or Sunday, Oct 7, off.

November

Remaining credit days: 4/21

• Group (12): Nov 21-24 (4 days)

Wednesday, Nov 21, is Prophet Muhammad’s birthday. So, Thursday, Nov 22, will be a perfect day to bridge. A four-day vacation can be added to the rest of your remaining credit to get a long vacation before starting the new year. Perhaps you can go shopping; it will be Black Friday!

There are no public holidays in December, but you can take the rest of your credit (four days) with a weekend to have an extended vacation. According to Egypt’s labor law, you can push the rest of your vacation credit to the following year if it is less than six days.

Here is a table that sums up 2018 year vacations: