Poland Trip

You can get your International Drivers License at AAA. You also need your US drivers license with you although police in Europe have never asked me for it, just IDL. In Poland they use Zloty. In touristy area it's no problem getting around with English only. Otherwise try to speak to young people. They have English at school. Take common sense caution to protect yourself from scams. As everywhere these are more plentiful in big cities.

You should have no problems at all. I don't speak any other language (except a few lame things in Spanish) and have traveled all over. Unless you speak
German, Dutch, or Italian you have probably figured out what to do when all else fails...use sign language, or point! You should love it and driving was quite easy. I did bring my GPS, but signage was quite good. Loved the food.

As to scams if you have successfully traveled Italy without problems then Poland will be easy. Just take the usual precautions. The only problem I've ever had there was a cab driver in Krakow who took the
scenic route from the airport to old town.

As Ilja said, you shouldn't have any language problems in tourist areas, but if you learn some basic polite phrases - greetings, excuse me, please, thank you, etc. - it will be appreciated. Enjoy your trip!

Poland is different from much of Europe. It is an honor-based culture similar to Asian countries. There is a lot less in the way of scams than in other places in Europe. Since the culture is very homogeneous (thanks to waves of repressive rulers), there is strong shared identity among the Polish people. The language is tricky, but it is much appreciated if you try. Expect that you will be treated to English by younger people, even if you try some Polish. It's a tremendously interesting place to travel and in my opinion it is on the verge greatness. I would not recommend driving, since the roads are still in recovery from much neglect. If you are set on it, make sure you are not in a hurry. Traffic on major roads can be intense. They have the Polska Bus that laces together many cities. It is affordable and there is wifi. I am in the process of planning my fifth trip to Poland, it is a wonderful place!

I was also going to comment on the traffic congestion on the roads. There are a limited number of major roads in Poland and a huge number of trucks and cars on them. We took a tour of Poland in 2010 and spent alot of time sitting still or moving slowly due to traffic. But, it is a beautiful country and I would go back in a minute.

Hi, I commend and recommend going to Poland, have been there three times, a lovely place with lovely people. If you're taking the train at all, you'll find it pretty cheap relative to other countries. When I did day trips, such as from Gdansk (Danzig) to Malbork (Marienburg) or from Torun (Thorn) to Chelmno (Kulm), I took the train and the bus. No problems, either traveling or language-wise. No need to concern yourself with big language problems. Sometimes I started with English, other times with German. People, esp. the younger ones, you encounter in the service industry speak good English. Only once at this small hotel in Gdansk did the two elderly Polish women running the place refuse to speak English, if they knew it at all. They insisted on talking in Polish, German, or Russian. So we dealt with the problem (the final bill) all in German. Which cities are on your itinerary? Warsaw, Krakow, Poznan (Posen), Wroclaw (Breslau), Lublin, Szczecin (Stettin)

I'm not 100 percent sure about English. I don't think it's as widespread as other places. I was able to use German when English wouldn't suffice (I know no Polish at all). Trains are dirt cheap in Poland and I believe every station (at least the ones I checked out) has a help kiosk with an English speaker. The only thing I considered unusual (if I can describe it correctly) is like Germany there are three types of trains: express, intercity, and local(regional) - which stop at more or less stations, get you to your destination faster or slower, and cost more or less depending on speed. The difference is in Germany they all run under the title of DeutschBahn (German rail). In Poland they use the same stations but run as independent train lines with different names and tickets. You can buy tickets for any of them at any ticket booth in the station but each has it's own tickets.

Thanks for all your help. I really appreciate all the great comments and advice.