Instagram story viewer> @franciszl> Posts

Francis | GirlDad Travels

@franciszl

1K

followers

532

following

🏔️🌁🌄
Me and my daughter sharing our travel experiences.
Raising a global citizen through food & culture 🌎🍽️
2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣🛂🛬
🇪🇸🇮🇹🇩🇰🇬🇧🇫🇷🇪🇸🇲🇽🇩🇪🇫🇷

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

The Camino almost broke me.

Pain, freezing nights in albergues, endless hills, a fever, and plans that didn’t always work out.

I didn’t come for spiritual or religious reasons.
But 390 km later over 15 days, the greatest show on earth gave me daily lessons.

No matter how hard life gets… I’ll be just alright 🥾

#caminodesantiago taken in Camino de Santiago by @franciszl

81

9

7 months ago

“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you, it should change you.” - Bourdain #caminodesantiago #caminofrances #travel #adventure #traveler taken in Camino de Santiago by @franciszl

38

4

6 months ago

E.7 Paying a premium for a great, less chaotic city.

That’s Copenhagen, and it’s the most expensive city I’ve been to. 🇩🇰

Yes, more expensive than cities we’ve been to like Tokyo, London, New York, and Zurich.

And yet… here we were for the 4th time.

Because really, only a few cities do family travel this well:

🎢 Tivoli
🐠 Aquarium
🌳 Parks & playgrounds
🏛️ Children’s museums
🚲 Bike everywhere safely
🍽️ And some of the best restaurants in the world.

Expensive? Absolutely.

Worth it? For some wild reason, yes. 🇩🇰

#copenhagen #travelwithkids #familytravel #adventure #globetrotter taken in Copenhagen, Dennmark by @franciszl

44

0

2 months ago

E.18 Don’t be a “next time”.

Rome is not a typical bring your toddler trip. It’s not my favorite kid-friendly cities. But I’ve done it twice. ✌🏽

‘Cause me and “next time” don’t get along. ⏳

🍝🏛️Rome is one of my favorite cities, so I brought my 2-year-old…then came back a year later and did it again.

Because becoming a dad (or a parent) doesn’t mean stop doing or going to places you love.

🏟️Don’t just take your kids on kids’ trips. Bring them into your world. 🌍

#travelwithkids #visitrome #traveltips #dolcevita #pastaislife taken in Rome, Italy by @franciszl

35

0

4 days ago

E.13 One of Bourdain’s favorite food towns, this city has the best local cuisine because it combines french techniques + spanish ingredients. That’s gastronomy!
🍤🍰🏖️ 🌊🐚

📍San Sebastián 🇪🇸

Pintxo bars directly across from playgrounds.🫒
Playgrounds overlooking the beach. 🛝
Amusement Park with 360 views 🎢

Old Town is steps away from the water.

You can grab a pintxo and a glass of wine while the kids play, then walk straight to the beach. 🍷🥖🦀

The way San Sebastián brings together food, family, and the coast is pretty special, and no one has proved me wrong otherwise 🌊🍰🍷🍤☀️

⏭️🔜Sharing my top 5 favorite places to eat/drink (non-Michelin) and my personal favorite Airbnb🛌🚪for the fam.

#basque #travelwithkids #visitsansebastian #familytravel #perfectforkids taken in Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain by @franciszl

29

0

13 days ago

E.16 What parenting has taught me over the last four years is that it’s not about raising a child who needs you for everything.

It’s about giving them the confidence to eventually do everything on their own.

Every meal, every trip, every little decision is another opportunity to build independence.

One day, she’ll walk out the door, and I’ll know I did my job. ❤️

So when I say “rain check,” this is what you’ll find me doing.

TheMove: Give them room to figure it out!

#girldad #parenting #dadlife #tipsforparents taken in Denver, Colorado by @franciszl

53

2

23 days ago

E.17 European cities will look like this in 50-days. Time to start planning! 🎄

Chaotic? Yes
Worth it? Absolutely

Germany, Belgium, and France in one trip..Easier than you think.

The secret is mixing the big, bustling markets with smaller cities where you can slow down and soak it all in. Here’s the exact route we did last year. 🇪🇺

🇩🇪 Frankfurt — 2 days
Start big. Busy streets, festive energy, and a Christmas Market right in the heart of the city. Welcome to Germany at Christmas.

🚂 Next stop: Bruges

🇧🇪 Bruges — 2 days
Smaller, slower, and straight out of a Christmas postcard. Perfect for recharging between cities. Traveling with kids? Book a chocolate-making class. 🍫

🍻 Optional stop: Brussels — 1 night
A fun overnight break before heading to France.

🚂 Final stop: Strasbourg

🇫🇷 Strasbourg — 3 days
The grand finale. It’s busy, beautiful, and feels like stepping into a Christmas story. It absolutely lives up to the hype. Just avoid opening weekend if you can. 🎄

TheMove: Frankfurt → Bruges → Strasbourg. Three countries, one unforgettable trip, all by train. 🚉

✈️ Budget 2 extra days for international travel.

#travelwithkids #christmasmarkets #santaclausiscomingtotown #visitstrasbourg #europeanchristmas taken in Strasbourg, France by @franciszl

16

1

15 days ago

E.9 Different people. Different cultures. Different languages. Different ways of life. 🇩🇰 🇬🇧 🇫🇷 🇪🇸

TheMove: Things may take twice as long…bring them anyway!

#globetrotter #travelwithkids #parenting #dadlife #girldad by @franciszl

41

0

2 months ago

E.3 Proof that having a kid doesn’t mean you have to stop doing the things you love. You just have to get creative. 👶🏼🌎🍽️💭

At 22 months (May ‘24), Mikaylah made it through all 27 courses and 4 hours at 3-Michelin-starred @disfrutarbcn , ranked number 1 in the world @theworlds50best in 2024. 🤯

The blueprint 📋:

👨🏽‍🍳 Visit the restaurant beforehand. A familiar space and at least a couple of familiar faces goes a long way.

📚 3 books: 2 favorites + 1 new. Bring a fun one!

⏱️ Take a 5-minute break every ~30 minutes. Take a lap around the dining room or even say hello to the kitchen staff.

🍽️ Let her try what she could, and touch everything that’s safe.

🪴 Change the scenery. Ask to finish the final few courses on the terrace, in the garden, or in a lounge area.

I expected her to be asleep an hour into a 7pm resy. But she was committed!

HUGE shoutout to the @disfrutarbcn team for the incredible hospitality, and even creating a few special bites for Mikaylah.

UnreasonableHospitality at its finest.

#travelwithkids #michelinguide #visitbarcelona #spain #chasingstars taken in Disfrutar Bcn by @franciszl

45

6

2 months ago

E.8 “Travel Is Not a Reward for Working. It’s the Reward for Living” - A. Bourdain

#travelwithkids #globetrotter #parenting #dadlife #travellifestyle by @franciszl

40

0

2 months ago

E.5 The Grand Daddy of them all. 🍽️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Noma
Copenhagen, 🇩🇰
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Michelin
🏆Number 1 Restaurant in the World — 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2021

🪑Price (all-in): $1,100 pp 🍽️🍷

This time, no pre-visits. No 📚 brought.
Just front-row seats to the most influential restaurant of the last 20 years. Trusting that my 3-year-old would enjoy another 4-hour experience. This being her 4th time being in a 3-Michelin dining room.

@nomacph @reneredzepinoma put Copenhagen’s culinary scene on the map and put the world on notice.

The AURA of Noma is real. This isn’t just an extravagant tasting menu…it’s stepping inside a piece of culinary history.

And they changed the industry.

Mikaylah may not understand what Noma means to the culinary world yet or her growing epic dining resume, but one day she’ll be able to say she experienced the restaurant that changed the way the world thinks about food…perhaps helped shape what comes next.

📸: @louiswong_

#michelinguide #travelwithkids #visitcopenhagen #denmark #chasingstars taken in Copenhagen, Dennmark by @franciszl

30

0

2 months ago

E.14 Go-to local food guide, use Tabelog (over Yelp or Google). It’s what the locals use. The ones you’ve seen on IG are booked well ahead, don’t get your hopes up, so find your alternates. Space is limited and restaurants are small.
🍜🍣🍱🍕☕️🍡🥞

Yes, it’s true. Bring your own trash bag. Finding one isn’t as common as we’re used too. 🗑️🚮

TheMove: NO HESITATION. Start heading to Fushimi Inari at 5am. Trust! 🇯🇵⛩️

#kyototravel #kyotogram #travelwithkids #visitjapan #traveltips taken in Kyoto, Japan by @franciszl

21

3

a month ago