Having spent eighteen fantastic years in the RAF, leaving in 1978; I left because in was in the interest of my family that I went to civil aviation with a 50% pay rise. I have never looked back.
In civil aviation you are paid to fly. Ok, it is at some Godawful times in the morning but you do stop mid afternoon. You cannot do this forever because of the limitation of crew duty and flying times so as a previous poster pointed out it works out at about 450 hrs. a year. When you are not flying you go home: you are not paid to clutter up the ops or the crew rest room.
You know what you are doing a week ahead. Leave is taken on a daily basis. i.e. You take four working days off after a rest period, the following rest days are ignored, another slot of working days followed by days off. Properly arranged you can have three weeks off and only take 12 out of your 42 days entitlement.
Say bye bye to package holidays. Flying there with airline discount is so cheap that you can upgrade your accommodation to 4* or 5* without any problem.
Dunno why I didn't do it in 1972 when I had the option.