Warnings about Life in Poland

I will be going to Poland this year to work there for a couple of months as i got offered a job and I'm very excited. I've been there 3 times already as I kind of got used to the area I will be living. I am a wanderer and love exploring places no matter how near or far and I guess my family are worried about me because of this. Im just wondering what kind of people, places, crimes, scams and things in Poland I should be wary of? I was given advice by a fellow pole not to walk late at night because there are loads of rapists apparently also I love green/nature and love bike riding and cant wait to mounain bike up forests and mountains but was told that I should'nt because No1: I would definetly get lost as Polands forests and woods are very large in acres and that some are abandoned, No2: There are wolves and bears that roam the woods. Is this true? I would love to trek around Poland eventually, are there any other warnings i should know about?

Hello April Valentine.

Where are you going to live in Poland?.
And where are you from, i mean what is normal for you?.

It is usually a bad idea for a young woman in any country to walk alone late at night.


Oh, yes. The most annoying are those polar bears wandering on the streets ;)

Beware of the Sasquatch colony although they are harmless unless provoked by female scent.

Same as any other country.


someone was talking shite.


Many trails are marked. You could always carry a map... or buy a book with mapped cycle routes.


Only in the highlands. Most people would be wary of wild boar.

I think you have more to fear from Polish negativity. Bunch of miserable gits telling you all that stuff.

Wolves are scared of humans and avoid them. If you can see a wolf you'll be lucky.

If you're on a mountain bike you'll be able to get away from any animals you encounter (including rapists). The not walking alone late at night might be good advice. Do you do that in other countries?

One thing you will need to learn about Poles is that they are obsessed by fear. I remember a few years ago we were doing up our house and I was climbing up the roof timbers to take a photo. The friendly old neighbour said "nie bojesz się?" (you're not scared?) It struck me as odd. A Brit would never ask you that. Why would I be scared? And if I was, why would I be climbing up on the roof.

It happens a lot. Fears are manufactured and passed down from generation to generation.

One winter I went for a walk alone in the forest behind my mother-in-law's house. I took my £400 Nikon camera with me. After I was gone half an hour, they sent people looking for me in case I'd been mugged and had my camera nicked.

A couple of years later I brought my 2 grand laptop to Poland (I can't believe they ever cost that much - this was 10 years ago) and I was going to take the train to Warsaw to fly back to UK. My wife's gran advised me to hide it when I get on the train so that I won't be robbed.

I've been coming to Poland for 15 years and lived in Poland part of that time (~18 months). If you are aware and alert, you'll be fine. If you like mountain biking in the forest and you can use a map and compass, you'll be fine. (Or a GPS?).

For some reason I've still to get to the bottom of, Poles LOVE pissing on each other's happiness. If you like doing something, someone else will try to stop you doing it or spoil it for you. If anyone can tell me how it came about, I'd love to know. But it's probably something to do with WWII - which is the catch-all excuse for all Poland's mizeria.

In the words of Nike. Just do it.

The neighbor only said that because your knees were shaking.


Just the other day I was having a really good time and this Pole came up to me and began to pee. When I told him I was unhappy he stopped and said "sorry" and began looking for other signs of joy to pee on.


Yea, such a little thing this WWII; why don't Poles just forget about it?

Thanx. I will, thats the kind of gal i am, i do dislike when people tell me 'I SHOULD'NT'. I love to wander, thats just me, although i would'nt mind seeing some wildlife, the only wildlife i see here are fox's lol

I think they were trying to scare me, ive been independent since i can remember, also they love to play the 'YOUR A WOMAN' card. I'm sure men get raped too.

Check https://polishforums.com/travel/poland-wildlife-similar-wild-life-live-31221/2/ - but remember some of these animals are very difficult to see.

if you know some karate you'll be ok...

.........

ok, i'm just joking :D lol

grow up

Can't rape the willing

OK, in my opinion these are the things to be careful about:

If you are in a city, very very drunk guys on the streets sometimes. Avoid them.

Don't walk around in dark unlit streets alone.

DON'T go on late night trams alone.

Don't get so drunk on vodka that you don't know what you're doing.

Don't suddenly strike up friendships with total strangers and go and sleep in their house.

Be vaguely wary of some taxi drivers. If they are driving really badly, ask to get out earlier because you've seen a shop you want to go to, or something.

Polish police - scary, carry guns and aren't renowned for their total straightness ... although they are usually nice to women.

Also, carry some ID all the time. You can get stopped and asked for it.

Basically Poland is a cool, generally friendly, civilised place. If in doubt, don't go out after dark!

LOL - now that made me laugh. :)

My god...this place is so full of ****. Poland friendly? :\

It reminds me of the tourism commercials for places like Rwanda...they paint is as this really great place...but the reality is much different.

Just be street smart. Also, where are you from (to the OP), depending on what you are used to it could be very different. Basically if you are in a city then treat it like any city, don't wander about unlit side streets alone late at night (not just because you are a girl...just shouldn't be done by anyone), don't get so drunk you don't know where you are...and just use street smarts. If you are going hiking and things, make sure you know your trail (a GPS is always a good idea, if not a compass) and let people know where you plan on going (look at that boy in Australia!).

Other than that, enjoy yourself! Poland is no more dangerous than anywhere else.

It's more dangerous than Japan :) Overall, not that dangerous here though. Parts of Scotland are far worse.

It depends...if you end up in a mad yakuza den pished as a fart then i doubt it's that safe.

Been there, done that. Danger overrated :)

The only danger is that of priapism by the view of polish females.Carry eye drops.You are warned.

southern


It's a shame their behavior ruins any benefit their looks from 20-25 may offer them. I also think you have never been laid Southern...you talk about it so much it is unnatural.

be weary of drunks, bums, groups of dudes..

be careful around boars.. no bike can help you if the gang up on you but usually they aren't aggressive... just be aware of your surroundings. hiking trail systems in poland are very, very good. also, there really isn't that much solitude to be had.. poland isn't big and there are 40million peeps there.

So you don't have a sense of humor; ok, but a grown-up adult wouldn't post something as stupid as this:


Yes, "loads of rapists" indeed.

ok, poles on the street aren't particularly friendly, but as soon as you are in any closer situation that ends up with you all sitting round a table, they are. in my experience. very. maybe they just didn't like you? ; )

and as for the rapists, well, Poland is a highly sexed place with a dodgy view of women and porn on the telly any time of the day, plus an alcohol problem, so i guess yes, there might be 'loads' of them.

Would I go off trekking on my own in unknown country in Poland? NO. True. It isn't the Lake District.

You could have described England with your above comments, sex sells! Who wants to buy a product what some big fat ugly biffer drinks/eats/drives/wears?...

Also to the OP, Ive been to Poland 3 times and as a female I felt safer than I do in my own city (in England). Ive only ever encounted one drunken tramp and he was very friendly ;0) (he was carrying some skis -how odd!). I dont think that there are rapist ready to jump out on you, I think as everyone has said, just be cautious in areas that dont look particularly nice...As for riding on public transport late at night, do what you would do where ever you come from, sit at the front near to the driver, it's best to be on transport than walking the streets late at night.

loool

and yesterday someone wrote here at pf that we poles need more sex..... go figure :D

If you know them well and are in their home of course. But as a culture Poles are not friendly. They also do things like BLAME everyone else kind of like you did in your last comment.

They don't accept the blame or apologise and this is proven time and again.

beware of being shot in the leg with paintball gun in the basemen of the forum hotel . still have the bruises on me.

and then you die!!

Poles love to shock and scare you, i wouldn't worry about any of that crap especially the wolves and bears.

The only advice i would give is be very careful with anything involving money. You would be surprsied at the lengths they'll goto in order to seperate you form your cash.