Kia ora and Welcome!

Kia ora, and Welcome.

I’m Nicola, an expat-kiwi mum who moved from Auckland, New Zealand (home) to Beijing, China. I love to share tips about how to get the most out of your next family travel and what adventures we get up to, now that we live ‘pretty far from home’.

After working 10+ years in the law in New Zealand, my husband and I knew there had to be more than working most of the year to afford a couple of holidays in between – so we’ve set out on a big adventure, building a rich and fulfilling life with the ones we love.

I’ve created this little corner on the internet to share all the juicy travel and expat tips I can think of.

I chose the name Pretty Far from Home well before we decided to move overseas and it stems from the idea that if you’re from New Zealand, anywhere overseas is a minimum of a 3-hour flight. Now moving to Beijing, it kind of fits – because anywhere from home, is pretty far for this kiwi, especially in China.

Why I started Pretty Far From Home

Pretty Far from Home was born from a pretty simple idea, I wanted to share our family travels and all the lessons we’d learnt to help other families make the best memories on their next adventures.

After years of working hard, chasing my legal career, courtrooms, boardrooms, climbing ladders and all things in between, I really wanted to move into something more creative. A lifestyle where I could create some freedom and adventure, while putting my family at the centre of that – I realised that kind of life wouldn’t grow in my comfort zone or by itself.

So for the next couple of years (at least), I’ve swapped the burnout for a boarding pass and I’ve started saying “yes” for the experience (or plot) instead of trying to keep to the traditional expectations.

I’ve begun designing a life where travel isn’t a once-a-year escape – but rather, woven into the way we live.

What you’ll find here?

I’m not really into writing about luxury hotels, tourist hot spots or cookie-cutter itineraries. This is a little space on the internet where I can provide real life travel experiences. The good, the bad and the STRESSFUL – because let’s be honest, a family holiday is NOT sitting by the pool sipping cocktails all day long.

Some stories you might find useful, some you might even relate to, but, ultimately I’m writing these blog posts because I love sharing my travel adventures – and there’s only so many times you can tell an exciting adventure tale to friends and family before it starts sounding like a brag (yawn haha).

Living in New Zealand, I know firsthand that travel often comes with a big price tag. Leaving the country takes at least a three-hour flight! Every journey is an investment, so I’ve learned how to plan intentionally, spend wisely (mostly) and stretch every experience without sacrificing the good bits. I’ll share how I do that, along with a whole lot of other stuff that may or may not be travel related (because come on, being an ex-pat is always travel related – I mean, I had to travel to get here soo.. 😉 anyways that’s my story and I’m sticking with it).

Ready to get started?

Off the back of our family trip to Japan, I’ve created a Kawaii (cute) 2-week Japan travel itinerary! It’s totally free, our exact itinerary (so you know its real) and will help you cram as much fun and adventure as possible into 14 days exploring the Land of the Rising Sun.

Checkout my Youtube for longer and more in-depth videos on how I plan, budget and make our family travel easier – oh and of course, destination videos! We’re moving overseas soon too, so there will be a bunch of videos about that being uploaded shortly.

Guest Contributors

Occasionally, I feature guest authors who share their favourite travel tips and destinations. You’ll find fresh perspectives, new ideas, and even more ways to create unforgettable travel memories. Check out their contributions here.

Let’s make your travel dreams a reality.

Happy traveling,

Nicola