Family FIRE Travels: Krakow, Poland

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In October of 2022, my family and I embarked on our fourth month-long adventure of the year, the second that would be based in Europe. We chose Krakow, Poland as our starting point. I wasn’t sure of what to expect; Poland isn’t necessarily a top tourist destination, and Warsaw is the Polish city that sees the most tourism.

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It was not difficult to exceed the minimal expectations I had for Krakow, but we were delighted with the city, its rich history, and the educational opportunities for ourselves and our kids.

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Why Krakow?

My wife has predominantly Polish ancestry, as is exceedingly common in our corner of northeast Michigan. In her hometown of Rogers City, there’s a big rivalry over who makes the best kielbasa: Nowicki’s or Rygwelski’s. Down the road in Alpena, the town which we now call home, you can order pierogies, golabki, and gzik at The Old Polish Corner.

Krakow’s John Paull II Airport also happens to be a place that Ryan Air flies in and out of, and we found flights from Krakow to Sweden for about $25 USD apiece, including fees for two carry-ons and four no-fee small backpacks. Our next destination would be a heritage trip for me.

Initially, we booked inexpensive one-way flights to Madrid to get over to Europe. Our initial flight to Madrid was changed, and we were given the opportunity to leave a day earlier. This happened again after our first rebooking, and we again opted for an earlier flight, extending our trip by two days from the original itinerary.

The downside was that it added a leg to the trip, squeezing a stop at O’Hare in between Grand Rapids and Newark. Months later, we chose Krakow as our first European destination, booking a Ryan Air flight after a generous 8-hour layover in Madrid to accommodate even a ridiculous flight delay of up to about 7 hours.

Our flights to O’Hare and Newark went well, and we were on our way to Madrid with an on-time departure. Somewhere over Boston or the Atlantic Ocean late in the evening, we made a big loop, and eventually the pilot told us that we were heading back to Newark due to a generator failure on one of the engines.

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Family FIRE Travels: Krakow, Poland

It was not difficult to exceed the minimal expectations I had for Krakow, but we were delighted with the city, its rich history, and the educational opportunities for ourselves and our kids.

Why Krakow?

Krakow’s John Paull II Airport also happens to be a place that Ryan Air flies in and out of, and we found flights from Krakow to Sweden for about $25 USD apiece, including fees for two carry-ons and four no-fee small backpacks. Our next destination would be a heritage trip for me.

Flight Trouble

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