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How a trip to Poland now can help support Ukraine - The Guardian

The Guardian recently published this excellent article about how foreign tourism to Poland can actually help boost Poland’s own heroic efforts to help Ukraine and her people. The article goes on to describe traveling in Warsaw, Krakow, and Gdansk and especially the unique gastronomy of each city and Poland in general here's the full article https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2022/jul/12/how-a-holiday-in-poland-can-help-support-ukraine

Here are some highlights:

"The question is, does it feel right to be a “tourist” at a time like this? I would say absolutely, yes. By spending money in Poland you are directly supporting those helping Ukrainians – hotel owners who are offering free stays to those who have fled, restaurant chefs delivering free meals to refugee centres, and ordinary Poles, from shop owners and waiters to bartenders and taxi drivers, who have offered millions of refugees a place to sleep in their homes."

"At art galleries and museums there are QR codes to scan to donate to charities and boxes to drop cash in. In many cafes the price of your cappuccino is donated to Ukrainian charities. The generosity here is heartfelt and moving."

And I learned that food aside, there is now another pressing reason to go. Poland is making enormous efforts to assist Ukrainians, still arriving in their thousands by bus and train every day (around 1.2 million have applied for temporary residence in Poland). Giant tented kitchens are operating around the clock at railway stations, hotels are hosting refugees, cafes are raising money, chefs are delivering meals and museums and galleries all have donation boxes. There is an intense atmosphere of solidarity. For every Polish flag flying, there is a Ukrainian one.

I thought this was a very timely topic as I myself have recently returned from a trip to Poland back in April and hold many of the same sentiments noted above. Unfortunately I think many are either spooked by the war, feel "guilty" about being on holiday in proximity to a crisis, or don't want to "add" to the refugee crisis.

These misconceptions are negatively affecting the economies of neighboring countries and by extension their ability to help the Ukrainian people. I spoke with some Polish hoteliers when I was there and many North Americans have unfortunately decided to cancel bookings and their upcoming trips to Poland. By supporting the Polish tourism economy you are helping prop up a number of seasonal jobs that Ukrainians can work in.

When I was in Poland I observed that there was no military presence, no shortages of food or supplies, shops and restaurants bustling, but most hotels were half empty. Lots of domestic tourism but little foreigner tourism, only really British and Germans in the touristy areas. I travelled from Wrocław to Krakow and I did not encounter many Ukrainian refugees, maybe 2-3 families at one time and a number of the Uber/Taxi drivers were Ukrainian however.

Rick Steves' frequent co-author, Cameron Hewitt, also agrees as it seems he just returned from leading the first "Best of Poland" tour - https://blog.ricksteves.com/cameron/2022/05/poland-ukraine-crisis/

Posted by
1959 posts

Good to know, has upped my interest in traveling to Poland soon. Thanks.

Posted by
4184 posts

No problem Hank :)

The article also covers a lot of topics about general travel to Poland, especially interesting the descriptions of the plethora of fresh local produce one can find, which might surprise many visitors to Poland. I like this line:

Under a thick slice of sun, I devoured this small hillock of naked Polish blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. They were the best I’d ever eaten, each one a grenade of flavour, as superior tasting as wine.

I quickly sought them out in other ways, mainly in soups, which Poland excels at. I loved the unexpected sour-sweetness of a hot tomato and raspberry soup and the cooling blueberry pierogi (dumplings) eaten at the old-school Radio Café, owned by Stanisław Prószyński, a journalist who – now well into his 80s – has pinned up anti-Putin posters.

Posted by
6587 posts

Great information, Carlos!

We really enjoyed our trip to Poland and highly recommend to anyone that hasn't been there. Carlos was a wealth of information for us when we planned our trip last year. We did our entire trip on the train. Train tickets are inexpensive AND anyone over 60 gets a 30% discount. The people are fabulous, so helpful. The town centers are stunning and so colorful.

Here's a link to my trip report:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/poland-trip-report

Briefly the itinerary was:
Krakow
Wroclaw
Poznan
Torun
Gdansk
Warsaw

Posted by
9022 posts

I think Poland has always been a hard sell, at least for Americans. Look how long it took RS to come up with a tour, versus how long they've had one for Bulgaria, for example.

Posted by
96 posts

I’m greatly looking forward to our upcoming RS Best of Poland Tour in September. I’ve been dying to read reports from this new tour, but sadly I have not seen any posted.

I started getting an interest in Poland after my 2018 trip to Budapest/Prague/Vienna. I loved the architecture, historical culture, and uniqueness of the sites in these Central Europe countries, and it made me want to branch out to other similar countries. I had booked the first version of our Poland trip pre-Covid, and I had zero concerns keeping our plan to visit even after the war broke out.

Posted by
4894 posts

I haven’t read the article yet (but will) - but I am more than excited about my month long trip to Poland in September. This is a win-win situation for me - good for me, good for Poland, good for Ukraine.

Posted by
6587 posts

For people that would like an alternative to crowded Prague, I felt like there was some similarities between Prague and Krakow.

Posted by
4184 posts

@stan - I wonder why that is? Perhaps lingering Cold War sentiments?

@galliegirlie - I'm sure you'll have a great time!

@TexasTravelmom - I really like how you put it "a win-win situation for me - good for me, good for Poland, good for Ukraine." very true :)

@jules m - Your trip really encapsulates a "Best of Poland" experience, I still recall your adventures in Gniezno, with the Archbishop himself and the Saint's Day parade very cool!

Posted by
3644 posts

Before people get overly excited about how great Poland is on the Ukrainian question, it is well to remember that the current government is one of the extreme right-wing regimes. It gins up anti-semitism, in a place where few, if any Jews are left. Abortion is illegal, and only white-skinned refugees are welcomed. For someone who writes about travel as a political act, Rick Steves is remarkably naive on the Polish question.

Posted by
6587 posts

@Rosalyn, I continue to be saddened by the increasing nationalism and the right wing conservative sentiments in Poland and Hungary, the U.S., and other places I love. But, the government and the people are different entities. There is a point, however, where I'd draw a line, if I could go to Russia now, I wouldn't.

Posted by
2809 posts

Thanks for posting this, Carlos. This is a perspective I had not considered before, and I'm guessing others have not either. I spent 2 1/2 weeks in Poland several years ago and loved it. The people were wonderful, and the history is fascinating.

Posted by
4184 posts

anti-semitism, in a place where few, if any Jews are left. Abortion is illegal, and only white-skinned refugees are welcomed. For someone who writes about travel as a political act, Rick Steves is remarkably naive on the Polish question.

Poland these days is definitely not for everyone, but I think Rick Steves characterizes it well as "growing pains of a young democracy."

Remember Poland's recently restored democracy is only a couple of decades old, the US's fairly stable democracy has been around for almost 250 years and is also struggling with all the same things you have listed.

My friends in Poland have told me that since the Russian invasion of Ukraine there has been a bit of a shift in the wind in Poland moving away from the more reactionary tendencies. Just this past month in Warsaw thousands of Poles and Ukrainians marched together for peace and LGBT+ rights for KyivPride.

"The annual Pride march in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv was cancelled due to Russia's invasion, leading the LGBT+ community in Warsaw to team up with their counterparts in Ukraine to organise the event in the Polish capital." - https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/polish-ukrainian-lgbt-parades-unite-warsaw-2022-06-25/

Posted by
9022 posts

Carlos, yes, there are still people who perceive Poland as mainly a grim, gray Soviet satellite. Mostly destroyed in WWII and anything good was suppressed from that time by their communist government. I know many people who went to Poland in the '60s and '70s to visit family, and always spoke of it as a place they were glad to have escaped from. I just dont think Poland has managed to do as good a marketing job as, say, Iceland.

I think what makes this story even more remarkable, is that the Poles and Ukrainians have a history of centuries of conflict, wars, rebellions, and hatred, as bloody and persistent as the English/Irish conflicts. More recent historical events such as the WWII Wolyn Massacre tainted the relationship and politics. Until now, when the common hatred and distrust of Russians has managed to provide common cause.

Posted by
4184 posts

Thanks for your insight Stan. I've only known Poland post communism, but I agree their tourism marketing is almost non-existent, but maybe that's a good thing as it has kept it a hidden gem for so long lol!

Posted by
20470 posts

Poland will make a great trip if you are into the RS philosophy of travel.

  1. Identify — and undermine — your own ethnocentricity: The US has been preoccupied with terrorism for the last generation. But other nations have their own, sometimes heavier baggage. Ponder societal needs even more fundamental than freedom and democracy. Why is Putin so popular in Russia? Why would a modern, well-educated Egyptian be willing to take a bullet for the newest military dictator (as my friend in Cairo just told me)? Why, in some struggling countries, does stability trump democracy?

  2. Accept the legitimacy of other moralities: Be open to the possibility that controversial activities are not objectively "right" or "wrong." Consider Germany's approach to prostitution or the Netherlands' marijuana policy, both of which are based on pragmatic harm reduction rather than moralism. Get a French farmer's take on force-feeding his geese to produce foie gras. Ask a Spaniard why bullfighting still thrives — and why it's covered not in the sports pages, but in the arts section of the local newspaper. You don't have to like their answer, but at least try to understand it.

Rick Steves

Posted by
15020 posts

Poland makes a great trip regardless. Pre-pandemic my trips in Poland even if only across in the border towns along the Oder were a source of enjoyment, in addition to urban centers where I've visited spending close to a week, Krakow, Warsaw, Gdansk plus day trips nearby. I always felt safe in Poland .

Not really surprised given the current situation that foreign tourists are basically British and Germans.

Posted by
4871 posts

Rosalyn is right, as much as I admire Poland for the way it's handled the Ukraine situation, like Hungary the government there is not the greatest. Do some research and see if you have issues with how they do their business. Just saying.

Posted by
4184 posts

@James - well if you did visit a cathedral in Poland you would end up interacting with a lot of the local Poles. Poland actually has the highest church attendance rate in Europe (6% behind the USA), so all those grand old cathedrals are still used regularly by the local community, they are not just glorified art museums lol!

Posted by
6587 posts

@Carlos, I think I referred to the Poles church attendance in my trip report. It was sometimes a little difficult (annoying) to get in to visit a church that we wanted to see because the Poles actually go to church!
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