Hi there! I’m Nicolette, and welcome to Semi-Budget Travel…budget-conscious travel, with a splurge here and there!
I love my family, I love to travel, and I love the travel planning process!
I’ve been traveling the world since junior high, and in 2005, I began single-handedly planning all aspects of semi-budget travel for various family & friends.
I’ve visited more than 20 countries around the world, and I’m always thinking about…Where do I want to travel to next? How can I get a good deal? Which things would be worth splurging on?
So, How Does This Help You?
I’m here to help you get your semi-budget travel on too! Fabulous, yet affordable, travel is just waiting for you and your family!
As I meticulously research and plan every aspect of our travels, I can pass along that info right to you!
I’ve traveled across the globe the semi-budget travel way and have had a lot of amazing travel opportunities. Now, I want to share those with you and help you learn how to plan your own semi-budget travel.
I’ve planned semi-budget travel to places like London, Montreal, Sydney, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Hawaii, and Iceland! I’ve even planned a couple “epic road trips” throughout the western U.S. and into Canada.
- Where I've Visited
- Where I've Been Featured
- Get Started with Semi-Budget Travel
- Q&A with Nicolette
- What is Semi-Budget Travel?
- Do I travel solo, with my spouse, or with our family?
- What did I do before having kids?
- Why do I love to travel?
- Do I travel full-time?
- What do I do when I'm not traveling?
- What's the deal with my sun sensitivity?
- Do I really love planning travel…like all the minute details and stuff?
Where I’ve Visited
I was fortunate to be able to go on my first international trip when I was in junior high. My Gia-Gia (“grandma” in Greek) wanted to take her family (13 of us) to the homeland…Greece.
Since then, I’ve have had amazing opportunities to travel the world. I know I’ve barely scratched the surface, but here are the countries I’ve visited…so far!
🌐 Mexico – Tijuana; Ensenada
🌐 Canada – Victoria; Parksville; Winnipeg; Montreal
🌐 England – London; Bath
🌐 France – Paris; Lyon; Dordogne; Sainte-Maxime; Chamonix
🌐 Netherlands – Amsterdam
🌐 Germany – Oberammergau; Munich; Cologne; Regensburg; Frankfurt
🌐 Switzerland – Interlaken; Lauterbrunnen; Wengen; Kleine Scheidegg; Grindelwald; First; Pfingstegg; Mannlichen; Murren; Schynige Platte; Meiringen; Montreux
🌐 Italy – Rome; Venice
🌐 Austria – Innsbruck; Salzburg
🌐 Hungary – Budapest
🌐 Romania – Arad; Timosoara
🌐 Greece – Athens; Tripoli; Sparta; Nafplion; Nafpaktos; Corinth; Mykonos; Santorini; Rhodes; Crete; Syros
🌐 Turkey – Kusadasi; Ephesus
🌐 Israel – Tel Aviv; Jerusalem
🌐 Caribbean (not a country, I know, but it can get tricky…) – Puerto Rico; St. Croix; St. Maarten; St. Thomas
🌐 Argentina – Buenos Aires; Mendoza
🌐 Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur; Kuching
🌐 Australia – Sydney
🌐 New Zealand – Auckland; Queenstown; Christchurch
🌐 Japan (airport only!)
🌐 Taiwan (airport only!)
🌐 Liechtenstein
🌐 Portugal – Lisbon; Lagos
🌐 USA – Arizona; California; Colorado; Connecticut; Delaware; Florida; Georgia; Hawaii; Idaho; Illinois; Indiana; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; Missouri; Montana; Nevada; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New Mexico; New York; North Dakota; Oregon; Rhode Island; South Carolina; Tennessee; Texas; Utah; Vermont; Virginia; Washington State; Wisconsin; Wyoming
Where I’ve Been Featured
Here are a few places I’ve been featured online:
- Travel+Leisure – 5 Ways to Make Your Dream Hawaiian Vacation Affordable
- U.S. News & World Report – 7 Stress-Free Ways to Maximize Credit Card Rewards
- KOA – 10 Tips for Virtual Learning and Teaching Kids on the Road
- KOA – 10 Things Kids Can’t Imagine Camping Without
- Reviewed by USA Today – Have a Fun Summer Vacation—Without Spending Lots of Cash
- GOBankingRates – Top Money-Saving Tips for Planning Travel in 2022
- Stylist – Travel: 7 women on their best-ever holidays and how it changed their lives
- Vacationist USA – Planning Tomorrow’s Getaway: A How-to Guide to Last-Minute Travel
- Travel Melodies – Beautiful Places to Visit on the West Coast USA
- Empty Nesters Hit the Road – Best National Parks in California
- The Daily Adventures of Me – The Best Scenic Train Rides in North America
- Pretty Progressive – Experts Tell Us the Best Backpacks For Women
- Lifney – 9 Bags to Choose From for Your Next Weekend Away
- Totochie – Best Family Vacation – Ever
- Travel Insurance Review – Planning Travel Now
You don’t have to be a millionaire to have great travel experiences, and I’ll show you how!
Get Started with Semi-Budget Travel
Ask me your travel questions! Let’s connect!
Read through the blog for some travel inspiration, and then get ready to start planning your own semi-budget travel.
Q&A with Nicolette
What is Semi-Budget Travel?
Like the tagline says, Semi-Budget Travel is…budget-conscious travel, with a splurge here & there!
It’s kinda like this…
We’re not staying at the exclusive Raffles Hotel in Singapore, but we’re not staying in hostels either. We’re not looking for luxury all the time, but we’re also not roughing it. We know our budget limits, but we can also have a splurge here and there.
Do I travel solo, with my spouse, or with our family?
I’ve never been a solo traveler, even before meeting my husband. However, everything I write about can be adjusted to fit any type of travel.
Before having kids, my husband and I traveled both internationally and around the U.S., including Hawaii.
After having kids, we just kept right on traveling. When our older daughter was just one month old, we actually went on an interstate road trip! Since then, our kids have been to Hawaii, Asia, Europe, and around the western half of the U.S.
What did I do before having kids?
I earned a BSBA in Accounting from the University of Arizona and a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Arizona State University (yes, they’re rivals!). I worked full-time in the accounting field for over 10 years. I’m a major numbers geek nerd!
Why do I love to travel?
Whether embarking on a huge trip, or a weekend away, or a day trip, sometimes it’s just nice to break away from the day-to-day schedule and the stressors that go along with it.
Travel expands my view from the norm. Part of breaking from the day-to-day schedule is also breaking from the bubble that we tend to live in. There’s a whole big world out there, and a whole lotta people living in it, and a whole lot to learn!
Travel also gives the accountant in me a space for adventure. Riding the summer toboggan in Grindelwald, Switzerland. Climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia. Floating in the Dead Sea.
And, when I’ve researched and planned, and researched and planned some more, I feel like the A-Team, saying, “I love it when a plan comes together!”
Do I travel full-time?
Nope. My husband has a full-time job that he’s great at and that he loves, so we have our home base near there, in southern California.
What do I do when I’m not traveling?
I homeschool our children (side benefit: more freedom to travel!) and am involved in a variety of music-related activities at church.
What’s the deal with my sun sensitivity?
Ironically, I’ve only ever lived in southern California and Arizona, where there’s never a shortage of weather reports forecasting sunny skies. In the late 2000’s, however, in the middle of my first pregnancy, I developed a fierce itch on my exposed skin after being out in the sun.
The issue has persisted since then, and it seems there’s no solution other than to cover up from the sun. Literally. As such, I own a lot of clothing and swimwear from my favorite brand, Coolibar.
Do I really love planning travel…like all the minute details and stuff?
The short answer is…YES!
I love, love, love planning travel (& doing the traveling!).
I love the whole process, and I want to help you plan your semi-budget travel too, so your travel dreams can become reality!
STARTS WITH
A GREAT BUDGET!
ALL GREAT SEMI-BUDGET TRAVEL
It's easy! I will show you how with a FREE trip planning tool.
