Kia ora and Welcome!
I’m Nicola, a Māori expat-mum from Auckland, New Zealand, now living in Beijing. I’m here to make China travel easy for the gals who love to travel in the middle: somewhere between a comfy hotel bed and a local dumpling spot, away from the crowds.
Where it all started…
I’ve wanted to travel ever since I first got on a plane to Australia for a family trip in 1997. Growing up in Māngere, South Auckland, all I ever wanted to do was see the world.
After school, then uni, seeing the world started to feel like something that only happened between court work and billing. Slowly but surely, the big adventures I’d dreamed of got squeezed into annual leave and public holidays.
Maybe that sounds familiar. You love travel, but you’re planning it around a 9–5, a budget and a few precious days off. Every one of those days needs to count.
In 2020 I started Pretty Far From Home to share the tips and hacks that made travel easier. Writing it brought my adventure dreams back to life. After four years of blogging and documenting our trips, I took a chance:
I moved my family from Auckland to Beijing.
7-year-old Nicola would be totally jazzed
I now get to live the life my 7-year-old self could only dream of: travelling, living in China and writing full-time. The best part is getting to share it with you, so your China trip feels exciting and not overwhelming.
What does Pretty Far From Home mean?
If you’re from New Zealand, anywhere overseas is at least a 3-hour flight. So for this Kiwi, anywhere away from home is “pretty far.”
Are you a middle traveller?
I call myself a middle traveller, and if you’re here, you probably are too.
- You want a good hotel and a comfy bed, but you’ll happily walk 25,000 steps a day
- You want the famous sights and the side-street finds the tour buses miss
- You’ll pay extra for what matters and save where it doesn’t
- You like a sleep-in, but you’ll wander a night market until 10pm
- You might travel solo, with your partner, or with the kids in tow
That’s who I write for. You’ll find honest, practical China guides: where to stay at a range of prices, what to eat, how to get around, what’s worth your time, and the little things nobody tells you (yes, including the squat toilets).
Planning your first trip to China?
Download my free 3-Day Beijing Itinerary: where to stay at every budget, what to see and eat, and how to fit it all in without burning out.
You’ll also find me on Instagram and YouTube as @nickybeebo, where I share China made easy in real time: the food, the places and the shortcuts.
Still not sure where to start?
If you love what you read and want to get in touch, email me at nicola@prettyfarfromhome.com. Otherwise, happy reading. Wishing you all the fun on your next adventure,
Nic x
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