THE 2027 ANNUAL LEAVE MAXIMISER

Your boss gave you annual leave.Let’s make them regret it.

More holidays. Fewer days off work. Use my free 2027 Annual Leave Maximiser to combine bank holidays and weekends, stretch your annual leave further and squeeze in more trips without quitting your 9-5.

Show me my extra days off

Free to use. No sign-ups. Your boss doesn’t need to know. 😉

✦ OUT OF OFFICE CLUB

Irish Travel AddictYour 9-5 escape plan

FREE TOOL

PLAN SMARTER · TRAVEL MORE

Make your days off go a whole lot further.

ANNUAL LEAVE USED4 days

TIME OFF WORK9 days

Example using weekends + bank holidays

Destination: Qingdao

As daylight fades, Qingdao’s coastline takes on a completely different look. Beachfront towers light up in neon, reflections stretch across the water and the whole skyline starts to feel almost cyberpunk. It is colourful, futuristic and slightly surreal, turning an ordinary evening by the sea into one of the city’s most unexpected sights.

Discover ‘China’s Cyberpunk Beach’

DO BELFAST LIKE A LOCAL

Your Weekend Guide to Belfast

From proper Belfast pubs to brilliant food, coffee, street art and coastal escapes, here’s how I’d spend a weekend in my home city.

Explore 48 hours in Belfast

Commercial Court Belfast - Belfast Fleadh 2026

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FAQs

Irish Travel Addict is a digital travel publication and community built for people who want to see the world without quitting their day job. I focus on realistic itineraries, practical tips, and value-for-money travel guides designed to help you make the absolute most of your annual leave.

Hi, I’m Ryan, a travel content creator and travel blogger based in Ireland. After years of giving itinerary advice and travel tips to friends and family, I created The Irish Travel Addict to help others do the same. I am deeply passionate about travel, photography, and finding hidden gems. Everything on this site is rooted in firsthand experience, detailed planning, and showing you how to explore the world around a standard working week.

“9-5 travel” is a travel style designed for anyone who loves their career but still has a massive list of places they want to see. Instead of long-term backpacking, we focus on highly optimised, high-value trips that fit neatly into standard holiday allowances. It is proof that you can keep your job security and still have a packed passport.

You do not need to pack in your career or live out of a backpack to see the world! My whole approach is about “9-5 travel” – which just means being a bit clever with bank holidays, maximising your holiday allowance, and using weekends strategically to squeeze in brilliant trips.
With the right planning and some smart routing, you can see an incredible amount of the world while continuing to work in the job you love. If you want my exact strategies, shortcuts, and the itineraries I use to make this work, make sure to sign up for the newsletter. That is where I share the absolute best bits and travel hacks directly each month.

Smart Itineraries for the 9-5 Explorer