Kia ora and Welcome!

I’m Nicola. A Māori expat-mum from Auckland, New Zealand whose living abroad in Beijing, China.

Where it all started…

Since I first got on a plane to Australia for a family trip in 1997, I’ve wanted to travel. Growing up in Mangere, South Auckland, New Zealand – all I ever wanted to do was see the world.

After finishing school, then uni, it started to feel like seeing the world only happened between court work and billing. Slowly but surely, the once life long adventures I’d dreamed of were locked into annual leave days and statutory holidays.

But after having our daughter things changed. In 2020, I started Pretty Far From Home. I wanted to share tips and hacks, for busy mums, that helped make travel easy and fun with kids. What started off as a simple travel blog for busy, professional mums, soon reignited my adventure dreams.

After writing blog posts and documenting our own travel stories for 4 years here – I took a chance.

I moved my family from Auckland to Beijing and took hold of my opportunity to live a life of adventure. I now get to travel, live life abroad and write full-time for Pretty Far From Home.

I now have the privilege of living a life 7-year old Nicola could only have dreamed of. The best part, is I’m now able to share this with you. The best tips and hacks for busy, professional mums, for traveling or moving abroad with kids!

What does Pretty Far From Home mean and why is that your blogs name?

Pretty Far From Home stems from the idea that if you’re from New Zealand, anywhere overseas is a minimum of a 3-hour flight. With that in mind, anywhere from home, is “pretty far” for this kiwi living abroad.

What you’ll find here?

In between the chaos of living abroad, I still love to travel. I’d call myself a middle-traveler. Someone who occasionally loves a good luxury hotel stay but isn’t shy to also get off the beaten path. You’ll find a mixture of travel blog posts and about what life’s like living in China.

Because I now earn a small income from writing on my blog and making YouTube videos, I also share why I think starting a blog could be your biggest asset. Whether it’s for passion or profession, a blog is a valuable way to share and document your thoughts. Checkout my blog post: 13 Reasons Professionals Should Start a Blog in 2026 for more reasons why!

If you’re thinking of moving abroad…

Download my Ultimate Moving Abroad Checklist – completely free! This is the exact Notion checklist I used to help move our family from Auckland, New Zealand to Beijing, China. Cut the stress, get organised and enjoy the experience.

I also share our everyday journey as new expats in China on my YouTube. Checkout my channel for more in-depth videos on how I plan, budget and live expat-life in China.

Still not sure were to start?

If you love what you read and want to get in touch, feel free to contact me at nicola@prettyfarfromhome.com otherwise happy reading, and I wish you all the fun on your next adventures,

Nic x

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