travel arrangements

[snowwego]

does any one have any good ideas or suggestions on setting up my trip for the interview in poland. I know I need a lay over in poland for 3 days at least. I would need hotels and taxi servive there to. Rick

[MNKenr]

... in response to travel arrangements, posted by snowwego on Jun 14, 2002

I had a day layover in March. I stayed at a hotel (sorry do not remember the name, it was recommended by LOT airlines) that was the second bus stop from the airport. It was $40 a night and near 5 major bus lines. For $2 you can buy a bus ticket that will take you to downtown, or 'old town'. The bus in not too difficult to understand. The hotel gave me a bus map. There were also taxis at the hotel, but I was adventurous and took the bus (they must have not been more than 2 years old)

If you want to stay in a hotel downtown, or elsewhere I can not suggest anyplace.

The hotel right next to the airport worked very well for me.

MNKenr

[DJD]

... in response to travel arrangements, posted by snowwego on Jun 14, 2002

Rick,

Marina and I spent 6 days in Warsaw, staying at the Hotel Grand.  We were happy with the hotel, and that it offered good value for the money.  It is also a reasonable walk to the US Embassy.  I have flown LOT several times, and the airline's performance has been excellent.  Costs were higher in Warsaw compared to the places in Ukraine I have visited.  The "Old Town" section is interesting to visit.  I am glad to hear that you will accompany your fiance to the interview, your demonstration of support will be important to her, as well as to the interviewer.

Dan

[snowwego]

... in response to travel arrangements, posted by snowwego on Jun 14, 2002

I am going to fly over there to get her. This is a must for me and I can not imagine her coming through the customs with out me, for we will be arriving at JFK NY. I will be taking air flight all the way there and back. I have not got an interview date yet so it is hard to estimate the time when I will be travling. But I am hoping august (late) and I have priced airlines at 2100 for me to go there and bring them both back. I have played with a lot ways of going. Rick

[Dan]

... in response to travel arrangements, posted by snowwego on Jun 14, 2002

How is your lady getting to Warsaw? If by train, have you arranged for someone to accompany her? If not - you may want to consider it. The Poland -- Ukraine trains are rife with crime and solo travelers are a prime target.

Because of that, it was my decision to just go ahead and travel to Ukraine and then accompany Olya to Poland. We took the train and it was relatively uneventful - though long.

As for hotels, we stayed at the Hotel Sobieski and I highly recommend it. Others I know have stayed at the Hotel Grand and report is was OK. Still others stayed at the Holiday Inn and at the Marriott. Both were reported as being VERY nice.

I'd suggest checking the website at www.hotelspoland.com to help you make your decision.

As for taxis - the one strong suggestion I can make is to check the posted rates that are on the windows of all legitimate taxis in Warsaw. I do not recall the range of fares right now, but I know we badly overpaid one fare from the train station to the hotel. The next day we learned the system and were able to comfortably negotiate our way around the city without difficulty and felt we were treated reasonably by the taxi drivers.

I consider Warsaw in the same way as I consider Singapore. When one travels around Asia, it is like an oasis of sorts when you alight into Singapore - so clean and efficient and so many services available. The same in Warsaw - it seemed a clean and interesting city with a great many amenities and services. There is a sense of 'decompression' from the conditions in most FSU countries/cities. It is NOT a city that offers a lot of historical interest as nearly all of it was washed away during WWII - tragically.

I hope this helps.

- Dan

[MarkInTx]

... in response to travel arrangements, posted by snowwego on Jun 14, 2002

Polish airlines would never be my choice again to go anywhere...

Except Poland.

I get their email news and they do offer some pretty good fares from time to time.

They weren't bad from a service standpoint. Sure AA was better but, they go directly to Poland, which is a plus.

If I can afford it, I'm going through Gatwick again, and taking my new bride and son through the same path I took.

And, I will also try to get us all upgraded to business class, too...

But, if I can't, I'll probably do LOT for all of us. It will no doubt be cheaper...

As for where to stay IN Poland... I have only ever stayed at one hotel, and it was near the airport, and I will NOT be staying there again!

[Dan]

... in response to One thing about LOT, posted by MarkInTx on Jun 14, 2002

Remember that she is a Ukrainian citizen and will require a visa for even an overnight stay in any Western European country. Said visa is often next to impossible for her to receive.

The only exception is if the layover is the result of poor connections at your European city - in which case, most airlines have special rooms/hotels that can accommodate them - but they are considered 'behind' the security barrier of the airport and the traveller(s) are NOT free to see the city.

A good example is Paris with Air France, Amsterdam with KLM, Frankfurt with Lufthansa and/or Vienna with Austrian Airlines. All airlines have special accommodations they can make for you - but you are definitely not free to leave their 'secured' areas.

Just a word to the wise.

- Dan

[MarkInTx]

... in response to Careful With Your Layover Plans . . ., posted by Dan on Jun 15, 2002

Yeah... that's a valid point.

But I wouldn't want to do an over-night stay, anyway. Emily will be dying to meet her new brother!

I was just thinking how nice the trip was when I went through England. It seemed to break it up nicely...

[dexion]

... in response to travel arrangements, posted by snowwego on Jun 14, 2002

Are you going to acompany your girl, or is it mandatory you be there?
dex

[MarkInTx]

... in response to question about that sorry no answer, posted by dexion on Jun 14, 2002

It is not mandatory.

But I'm going to be there!

I can't imagine asking her to make that trip alone.

Also, I understand that things are much more of a "rubber stamp" if you are actually there...

[John F]

... in response to Re: question about that sorry no answer, posted by MarkInTx on Jun 14, 2002

I have read here from guys that waited for their fiancee from a US airport.  I understand there can be a number of reasons, such as not being able to take a second vacation in the same year.  But I had that luxury and there was no way I was going to let Irina make the trip from her country to a strange country alone, and then fly to the USA and go through Western European countries and enter the US alone.  I had her take the train from Crimea to Kiev and she met me at Borispil.  We spent a couple of days in Kiev and I escorted her by airplane to Warsaw and I was by her side during the whole interview process.  I figured there was now way the embassy could argue the validity of the engagement if I flew half way around the world to be with her there.  Then I escorted here through the airports in Warsaw and Amsterdam, and finally through customs and INS in Atlanta.  Then I made sure she safely made the flight from Atlanta to home.

That's a lot of new experiences for someone who had never been out of the FSU before.  I cared for her too much to let her go through it alone.

John

[dexion]

... in response to Re: question about that sorry no answer, posted by MarkInTx on Jun 14, 2002

No, I agree with you completely. I would be there when the time comes too. I just was wondering if it was mandatory. It seems it should be to me. But thats just me.
dex