Researching Your Polish Ancestors
One of my friend’s family on his mother’s side comes from Poland. He has decided to actually go to that country to find out first hand about his ancestors. No matter where your roots are from, if you can travel to the area where your family came from it really helps to put things into perspective. In case your family has Polish origins, you may be surprised to learn about low-cost flights to Poland.
In the past all foreign tourists were forced to exchange specific quantity of money every time they were crossing the boarder according to the official (bad) course – not any longer! People from Western Europe and the USA were also forced to pay higher rates in the hotels than people from Eastern Europe – not any longer either. In spite of the truth that Polish “zloty” (Polish currency) is interchangeable into dollars (there is not anymore “main” and “inofficial” exchange course). Poland is still a relatively cheap nation for the foreigner from the Western Europe and the USA.
There are some safety measures that you require to take into consideration before your travel to Poland:
Much better use public transport than lease a car. Automobile insurance coverage is extremely pricey, one of the factor, numerous cars and trucks, particularly the costly western brands are taken by car “Mafia’s”. The roadway system is bad, there is not enough highways and highways in the country. Traffic on the streets of numerous towns is likewise high (absence of beltways) and it makes driving bothersome and expensive (gas cost is high compared to the USA). Polish cops can likewise take advantage of naïve and “rich” foreign tourists and they are first to get tickets. Public transportation system is comfortable and cheap. It includes trains, buses, airplanes (in between some cities) and city transport system like cable cars, buses, metro (Warsaw) and obviously taxis. Beware with the taxi. Some cabby might charge you greater rate especially if you are at the airport, Warsaw airport is the worst. I know that the authorities tried to fix that issue however I am uncertain whether they did. For instance the best method of transport in between Krakow and Warsaw is an express train, but the best transportation system in between the Warsaw and Wroclaw (Breslau) is to take an aircraft.
Do refrain from doing any money deals on the streets. There are cash exchange workplaces (kantors) nearly all over and they do not charge a fee for a deal and are safe to exchange the money. Some locals want to take a benefit of the immigrant. Do not try to look excessive as a rich foreign tourist with expensive electronic cameras hanging from your shoulder and do not speak your language too loud since you would be exposing yourself to either a burglar or someone trying to do some doubtful deals.
Poland is still a fairly cheap country for the foreigner from the Western Europe and the USA.
Public transportation system is comfy and low-cost. It includes trains, buses, aircrafts (in between some cities) and city transport system like cable cars, buses, city (Warsaw) and of course taxis. The best way of transport between Krakow and Warsaw is an express train, but the best transport system in between the Warsaw and Wroclaw (Breslau) is to take a plane.
