August is here, and so is the monsoon. If your first thought is “I can’t travel in this weather,” you’re about to throw away not one, but two long weekends this month, one of which stretches to 5 days straight.
Monsoon isn’t a reason to sit at home. It’s the reason hill stations look greener, waterfalls are beautiful, and flight and hotel prices drop because everyone else assumed the same thing you did. Here’s your August 2026 long weekend calendar, and where to go for each one.
Long Weekend 1: Independence Day (August 14 to 16)
Independence Day falls on a Saturday this year. Not much of a deal if you already have weekends off, but here’s the move: take a leave on Friday, August 14, and you’ve turned it into a proper 3 day break.
If you’re one of the many corporate employees working 6 days a week, this Saturday holiday is a bigger deal than it looks on paper. Use it well.
Where to go for a 3 day trip:
- Jim Corbett
- Udaipur
- Jaipur
- Coorg
- Lonavala
All easy to reach, all doable without burning your entire leave balance.
Long Weekend 2: The Big One (August 26 to 30)
This is the long weekend to actually plan around. Onam and Milad un-Nabi falls on Wednesday, August 26. Take one leave on Thursday, the 27th. Raksha Bandhan lands on Friday, the 28th. Add your Saturday and Sunday, and you’ve built yourself a 5 day break using just one day of leave.
Here’s how the days stack up:
- Wednesday, Aug 26: Onam
- Thursday, Aug 27: Take a leave
- Friday, Aug 28: Raksha Bandhan
- Saturday, Aug 29 and Sunday, Aug 30: Weekend
Five days is enough time to actually go somewhere instead of just resting from your commute. A few ideas:
- Meghalaya
- Leh Ladakh with Turtuk
If you’d rather go international, you may choose:
Exploring these countries in 5 days is all realistic, and August happens to be a genuinely good time to visit most of these.
A Note for the Managers and CEOs Reading This
Yes, this applies to you too. If you’re the one approving everyone else’s leave requests, don’t forget to put in your own. Founders and leadership teams are usually the last ones to take a break and the first ones to burn out. A 5 day trip won’t derail your quarter. Not taking one eventually will catch up with you.
Book Your Leaves Before Your Calendar Does
Here’s the one thing to do today: apply for your leave now. Long weekends like this one get approved on a first-come basis in most companies, and if your teammate applies before you, yours might not go through. Don’t lose a 5 day trip to a Slack message you sent a day too late.
