How to Maximize Your PTO (and Your Money) With Cash Back and Deals

While there might be plenty of three-day weekends already baked into your work calendar, it’s so tough to really enjoy a vacation in such a short span. If you want to unwind by the seaside, set out on a big adventure or get a real taste for a new city (or two), you’ll need to find a way to create more time off.

It sounds like magic, but it’s possible to stack your vacation days around long weekends and piggyback on federal holidays to give yourself a little more wiggle room for your next adventure — even if you don’t have a ton of paid time off. Some call it PTO hacking or PTO-maxxing, but it really just comes down to smart planning and a keen eye to realize that you can stretch just two PTO days into a 5- or 6-day break, or nine PTO days into a whopping 17-day vacation!

Even better? While PTO-maxxing can find you a little extra time, our Spring Savecation event can find you a little extra money to save on your next getaway. Now through Mar. 9, you’ll find RMN-exclusive savings and boosted cash back opportunities when booking hotels, flights, cruises, car rentals, tours and more from top travel providers like Priceline, Expedia, Hotels.com, VRBO and Viator.

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How to Hack Your PTO for Longer Vacations

Maximizing your paid time off lets you take longer breaks so you can actually enjoy your days away from the job and return refreshed — and with plenty of travel stories to tell. (And that’s way better than just spending those random Monday holidays catching up on laundry!)

So how does it work? Let’s take Labor Day, for example. Your job is already giving you Monday, Sept. 7 off, creating a nice 3-day weekend. But if you take some PTO before and/or after, you can leverage the holiday in a way that gives you even more time away from labor. Take Tuesday through Friday (Sept. 8–11) and you get to bridge your extended weekend to another weekend, for a total of nine consecutive days off while only spending four days of PTO.

Just keep in mind that you’ll want to put in these PTO requests ASAP as your coworkers may have the same idea. Also, these travel dates will be popular as more people jump on the PTO-maxxing trend, so you’ll want to book your flights, hotels and tours early. Like, right now early, especially since our RMN Spring Savecation deals won’t last long!

To help you out, we did the math, crunched the numbers and scoped out some of the best travel deals to maximize both your savings and your PTO in 2026. Read on to get inspired for your next getaway!

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17 Days in June and July

When to go: June 19 through July 5

Which public holiday(s): Juneteenth and Independence Day

How many PTO days needed: 9 PTO days (June 22–26 and June 29–July 2)

This is the hidden gem of the year, stretching just 9 PTO days into 17 days away from work! Bridging two U.S.-specific holidays, it’s a great time for an international vacay, when you may see smaller crowds than later in the summer season.

An extended stretch offers a great opportunity to travel far, far away — to someplace like Japan or New Zealand — so you can better recover from the jet-lagged effects of those ultra-long flights. However, June is Japan’s rainy season, and it’s winter in New Zealand. Instead, we’d suggest using the long stretch to cruise around the Mediterranean and the surrounding seas. Venture through dream destinations like Italy’s Amalfi Coast, the Greek islands of Santorini and Crete, the French Riviera, and Barcelona, Spain. These areas tend to see a peak in tourism around July, so you’ll be getting in right before the crowds get too crazy.

Where to stay: There are a ton of great cruises around the Mediterranean, making it easy to build a longer trip on land around your sailing dates. For example, this 7-Night Mediterranean & Aegean cruise sails out of Rome with ports of call in Santorini and Salerno, while this 7-Night Italy, Spain & French Riviera cruise out of Barcelona features stops in Nice and Naples. Depending on your departure point, you can kick off your European vacation at someplace like the Radisson Collection Hotel, Roma Antica (pictured above) — just steps from Piazza Venezia at the heart of Rome — or Barcelona’s Sercotel Hotel Rosellon in the shadow of the breathtaking Basílica de la Sagrada Família.

What to do: The options are really endless as you craft your European vacay to your personal taste, but highlights throughout this widespread coastal region include a Paella Cooking Class with Market Visit, Tapas & Sangria in Barcelona, a small-group Capri Blue Grotto Boat Tour out of Sorrento, a sunset Wine Adventure with Tastings and Tapas in Santorini and a Walking Tour of Old Nice and Castle Hill in the French Riviera.

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9 Days in September

When to go: Sept. 5 through 13

Which public holiday(s): Labor Day

How many PTO days to spend: 4 PTO days (Sept. 8–11)

Most people jump at the opportunity to stretch Memorial Day weekend into a longer break — and that totally makes sense if you’re itching to get your summer started ASAP. But if you’re able to hold out until Labor Day weekend, you can tap into some major travel benefits. Kids are back in school at this point, and everyone else has already declared summer dead and buried as they rush into PSL season — but the weather is still summer-y in most locales. That all means you can still enjoy a nice beachy vacation among smaller crowds, and maybe even score some lower prices as shoulder season begins. 

The only hitch? It’s smack dab in the middle of hurricane season, so we’d steer clear of the Caribbean, eastern Mexico and the southeast U.S. 

Instead, head to sunny San Diego where September is a real sweet spot for the perfect visit. The weather is still warm — but not sweltering — with average highs in the mid- to upper-70s. In fact, San Diego actually tends to be warmer in September than it is in June or July! Plus, the ocean’s still a nice temp for swimming, and the summer crowds have begun to disperse. 

Where to stay: Hotel Indigo San Diego – Gaslamp Quarter (pictured above) is right in the middle of the city’s entertainment hub, offering walkable access to shops, museums, restaurants and nightlife. Plus, it’s an easy 5-minute walk from Petco Park, where you can catch what’s sure to be some exciting, late-season Padres baseball. It’s also just a short drive from area beaches, and has great transit access to other parts of the city. It’s the perfect spot to explore everything the city (and coastline) has to offer.

What to do: Arguably the most famous one in the United States, the San Diego Zoo should make your short list — but a Whale Watching Cruise is also a must as September is still within the prime season to spot massive blue whales migrating through the area. Back on land, this small-group San Diego Scenic Tour will hit all of the city’s highlights, from historic Old Town San Diego to the top of Mount Soledad. And when you want a true taste of the city, the San Diego Gaslamp Food Tour and Taste of Little Italy in San Diego are some great places to start.

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5 Days in November

When to go: Whenever your calendar allows, such as Nov. 7–11

Which public holiday(s): Election Day, Veteran’s Day or Thanksgiving

How many PTO days to spend: 2 PTO days

You might have several options to extend a weekend in November around common (but not always mandatory) days off like Election Day, Veteran’s Day and the day after Thanksgiving. These are total wildcards, though, so check your company calendar — your mileage may vary!

If you can build around one of these days off, it’s the perfect time of year for outdoorsy adventures in the southwest. Utah is a particularly nice spot to enjoy cooler hiking weather, fewer crowds and a collection of National Parks to explore. The “Mighty 5” — Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands and Arches — are scattered around the southern portion of the state, and they are open on Thanksgiving if that’s the timeline you’re eyeing. National Parks are also fee-free on Nov. 11 for Veteran’s Day, if that’s part of your trip.

Where to stay: While you can’t fully appreciate the “Mighty 5” national parks in just five days (though a road trip is technically doable), you can enjoy both Arches and Canyonlands from a home base in Moab. Keep it simple with a “tiny home” cabin at Arches Hut (pictured above), just minutes from the entrance to iconic Arches National Park. Cabins are clean, comfy and convenient, and they easily allow you to “rough it” in style with WiFi, air conditioning, flat-screen TVs and kitchenettes in units.

What to do: You can rent a car to leisurely navigate the area yourself, or book a local tour for a more in-depth experience. Adventure seekers can strap in for this Scenic Off-Road Guided Tour of Moab’s Backcountry, experience a thrill between the cliffs on The Moab Rope Swing or forge the Colorado River on this combo Rafting and Canyonlands 4X4 Tour. If you’d rather enjoy the exquisitely and naturally carved landscapes from another angle, you can tour them from above on this Canyonlands and Arches Combo National Park Airplane Tour instead.

Find more ways to save on your next vacation with RMN’s Spring Savecation event.

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