Testimonials

April 2024

Daniel is a dedicated and intrepid genealogical researcher, and a wonderful guide. My partner and I spent three days with him crisscrossing the country roads of the Kurpie region of Masuria in search of the descendants of my maternal grandparents’ families. Daniel’s first inquiry with a couple in the village of my grandfather’s birth led to further inquiries with others over the days of the trip and the gathering of vital information for filling in the sketchy details I had regarding my grandfather’s immediate family and their descendants. Through his efforts, I was able to meet several cousins and their families and, in particular, one cousin and her daughters whom I had met 40 years earlier on a trip to Poland. The tour also included visits to sites preserving Kurpie culture such as the open-air Muzeum Skansen Kurpiowski in Novogród, where many residential and farm buildings, as well as dozens of other structures are preserved, and the Kurpie Museum in Wach, a private museum where more than 10,000 items from the domestic and farm lives of the Kurpie are are exhibited. At the conclusion of the tour, Daniel provided me with a 5-page summary of the notes he took throughout our time together, as well as 89 high-quality digital photos. I highly recommend Daniel as a guide and researcher and PolishOrigins’ custom tours.

December 2023

I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude. Thanks to your efforts, my family and I have learned a great deal about our ancestors. Seeing the names of them gives me great comfort in knowing that they’re not lost to time. You’ve opened a door that’s been locked for decades, and many doubted would ever be opened again. On behalf of my family, I thank you for accomplishing such a monumental feat. I also want to thank you for bringing my relative to my attention. You went the extra mile and I appreciate it! I’m definitely interested in getting in contact with him and will do so soon. It would be great to meet more of my Polish relatives.

December 2023

We were very satisfied with all of the guides in all of the cities we toured. The guide in Torun was very well informed – we could tell he LOVED his city – his passion shined through his knowledge. Our guide in Lodz was also very knowledgeable in both history and archival research; I was impressed with her ability to track down the homes of my ancestors and to get us into those buildings. Our guide in Wroclaw was very engaging; he even sat us down and discussed the joint history of Ukraine / Poland which I appreciated. I am satisfied with the research that was done prior to the tour and during the tour. Zen was his usual amazing self 😉 Seriously, I always appreciate Zen’s tenacity in doing research, tracking down living relatives, and being part of family gatherings as interpreter! We worked together as a team to make finding my relatives a reality!

October 2023

The various guides in Krakow, Zamosc, Lublin and Warsaw were all super. We really benefitted from being with our own guide instead of being in a large group tour. When one became ill, the communication was timely and a solution quickly found. We achieved our goals of some tourism opportunities, a short time through one family’s area, and lots of time with newly found family.

October 2023

Two genealogists with a passion for research and sharing of the Poland’s history provided an unforgettable and life changing experience for me. Initially, I had a hard time keeping up especially in the archives (tiredness), but they expertly searched and retrieved documents using a logical strategy. Then, without hesitation, used people skills to obtain leads, get invited in to homes and conduct what turned-out to be a wonderful surprise for all when finding a living relative or getting another lead.

There are probably several expert genealogists to choose from for a custom tour, but if you want the whole package – upfront communication for a carefully planned itinerary combining culture and family tree study, 24-hour support, excellent, affordable accommodations, safe transportation and professional, results-driven, friendly, genealogists, PolishOrigins is the one. I just did one visiting and exploring the villages of my ancestors and was totally satisfied.

September 2023

Thanks to this tour and all of the hard work that was completed by Zenon, Aleksander, Kinga and the rest of the PO Team, I had a chance to meet and form relationships with relatives I didn’t know I had. I was able to stand on the land where my Grandfather was born and raised. I saw the villages where my Great-Grandparents came from and was able to learn about what my Grandfather may have experienced during his life in Poland.

The Genealogy research far surpassed my expectations. I went from not knowing anything about my Polish family to tracing roots back to the 1700’s on all lines of my family.

This whole experience was a dream come true for me. So many family mysteries were solved and I got to learn a lot about my families heritage and culture. I have formed connections with family that I didn’t know I had. I have developed a new sense of pride for my heritage and a new cultural identity.

September 2023

All my guides were knowledgeable and so helpful in making the trip everything it could be. Zbigniew was a star helping translate Eng to Pol and Pol to Eng. He made the transmission of ugly family stories a much easier time, and that’s appreciated. Ola was so great with Zakopane and Joanna was a fabulous guide in Kraków. Would definitely like her services again on my next trip, with my mother. I met my family and got to see Krakow and Zakopane. Very satisfied with how it was planned and happened. I think the communication was perfect. We worked together as a team to make this trip all it was.

September 2023

I really appreciated Zbigniew’s genealogical expertise, his willingness to work long hours on our days together, and his refusal to give up when confronted with possible leads. I would highly recommend his services! I found more information than I had hoped to find, although my genealogical goals will never be completely achieved!

PolishOrigins exceeded my expectations. Thanks to everyone for a wonderful experience!

August 2023

Thank you so very much for helping us to make the Nadler-Jaffe family heritage trip to Poland a reality and a great success! We are so grateful for everything you did from the planning stage through to the last day of the trip to help make our trip as meaningful as it was.

Our guide, Zbigniew, and driver Marek, were wonderful and so reliable, getting us to where we needed to be to stay on schedule each day. In the Lodz Ghetto, it was so meaningful that Justyna was able to find and take us to so many places of significance for my father and his family. The accommodations were just right and our meal arrangements worked out really well. Most of all, knowing that you were only a phone call away and that we were in reliable hands really allowed us to focus on this incredible experience.

It was a trip of a lifetime! Thank you again so much for helping to make that possible!!

August 2023

First, we must say that this tour would never have been possible without the wonderful efforts of Aleksander Zawilski. We originally planned the tour for 2019. However, due to the COVID Pandemic and international events affecting Ukraine, it was deferred to 2023. During this time, Aleksander made numerous plans, adjustments, and revisions (…), and ensured that all the details were accurate. I have never worked with anyone as cooperative, meticulous, accommodating, and thorough as Aleksander. He kept us completely informed, in a timely manner, throughout the entire process. He selected Zbigniew Stettner as our main guide and he was amazing! Because of Aleksander, this trip was OUTSTANDING! It far exceeded anything that I thought could be achieved!!! I can’t say enough positive comments about him. Polish Origins is extremely fortunate to have him on their staff. He is FANTASTIC! Thanks for everything, Aleksander.

Zbigniew Stettner was our guide for most of our custom tour and made our trip beyond memorable!! He was exceptionally well prepared and knew my family tree and background as well as, if not better, than myself. He was very thorough and resolute in finding information concerning my ancestry. To our amazement, he analyzed the lineage of all four of my grandparents. Previously, he developed a Cadastral Map report per my request. He utilized it to make contact with our family members while we were on the tour and found numerous relatives whom we were previously unaware. The experience of meeting our relatives was off the charts; such an emotional experience that was not expected. Zbigniew’s calm and charming disposition, along with his fabulous translation skills, had us making several new family connections and obtaining additional records for my genealogy research. Sitting in our relatives’ dining rooms, drinking cherry vodka and eating chocolate, while being so warmly welcomed and embraced, was a tremendous experience for all of us. Due to his knowledge, approach and persistence the goals of our research tour exceeded my expectations beyond description. Zbigniew’s patience, determination and ability to pursue all leads for information was so impressive and enabled so many extraordinary moments throughout our trip. He is amazing!

After completing most of the trip with Zbigniew, we met Piotr Zelny, and changed guides for the remaining few days of the tour. Piotr’s background in history was very helpful during the tour. He took us to Poland’s best Open-Air Ethnographic Museum in Sanok, which was very informative. Afterwards, we proceeded to the rural Zyndranowa area, through Slovakia, and then we arrived in Zakopane. Piotr arranged for us to meet with one family, which we did the following day at a local restaurant. Because of Piotr’s efforts, we accomplished more than we expected in that area, which is a beautiful part of Poland.

Preparation for the tour/communication:
This is one of the greatest strengths of PolishOrigins and Aleksander. Words cannot describe how thorough, detailed and PROMPT all of our communications were throughout the entire experience! I cannot imagine any other tour company could exceed the superior customer experience delivered by PolishOrigins.
Furthermore, I would like to say that my wife and I traveled extensively in our lives, including all 50 states in the US, and many countries across the globe. We have traveled on our own and utilized multiple well-known tour companies. Without doubt, this has been our best all-around travel experience.

My wife and I traveled extensively in our lives, including all 50 states in the US, and many countries across the globe. We have traveled on our own and utilized multiple well-known tour companies. Without doubt, this has been our best all-around travel experience.