Welcome! I’m Francesca, and I created The Working Mom’s Travels to prove that it is possible for a working mom like myself, who works outside the home, to still experience meaningful travel with her family. Travel is an integral part of my lifestyle, and I’m committed to keeping it that way, so I work hard to balance it along with my career and my family life. My husband and I have two children: our 8-year-old daughter named Lucia; and our 4-year-old son, Anthony.
Flytographer family photo shoot at Łazienki Królewskie | Warsaw, Poland – July 2016
Travel has been a passion of mine for decades. I was bitten by the travel bug at an early age, thanks to my parents who exposed my siblings and me to different places and cultures, and who placed a high level of importance on the annual family vacation. My love of travel strengthened over the years and I was fortunate enough to venture to some far-off places: Australia, Tanzania, and Italy, to name a few. Those around me know of my love for travel so when I became pregnant with my daughter in 2008, I heard variations of the same sentiment from a lot of people: “Your traveling days are over.” My husband, Mark, and I already had decided that we would continue to travel once we had children, so I knew very well that my travel days were, in fact, NOT over.
The beauty of travel is that it does not have to be limited to exotic trips that cross time zones. Keeping with the spirit of adventure, a weekend in Michigan, or even an excursion in our hometown of Chicago, is classified as “travel” because, really, it’s a state of mind. I should also add that we are not independently wealthy, that my husband and I both must work in order to provide a good home and to fund our travels. I see it as a fair trade-off.
The Working Mom’s Travels was established in 2011, but I was blogging long before that. My sister, Felicia, and I started the Folinazzo Family Blog in 2004. Accounts of my pre-children travels can be found there, and any post-children travel posts from Folinazzo.com have been shared here, as well.
I hope you’ll join us on our adventures!
Ms. Francesca Mazurkiewicz… greetings from Columbus, Ohio! Wanted to confirm you are the guest that provided the recap/pictures on your blog and thank you very much for taking time to convey such gracious comments. As hotel general manager, I appreciate you selecting Hyatt and look forward to hosting/serving you and your family again. I have also shared your blog with our staff and used it as an example of how effectively managing social media can certainly be beneficial. Please let me know if I can ever assist with future travel needs and thank you again very much.
Sincerely,
Tim Dant
General Manager
Hyatt Regency Columbus
614-280-3033
tim.dant@hyatt.com
francesca, i love that you are doing this blog! people need to have more of a “can do” attitude than a “don’t”. you can do anything you put your mind and heart into! 🙂
cheers – lola
Thank you, Lola! I hope my “can do” approach here will convince the naysayers that our travel days don’t need to come to an end just because we have kids!
Hi Francesca, It is so nice that you have been blogging since 2004! We recently stayed in Columbus, Ohio and also enjoyed Hyatt Regency Columbus. Have you stayed at any other Hyatt’s recently?
First off, I must apologize for not seeing this comment sooner. It was sent to the Spam pile for some reason. Secondly, thank you for the kind comment & the visit! Glad you enjoyed the Hyatt Regency in Columbus. I may have stayed at other Hyatts through the years but none I can recall at the moment.
I have a lot to learn from you! I’m so happy that Andi introduced us. Im also a working mother and I don’t want to stop traveling. Do your kids get sick while you travel? We just had our first experience with an stomach flu and those 3 days were so difficult! I can’t imagine if she gets sick far from home!
Catalina, you are too kind! I am happy that Andi introduced us, too. I do hope that here you find useful information on traveling with children – or inspiration to do so, at the very least. Lucia did get sick once when we were traveling. We were in Rome and it was a little scary. We thought we were going to have to leave early to come home but ended up not; we got through it. I wrote about it here: https://www.theworkingmomstravels.com/travel-with-kids-isnt-always-glamorous/
Love your awesome spirit lady! Who says we can’t have it all? 😉
Thanks, Keryn. I agree: we should be able to have it all! I’m trying to prove that it is possible.
Francesca- I came across your blog and love it. I love traveling but most of all traveling like you, immerse in the different cultures. I will make sure I keep following you.
Thanks so much, Eunice! I’m thrilled that you found my blog and that you find it inspirational. Keep in touch!
Hi!
I first found your site with the riding school post. I’m finally getting around to reading more of your site. I love the keychain graphic! How clever. I also love your attitude about travel and travel with kids. Saying out loud that travel is open to interpretation and local is no less deserving than continents afield is important and refreshing. I look forward to reading more of your work! Have a great day.
Hilary :>
Hi, Hilary! Thanks for having a look around and for your incredibly kind and supportive comment. Hope to see you around here again 🙂
Hi again! I love your preservernce to continue a life of travel with your smal one! I do the same by living between two countries and traveling with mine no matter where I go, rainforest or the alps! Love your site 😉
http://www.changingplate.com
Greetings fellow traveler, Thanks for connecting with me on Twitter. I look forward to hearing more stories. Keep in touch!
Francesca,
I have discovered your website several weeks ago and have just fallen in love with it! So much of useful and helpful information, adored it! Would be happy to collaborate with you and hear your feedback on my works. Will be extremely happy to hear from you 🙂