Warsaw: Travel guide, prices and free housing · 2026

KKateKaterinka_M · Apr 30, 2012Read

Packed my suitcase, dressed as lightly as possible, and headed to the airport. I felt a mix of emotions: on one hand, the excitement of something new and unexplored—new adventures, new friends, a new life! On the other hand, panic: everything is unknown... everything is new... a-a-a-ah! What if I get lost? What if I get kidnapped? What if my luggage gets lost? What if the money I brought isn't enough? What if the officer at the border doesn't let me through?? It's such a pleasantly nerve-wracking state... Just to experience this, it's worth participating in the program =) Just kidding... not only for that. So... 9 AM... plane... takeoff... landing... waiting for a connecting flight... I transferred in Poland, Warsaw. The time between flights was 3 hours. You can walk around. But! A tip - walk around wisely =) I can say with almost 100% certainty that near the gate where the flight to the USA boards, there are other students hanging out. To make the time pass faster—you need to socialize! Don't be afraid =) Maybe they are going to the same state as you. Or even the same town! Anything can happen. Plus, it's moral support, after all. I met two girls. Although, our final destinations were in different directions. ...takeoff again... and then the thought hits that I should have brought something to chew on. And to drink. [For the future, everyone—buy drinks only in Duty Free. They will take yours away during bag checks.] Even though they feed and water you during the flight, it felt like it wasn't enough... About an hour or two before landing, they handed out I-94 forms. If you have questions, ask the flight attendant. But even they don't always know all the answers. So you can be clever: take a few forms, fill them out differently (if you don't know where to check the box correctly—you can check one spot on one form, and another spot on the other). Otherwise, when you hand the forms to the officers upon arrival, many are sent back to rewrite them. And you—bam—have a second option. Saving nerves and time =)... Landing. Everything inside is trembling... because this is NY, baby!! Yes!! I did it!! I'm here! That means everything else will work out too! At the airport, you can see EVERY nationality on the planet. My jaw dropped. I had never seen anything like it. I wanted to take a photo. I did, but it was unsuccessful. Attempt number two... and then! A security guard beckoned me with his finger and said it wasn't allowed. Just like that. My first minutes in a foreign country, and I'm already trying to break something and getting scolded for it =). We passed the officer with the girls, although one of them had to fill out the form again on the spot (fill out two, you won't regret it. You can always throw one away). We went to get our luggage, which was already waiting for us... You can't get lost in the arrivals terminal. So walk boldly in any direction you like. But better yet—toward the exit. Another tip: to save time, nerves, and possibly money, arrange in advance to be picked up from the airport to your destination city, or buy train tickets in advance. Because your head will be spinning. It's better to take care of it beforehand. We said goodbye to the girls, I got into a shuttle, and a four-hour drive to my final destination awaited me.

TPTatsiana PalchankaTanechka_for_you · Apr 25, 2010Read

I feel like participating in this program is a lot like climbing a mountain. When you're at the foot of the mountain, you have no idea what it's like at the top, what you'll experience when you get there, and the view from that mountain will be unforgettable for you. You start climbing, step by step. And the higher you go, the easier the ledges you've already passed seem. It gets harder and harder, and the higher you go, the scarier it gets. But nevertheless, the higher you go, the more you want to be at the top, to reach your goal. I bought tickets for Minsk - Warsaw - New York for May 21st. And I set myself a goal - to pass my exams before this date, or better yet, 5 days before departure. Exactly 2 weeks after the embassy visit, I got a notification that I could pick up my passport from the agency. I probably spent the whole day admiring my J-1 Visa, smiling like a fool :)))) Things are very complicated at the institute with early exams. I took my dad for support, and we went to the dean's office. We lied explained my situation (I need to take care of my grandmother, after all ;)))) And tomorrow or the day after, I'll get the coveted permission! fingers crossed And I can't wrap my head around how to manage to learn everything! But even here, I decided to sort everything out. First, I'll pass all the credits, and only then will I tackle the exams. At least it's some kind of system :)))) There's less than a month left... And I'll tell you a secret, the closer the flight, the stronger the feeling of fear mixed with curiosity! :))))))

WWladekmariaalicenicols · Apr 13, 2010Read

Hey, I'd like to start by welcoming all the participants of the Work and Travel program. My story won't be long, as first and foremost I'd like to share my purely personal feelings and tips, and do it quickly. (After all, I understand that we are busy, business-minded people, which means we don't like reading for too long :), only what's "to the point"). Of course, the road to Moscow seemed like a very difficult and drawn-out affair for me – Moscow is 1250 km away from my cozy town called Brest. Besides that, I had a small train trip to Minsk ahead of me, and from Minsk by bus to Moscow, the journey was long... A total of 2500 km round trip. I don't know Minsk that well, but I know the main streets; it's not for nothing that I studied and lived in Minsk for 1.5 years :). However, it would have been much better for me to "dash" to Warsaw, which is located approx. 200 km from Brest: especially since I know Warsaw and I have a one-year multi-visa to Poland + it's also 4 times cheaper for me and more convenient in terms of comfort. Oh well, I think, I guess I'll have to go to Moscow, am I better than other Belarusians? I didn't start making a fuss, and maybe they have an agreement with the Moscow consulate. Well, Let’s saddle up!!! We are going in!!!

TPTatsiana PalchankaTanechka_for_you · Feb 1, 2010Read

When I started my blog, I decided to write what I would have wanted to read if I were a first-timer (even though I am a first-timer myself)). One of the questions that still interests me to this day is expenses and income in America, and in general, everything. Food, accommodation, etc. So this will be a page where I will post info about all costs and income. Expenses: total: $3070 ($1000 - emergency fund) For the program: $300+$350 - 2 installments (program fee) $35 - SEVIS $14+$14 - bank transfers (for both installments) $2 - visa photo (and don't nitpick that everything is so detailed!)) $170 - Consular fee and Pony Express services $50 - bus Minsk-Moscow-Minsk (from the agency) $635 - ticket Minsk-Warsaw-New York (round trip, of course) $1000 - with me in American Express checks (super emergency fund for a rainy day!) $500 - in cash Don't forget that this amount is not the limit. Because when you are getting ready for a trip, it turns out that you don't have a suitcase, the camera batteries are weak, etc. ))))))) Income: total: 0

WWladekmariaalicenicols · May 23, 2010Read

I decided to add another page, and I sincerely hope this information will be useful to you. Everything I write is based on personal experience and has been tested in practice. Tickets: There are actually many ways to get to the USA, but I chose the most convenient and, in my opinion, the cheapest one: searching for tickets yourself. I would like to give a couple of tips: 1. If an agency is searching for a ticket for you, it might turn out to be the cheapest option, but don't relax... COMPARE, COMPARE, COMPARE and vary different situations and prices. 2. Use sites like Kayak.com and CheapTickets.com. 3. One of the easiest ways to find a cheap ticket is through youth agencies (these agencies buy tickets in bulk in advance, making them cheaper for both you and the agencies). There are many of them, and they differ in every country and city. 4. If various firms (agencies) offer you cheap tickets, DO NOT BELIEVE THEM! DOUBLE-CHECK! Use the same Kayak.com to find out the price. In one agency, they tried to convince me that a $750 ticket was the cheapest. (But you know how they work there ;))) I decided to double-check and "OH MIRACLE!" this ticket really did cost $750... After digging around on Kayak.com, I found a ticket for $680!!! I know United Airlines is a budget airline, but at least it's cheap! Still, $750 vs. $680! After writing down the flight details, I went to the same agency and asked them to find the ticket I had found myself. The young lady started fiddling around in her Amadeus system. And indeed! Such a ticket existed! After certain manipulations, the ticket was almost bought, but I asked to reserve the seats just in time! Before that, they somehow didn't think of it themselves. Perhaps they are all so lazy there that they are too lazy to even make an extra mouse click. In the end, I didn't pay a cent over the cost of the ticket itself, i.e., exactly $680. It's a pity the agency didn't get anything :) 5. Ask to reserve seats on the plane by the window or in the middle (whichever you prefer :))) 6. Demand a receipt! You never know... 7. As for Belarusian students, it is of course better to take flights departing from Kyiv, Moscow... In rare cases from Warsaw, Vilnius, Minsk... Why??? Most likely you will want to bring 10 phones, 5 laptops, 10 cameras, 5 bags of clothes :)) With Moscow, everything is clear, but with Kyiv, it's a bit more complicated, but here's a small hint - one person can easily carry 1 laptop, 1 phone, 1 camera!!! Ultimately, you can be met at the Ukraine-Belarus border, and then you can transport it all together. The main thing is to get all your belongings to the border. It's easier with Ukrainian customs officers than with our "monsters." Taking exams early (Belarusian style): The easiest way to fly to the USA at the beginning of June is... CORRECT! A certificate from a medical institution or a sanatorium! And it's even better if you have acquaintances in these institutions. Getting a certificate from a sanatorium is not difficult... Even if you buy one, you can eventually send your dad, mom, grandma, or grandpa there instead of yourself. This type of document acts on dean's office representatives like a silver bullet on a werewolf. The main thing is to yell: "I'll die if I don't go, ah... my heart" :))) "You don't want to take responsibility, do you?" It's even better to approach your dean's office with your parents and the certificate. But it worked for me just like that... If that doesn't work, ask to move your exam session to September. It's unlikely, of course, but anything can happen... The main thing here is PERSISTENCE, although arguing with our Soviet-style bureaucrats is like talking to a wall, but it's worth a try. It worked for me, and for my friend too, even though the dean didn't want to hear anything at first. "No and that's it, not enough grounds." REMEMBER - IT IS YOUR RIGHT to take your exams early!!! I've already passed my credits, exams are left... The further it goes, the mor

WWladekmariaalicenicols · Apr 13, 2010Read

Moscow is an amazing place, but just as dirty. You can feel the imperial ambitions of its architects and inhabitants, which is understandable, as Russia is, strictly speaking, an Empire (with a capital letter, and, so to speak, the cradle of the East), and Moscow is the center of this largest and richest country in the world. The large number of high-rise buildings, cigarette butts, and the small number of trash cans are striking. But the buildings are a separate topic; they hang over you like domes, like stone blocks grown from underground, making you feel small (it seems you are tiny compared to this world)—that is the most amazing thing! I am often in Warsaw and love that city, but in Warsaw, you feel cozy and comfortable, while in Moscow... ah, in Moscow you don't feel like a cog or a screw in the system, but rather a speck of dust in a big city. Yes, that's it... An unforgettable feeling!!! I was surprised that cigarette prices are roughly comparable to the price of a single metro ride!!! This is truly incomprehensible, since in Warsaw the cheapest cigarettes cost 9 zlotych (the very, very cheapest), which is about $3, while a metro ride costs about $1—that is, the metro prices are roughly equal, but the difference in cigarette prices is quite noticeable. I won't talk about Belarus, since the metro in Minsk costs approx. $0.3, and cigarettes are about the same as in Moscow, but the quality of cigarettes is much higher in Moscow than in Belarus, so I smoked to my heart's content. I was so happy I smoked two packs. There are many Poles in Moscow; they are good, nice people. I even talked to one Polish woman: - Pszepraszam, czy ma pani zapalniczke? [Excuse me, do you have a lighter?] - Tak, prosze :))) [Yes, please] - Dzienki [Thanks] - Jakie masz pochodzenie? [What is your origin?] - Jestem Bialorusinem [I am Belarusian] (and here such pride and a smile from ear to ear :D), mieszkam w Brzesciu, to jest bardzo ladne miasto. A Pani? [I am Belarusian, I live in Brest, Brest is a very beautiful city. And you?] - haha, wiem to miasto, jestem z Gdanska, ale dobrze mówiesz po polsku (here I am convinced once again that Poles are good diplomats, which is why they make such arguments, although my Polish is very bad) [I know that city, I am from Gdansk, but you speak Polish well] - O, dziekuje bardzo, no tak troche znam tego jezyka, bardzo czesto bywam w Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, oprócz tego chetnie zwiedzam ten kraj. [Oh, thank you very much, well yes, I know this language a little, I am very often in the Republic of Poland, besides that, I gladly visit this country] Here a kind of brotherhood occurred, we talked about topics like “Powazam Palaków, Powazam Bialorusinów”, but I had to urgently run to look for the Konsulat, brrr... J)) US Consulate: - Milo mi bylo pania poznac, ale trzeba isc do Ambassady Stanów Zjednoczonych. Do widzenia Pani! [It was nice to meet you, but I need to go to the US Embassy. Goodbye!] - Do widzenia Panu [Goodbye] Well, it was good to practice Polish at the same time... I go out onto a long street, as I understood it was part of the Garden Ring, interesting!!! Where to go? I asked a passing girl (not a local, you can see it immediately), it turned out she was looking for it herself... It became even more interesting... I saw a couple, a guy and a girl, and immediately a reflex – Belarusians, brothers!!! These definitely know: - Excuse me, can you tell me how to get to... - Oh, we are not locals... - ... (I continue) the US Embassy? - Oh, you need to go there, along that street, you will see the building there. - Oh, how did you know that we knew where the US Embassy was here? (with such surprised eyes 8)) Oooh??? - It's written on your faces that you are from Belarus (And I think to myself: “Yes, we are like that – responsive, bright, and generally nice people in all respects J))) I walked there and again didn't understand where to go... (I start turning on my brain... “beep”... turned on) I asked a guy