A mother who leaves her husband and children at home while she goes on holiday alone eight times a year swears it “makes her a better wife and mother” as she encourages others to do the same.
Huda Alvi, 39, loves to travel and has spent her 30s prioritizing “me time,” rebranding her solo vacation as “an act of self-love.”
Travel by plane for up to five nights in a row and can spend up to $5,000 on each trip, from solo backpacking through Colombia, excursions to Paris, France, and dream cruises exploring Vietnam.
The mother of three makes sure to fill every trip with culture and adventure, whether it’s paragliding in the mountains of Guatemala, Mexico or exploring Costa Rica on the back of a quad bike.
Huda says her solo travels make her a better wife and mother, as she feels more fulfilled and rests better because it “refills your cup.”
Huda, a lifestyle entrepreneur from Toronto, Canada, said her husband understands that traveling is an important part of her life.
“I don’t need his permission to book a solo trip because he knows I need to do it as part of my well-being,” she explained.
‘He and those around me see the effects that traveling has on me: it makes me a better mother and wife, I am more refreshed and emotionally available.
Huda Alvi, 39, loves to travel and has spent her 30s prioritizing “me time,” rebranding her solo vacation as “an act of self-love.”
“For me, it’s an act of self-love because you can’t pour from an empty cup.”
The mother said she finds it very liberating to travel alone because she doesn’t have to answer to anyone else and doesn’t listen to naysayers when they ask why she doesn’t travel with her family.
“I refuse to listen to society tell me ‘you can’t do that because you’re a mother,'” she shared.
“I have four trips planned for 2025 and I can’t wait.”
Huda became a single mother of two after divorcing at just 22 before moving back in with her parents and starting to work as a real estate agent.
“Being of Muslim origin, divorce was, and still is, considered a taboo subject,” he explained.
‘I felt a sense of failure when I got divorced and it affected my confidence.
“But I focused on myself and my kids and built it brick by brick.”
The mother said she finds it very liberating to travel alone, because she doesn’t have to answer to anyone else.
“I refuse to listen to society tell me ‘you can’t do that because you’re a mother,'” she shared.
Huda’s solo travels began in November 2018 with a five-hour flight from Toronto to California, where she traveled by road from Malibu, Los Angeles and Monterey.
Huda met her now-husband, Yehhia Bub, 42, a firefighter, in October 2007, and the couple married in August 2012.
They live together with Huda’s children, ages 19 and 17, and Yehhia’s son, 18, in Toronto, Canada.
Huda’s solo travels began in November 2018 with a five-hour flight from Toronto to California, where she traveled by road from Malibu, Los Angeles and Monterey.
Since then he has explored Morocco, Italy, Colombia, Costa Rica, Vietnam and France.
“Traveling when I’m 30 is the best thing I’ve ever done in my life,” he gushed.
‘It makes life more fulfilling and I am now more confident than ever.
“Backpacking through Colombia and Costa Rica was one of the most incredible experiences because I had to keep my wits about me,” he added.
Huda documents her travels on social media and has over 97,000 followers on TikTok, where she shares her solo travel tips and activity recommendations.
Now she wants to travel with her children and has already gone to Portugal with her daughter
In 2016, Huda and her sister, Sana Alvi, 35, created travel company The Girls Trip, which helps women in their 20s, 30s and 40s with their solo trips.
Huda and Yehhia make sure to take at least two trips a year alone and without the kids to “keep the spark alive,” as well as one big trip as a blended family.
“I love traveling alone, it’s something I will never forget doing, but traveling alone with Yehhia and (I) is just as important,” the mother explained. “It helps us stay connected and keep the spark alive.”
The couple will even go to a festival in Tulum, Mexico, in January to feel young again, and Huda has started traveling with her children.
She and her daughter have visited Portugal together and are planning a trip to Italy.
‘It’s great for us to spend time together and it’s building his confidence when travelling.
He added: ‘It even inspired Yehhia and her son to take a road trip from California to Las Vagas this year!’
Huda documents her travels on social media and has over 97,000 followers on TikTok, where she shares her solo travel tips and activity recommendations.
In 2016, Huda and her sister, Sana Alvi, 35, created travel company The Girls Trip, which helps women in their 20s, 30s and 40s with their solo trips.
“I don’t care what anyone thinks and I would recommend any mother who is curious to do the same thing to book that trip,” Huda said.
She added that she and her sister wanted to show women how empowering traveling is, especially if they do it alone, and set a good example for their children.
“It doesn’t have to be far away, you can always gain distance over time,” he said.
“Travelling alone may not be for everyone, but it makes me feel alive,” she shared.
“Ultimately, it’s not the quantity of trips, but the quality of the trip and what you get out of it.”