Poland It Is: Our Fragile Travel Plans to Meet My Belarusian Family this Summer

When I make plans to visit my family in Belarus, I usually book our flights as soon as award tickets become available. Unfortunately, due to ongoing war in Ukraine, this has become impossible. To be sure, I’m not complaining, as at least my relatives are not in Ukraine having to do deal with constant threat of bombing.

We were extremely fortunate that our reunion in Montenegro in 2022 went off without a hitch. Well, relatively speaking, as my family’s Turkish Airlines flight from Minsk to Istanbul was canceled. But Capital One rep helped us rebook on Belavia at no additional cost. I’m not sure I would have been able to accomplish this on my own, so this is at least one data point in favor of travel portals.

Since I’m a glutton for punishment,  I’ve decided to plan another trip to Europe this summer. I started with booking award flights from New York to Brussels and returning from London to Tampa. I figured I would fill in the gaps once we know where exactly my family is able to travel. Needless to say, they don’t have many options. All EU countries require a visa, and getting one has become extremely difficult. Reportedly, Poland is denying 90% of applicants at the moment. We have looked into Hungary, but that option was complicated as well. At one point I even thought about purchasing them vacation packages to Turkey, one of the few countries that doesn’t require a visa. But doing so would be extremely expensive, and we don’t have a lot of wiggle room in our budget right now.

My sister and one of the nephews already have a Polish visa, so we’ve decided to go that route. A few weeks ago my mom has applied and was approved! It did cost us $300, but oh well. My dad was supposed to apply at the same time, but there was only one spot available. The lady at the visa center promised us to find a slot at the beginning of April, so we were hopeful that my dad would eventually get a visa as well. Unfortunately, just yesterday he called me and said that he doesn’t think his health can handle it. He can barely walk ten steps, and enduring a border crossing (which can take up to 24 hours) would be a nightmare. Flying somewhere like Turkey is also a no-go. I could tell that this was a very hard decision for him, and not one he made lightly.

I encouraged him to apply for visa anyway, just in case. I said if we lose the money, it’s on me. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it’s not fair to do this to him. His pension is only $200 per month. and the thought of wasting $300 would put pressure on him to make the trip. I’ve written before that Covid nearly killed him in 2022, and his lungs are now permanently damaged. That’s on top of all of his other health issues, and there are many.

So, I can’t go to Belarus, and he can’t leave it. And when I say I can’t go, I mean it. My passport has expired, and they won’t renew it at an embassy in US. They want me to go to Belarus in person. Obviously, crossing the border with an expired Belarusian passport and being an American citizen would put a bullseye on my back. Frankly, it’s not a risk I’m willing to take, and there is no guarantee they would let me in anyway. It’s sad, as I was hoping to see dad one last time. That’s the main reason I planned this trip in the first place.

But it is what it is, and we have to move forward with our plans. I’m hoping to at least meet my mom, sister and nephews in Zakopane, Poland.

2004

That’s if they don’t close the border permanently, which is a distinct possibility. The EU has shuttered  many border crossings with Belarus in the last year, and options are slim. With full-scale invasion of Ukraine currently underway, there is a growing feeling that Pax Americana period is rapidly coming to an end. And as usual, Belarus is in the crosshairs.

Booking the flights to Krakow and London

A nice thing about United program is that you can cancel your award tickets for free. So, since I had a small stash, I’ve decided to book a flight from Brussels to Krakow in the event we would end up going to Poland after all.

The cost is actually decent, at least compared to cash prices:

But as you can see, there is also a much cheaper alternative via Ryanair. I’ve flown Ryanair a few times and have no complaints. Sure, their seats are super narrow and uncomfortable, and the baggage limitations are quite strict. But as long as you read the fine print, you are good.

Since we are staying in Bruges, flying in the afternoon is preferable to 9:35 in the morning. The latter would require us to leave at 6 AM or earlier. Plus, they have regular buses from Bruges to Charleroi airport. Ryanair it is. Of course, you shouldn’t be fooled by the starting price, as you’ll likely pay extra fees  when you travel with family.

Still, after adding 1 checked bag and 1 carry-on, selecting seats and so on, the final cost ended up being $70 per person. Not bad, considering the fact that just the taxes on United award ticket from Brussels to Krakow run at $40. One disadvantage of booking Ryanair is that it’s not listed on travel portals, including Capital One. So, I had to purchase my tickets directly. But I ended up burning my Capital One points at 1 cent apiece to erase the price of tickets. Again, we are on a tight budget.

Fortunately, my $300 travel credit from Capital One Venture X card was put to good use for Wizzair flight from Krakow to London. This was actually my preferred option, as the flight will depart at 6 PM, which will allow us to take the kids to visit Wieliczka Salt Mine after we leave Zakopane. This is a really cool UNESCO site I recommend to anyone staying in the area. 

It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost 20 years since we’ve visited it. My dad was in such a good shape back then…

The Wizzair tickets ended up costing us around $90 per person (with luggage included), a bit more than Ryanair. The C1 portal allows you to select various fares, not just the “basic” kind. On the plus side, I was able to use up my $300 credit via Capital One for the exact flight we needed. The difference in price (compared to Kayak.com) was only $2 per person, probably due to fluctuating exchange rate. Capital One will match a competitor’s price and issue you travel credit if you call them within 24 hours, but I didn’t bother since the amount is measly.

I guess we are going to Poland, y’all.

Connecting with my dad and his family’s roots

In our modern age it’s possible to use technology in order to stay in touch with your loved ones. It’s not the same thing, of course, but it’s all I have at the moment. Since my dad’s health is declining, I’ve been trying to find out as much as I can about his  parents and grandparents. It’s sad just how little I know about them. I was fortunate that my great-grandmother lived to 96, but I was too young and too stupid to ask questions about her life.

And what a life she lived! She was born into wealth and privilege at the beginning of the 20th century, and lived through two Russian revolutions, one civil war, two world wars and a breakup of the Soviet Union. I’ve been told that her mom and dad even spent time with the czar’s family, since the latter had an estate in the area where they lived.

Both of her parents (the father wasn’t content to just live off his inheritance and became an accomplished doctor) were executed by the bolsheviks in 1918. Life was cheap back then in that area of the world, and sense of humor was of the “dark” variety. Come to think of it, not much has changed. Why didn’t they try to escape to Paris like the rest of their friends? Was it a choice to stay? My dad didn’t know the answer.

Forever young

At 17 years of age my great-grandmother had to flee to the countryside and try to blend in. Everyone knew who she was, but miraculously she wasn’t executed. After WWII she became a widow, since her husband succumbed to the injuries sustained while he was a partisan flighting the Nazis. She never remarried. Her life in Soviet Union was tough, especially since she was a poor widow. But she never complained or let it get her down. If you look up the definition of “tough chick”, you will probably see the photo of my great-grandmother Suzanna.  My dad said she was always the smartest and best-dressed person in the room. No more blending in.

She would often take my dad (her grandson) to museums and theater in Minsk when he was little, while his parents worked in Mongolia. She even enrolled him in a ballet class, something he protested. She was also the one reading books to me and my sister while we were growing up. Apparently, she was  fluent in French and I didn’t even know.

What’s crazy is that I’ve only learned many of these details recently from conversations with my dad.  I’ve seen the old photographs before and asked if I could take them back to America. My sister didn’t object, so my mom will bring them to Poland when we meet this summer. So much has been lost in the stream of time, I have to preserve as much as I can   it comes to my dad’s legacy. My legacy.