Although the year does not have a great start, as the Epiphany (Kings Day) in January falls on a Saturday, as well as, February not having much of anything to offer. But as soon as March comes, employees can directly have 16 days off, by only using 8 actual vacation days, the week before and after Easter. Directly after that, May 1st is May Day, which will give the same possibility of having another 16 days of vacation, by combining it with Ascension Day and only using 8 days of actual vacation time. A week later, 9 more days can be had for Whit Monday or Pentecost Monday. The next highlight of the year, in terms of using vacation days wisely, is the beginning of October, Day of Unity. By using 4 days of vacation, a whole week can be had. The next possibility of a long weekend would be for All Saints day, which is November 1st. This is only celebrated in the catholic German states, including Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saarland. This year, it falls on a Thursday, which can directly be turned into a long weekend by taking the Friday off. Last but not least for 2018, the time between Christmas and New Year is a great opportunity to be able to recuperate from the holidays and get ready to ring in the New Year. Many companies will close on the 24th and 31st, which means that only 2 days need to be used on the 27th and 28th (or 4 days if the company stays open), which will give a total of 11 free days.
Additionally, there are numerous resources online to show more options on how to make most of vacation days for 2018. Here are the public holiday calendars for the United States and United Kingdom.
