Oliviyah Stevens, a 36-year-old teacher from Walthamstow, has discovered a new lease of life through extreme day trips, leaving her five children behind to jet off to destinations across Europe for as little as £30.
Reclaiming identity through travel
After her maternity leave ended, Oliviyah felt "quite depressed" and needed her own time away from family chaos. She stumbled across extreme day trips and took her first solo adventure to Alicante in November 2025, leaving her children with partner Kyle, 37.
"I find it really liberating and I feel like I've got myself back and as a mum you can forget that a bit," she said. "The price of flying to Mallorca is the same as an evening meal."
20 countries and counting
Oliviyah has since visited 20 countries, including quick getaways to Italy, Morocco and Bucharest with her family. She also takes regular "date days" abroad with Kyle, a behaviour mentor, every few months.
The couple discovered the appeal of ultra-short breaks after a three-day trip to Crete was cut short due to a cancelled flight. Instead of going home, they booked Morocco and flew there and back in 30 hours the same weekend.
"I'd lost myself in the midst of five kids," Oliviyah explained. "Those breaks away allowed me to reflect, set goals and I found myself."
Since sharing her travel finds online, other women have said they want to give extreme day trips a try.
