What is the least expensive/easiest way to visit Poland?

Question

I am a 20 year old college student from California, and I'm looking to visit Poland, and to research records and places of my Gruszka family from Pultusk, Poland. They were Ashkenazim who were murdered by the n**i's.

What is the easiest and least expensive way for me to visit?

Anyone in Poland looking for some company to show around?

Answer 1

The most expensive item should be the air ticket - you should research all special offers, etc. Pułtusk is quite close to Warsaw (about forty miles), so getting there should be fairly easy and cheap.

Answer 2

Hang around awhile and hope that Genevieve's Mom sees your question.  Now, I don't know if her husband and children would let her go to Poland with you but she probably can give you some great tips and advice.  She is our Polish and Eastern Europe expert. However, she is usually on the genealogy or the history board.  So you might reask your question there and address it to her. She is very very nice and helpful.  I think she answered one of your questions on the genealogy board. You can email her through her avatar.

According to some  cousins of my grandfather, we lost almost everyone in Poland during the Warsaw uprising.

The above poster mention churches and she might have not realized that Ashkenazim are Jewish.  However, I was told by a Mormon friend(they are experts on genealogy) that Jews were required to register their vital information with the local parish priest or pastor.  Seraph said it was true but it is very difficult to get access to those records. Nevertheless, Jewish records can be found in Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran or Evangelical parishes.   Hopefully they will eventually be opened up since so much was destroyed during the Holocaust.

Answer 3

The least expensive way to visit poland is to walk and swim there.

Answer 4

There are plenty of hotels in Poland some of them are even named "Holiday INN".

You want the cheepest way talk to your parents and see if you have any living family members still in Poland.  I'm sure there must be some great aunt or uncle, another way is to look up parishes on the internet contacting them of what you want - to find your family.  Church records usually go way back and priests usually speak english.

But I would advise that you find your contact before you leave the states.