Our experience with PolishOrigins was exceptional in every way. We made our journey to Poland to explore our family roots, specifically that of my grandfather who had immigrated to the US in the early 1900’s.
I’ll start by offering a thumbnail version of our experience with PolishOrigins (PO). The communication from the moment we reached out to PO was excellent. Kasia, our tour/research manager, curated a trip that encompassed all that we wanted to do, on our own timetable. This included sightseeing and a journey to our family village with a genealogist. The transfers went well, with kind, English speaking drivers and vehicles in good condition. The private tours and excursions were top notch. I had a medical crisis, and PO came to our aid, answering the call to their emergency contact at midnight and arranged for medical care. And our genealogist was extremely knowledgeable and resourceful. He took us to local archives to help fill in our family tree, and to our delight, helped us locate distant relatives, who even invited us into their homes. We have begun relationships that we are confident will continue. We cannot recommend PolishOrigins more highly.
On to the longer version of our review. I have a passion for genealogy and had come to a place in my research where the only way to extend our family tree was to go to Poland. We found the Polish language to be daunting and were not sure that we would ever make the trip. Until we found PolishOrgins online. Tour/research manager, Kasia, responded to us promptly and we began planning our trip. She had excellent good communication with us throughout the entire planning of our tour. We quickly discovered that the language barrier would not be a concern at all. This diminished our anxieties, and we became excited to begin our adventure. Before we left the US, we were confident we were in good hands.
We began our tour with sightseeing in Krakow. Our accommodations at the Queen Boutique hotel were clean and comfortable, with the most fresh and delicious buffet breakfast. We went on a walking tour with Paulina, who was so very kind and great at sharing her knowledge. She brought us to the wonderful sights in the city and showed us the best places to eat and shop. We became so comfortable with the city that we thoroughly enjoyed our free time wandering and exploring.
We went on a tour of Auschwitz Concentration Camp, which was an incredibly moving experience where we had a chance to honor the multitudes who suffered and died in the Holocaust. The driver who took us to and from Auschwitz shared his knowledge of the area and Polish history. He dropped us and picked us up at the perfect locations. The day went smoothly, and it was very meaningful to us.
The unexpected happened while in Krakow, a worst-case scenario, I had a medical crisis. We called the PolishOrigins emergency contact at midnight and they responded immediately, making arrangements with the front desk to get us emergency services, if it became necessary. Kasia made an appointment with a private English-speaking doctor first thing in the morning. I received the best medical care, and I felt comfortable continuing on to the genealogy part of our tour.
Zbigniew, also known as Mr. Z, was our extraordinary genealogist, interpreter, and guide. He took us to my grandfather’s village and to local archives to locate family documents, successfully adding more details of the family tree. Mr. Z is extremely resourceful and spoke with people in the village to locate family members of our generation. Through his hard work, our goal was achieved to meet our distant relatives. We were even invited into the homes of two separate cousins, enjoying an evening of dessert and sharing photographs of my grandfather, his parents, and his siblings. We began relationships with cousins that we know will last a lifetime, including with a younger cousin who has connected with our children via social media. We truly could not have asked for a better experience. We will forever be grateful for all that Mr. Z did for us.
Our final destination was to sightsee in Warsaw. Our private walking tour with local guide Kasia was amazing. We enjoyed seeing the beauty of the city in autumn and learning about the tumultuous history of the area. It was the perfect ending to our journey.
Thank you to all of the PolishOrigins staff, especially Kasia and Zbigniew, who went above and beyond to make this a trip of a lifetime.
Review published on TripAdvisor.