Travel Insurance Poland

Business Practices

Business attire is generally formal, including a suit and tie for men, and a suit or dress for women. It is customary to greet by shaking hands in Poland. A businesswoman should not be surprised if a Polish man kisses her hand upon introduction, at subsequent meetings or saying goodbye. Business cards are the norm in Poland and are generally given to each person present in a meeting. As Poles tend to bring more than one person to their meetings so visitors should bring plenty of cards. It is not necessary to have cards printed in Polish. Office hours are normally 0800-1600 Monday to Friday.

Crime

Poland has a low rate of violent crime, but a high rate of street crime in urban areas, including Warsaw, Krakow, and other major cities. Organized groups of thieves and pickpockets operate at major tourist destinations, in train stations, and on trains, trams, and buses in major cities. Thefts have occurred on overnight trains. Most pickpocketing on trains occurs during boarding; in the most common scenario, a group of well-dressed young men will surround a passenger in the narrow aisle of the train, jostling and pickpocketing him or her as they supposedly attempt to get around the passenger. (Pickpocketing often occurs in first class cars.) Thieves target the bus and tram route to and from Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport. The tri-cities area of Gdynia, Sopot, and Gdansk has a high rate of muggings, even in broad daylight, and some of which have involved aggravated assault. Car thefts, theft from cars and carjackings are commonplace. Vehicles with foreign license plates are targeted by gangs posing as police officers, particularly in rural and tourist areas, such as the Polish lake district. Offers of assistance should be regarded with suspicion, as should attempts by motorists to flag down other drivers. Many vehicles are stolen during minor scam collisions. In case of a minor arranged collision, motorists should go to the nearest gas station, public building, or police station and report the matter. There has been an increasing incidence of thieves opening or breaking passenger-side doors and windows in slow or stopped traffic to take purses or briefcases left on the seat beside the driver. Racially motivated verbal, and on occasion, physical, harassment of foreigners and ethnic minorities may occur. There have been a few reported occurrences of racially motivated assaults against students of ethnic minority origin studying in Katowice and Lublin. Take particular care to safeguard your passport and credit/ATM cards, and do not lose sight of your credit cards during transactions. A few tourists have been the target of a scam where people claiming to be plain-clothed policemen come to their aid, usually when another person has stopped them to ask for help or directions. The "policemen" then ask to see the tourists' ID and credit cards and to be given their PIN numbers. Under no circumstances should people give out their PIN numbers. There have been problems in Warsaw, particularly at the airport, involving overcharging by non-regulated taxi drivers. Use official taxis, which have the name and telephone number of the taxi company on the side of the door and on the top of the taxi (beside the occupied/unoccupied light). Taxis with a crest but no company name are not officially registered taxis. Organized crime groups operate several taxis companies and rivalry between taxi companies can be extremely competitive: thugs on occasion stop rival cabs and order passengers to change cars. Theft of and from vehicles is common; do not leave documents or money in vehicles. There have been cases of vehicles with foreign number plates being stopped by gangs posing as policemen, particularly in rural and tourist areas such as the Polish lake district. If you are flagged down, you should exercise caution, remain in your vehicle and ask to see identification. Drivers should be wary of persons indicating they should pull over or that something is wrong with their car. Often, a second car or person is following, and when the driver of the targeted car gets out to see if there is a problem, the person who has been following gets in and drives off with the car. Do not leave drinks or food unattended, or accept drinks from strangers. There have been a small number of reports of drinks being spiked and visitors having their valuables stolen whilst intoxicated. Overall, police are ill equipped and ill prepared to confront criminals, who often outnumber and outgun them. At present, the greatest concentration of police can be found on the highways outside major cities, where traffic laws are strictly enforced and fines collected on the spot. Although the Polish police have benefited from training through international sponsored programs, the average police officer remains underpaid, under-equipped and under-trained. The expatriate community is very distrustful of the local police in relation to its inability to effect any arrest in the case of carjackings that take place against foreigners. The police emergency number is 997, fire service is 998, and ambulance service is 999. Mobile phone users can dial 112 for roadside assistance.

Hotels

First-class business hotels are available in most major Polish cities, and many are located in the heart of business districts. Some major western hotels offer air-conditioned rooms and direct dial telephone capability from rooms. Many hotels offer a business center with computers, business assistance services, and fax capability. Almost all business hotels take major credit cards. Charges and room rates are seasonal and competitive, and business travelers are advised to check and confirm rates at hotels in advance of their travel. Forte, Intercontinental, Marriott, Novotel, Holiday Inn and Orbis, among others, run hotels in Poland.

Communications

Telephone: Full IDD is available. Country code: 48. Outgoing international code: 00 Telephoning to and from Poland is much easier today than just a few years ago. AT&T, Sprint, and MCI calls can be placed from Poland. Direct dial around the world is possible and often easier than placing local calls across town. The Polish telephone system in many areas is still rotary dial, making it difficult to link-up and use some modern telephone services in the United States. Fax capabilities are generally very good, based upon the quality of the sending or receiving signal. Post office hours are 0800-1800 Monday to Friday.

Electricity

: 220 volts AC, 50Hz; Continental sockets. Electricity 220 volts AC, 50Hz; continental sockets.

Plug Types

C,E

Food And Dining

? Poland has a distinctive cuisine, with typical ingredients being dill, marjoram, caraway seeds, wild mushrooms and sour cream, which is frequently added to soups, sauces and braised meats. Polish meals start with przekaski (starters). Soups play an important part at mealtimes and are usually rich and very thick, and are often served in cups with small hot pasties stuffed with meat or cabbage. Poland is also a good country for fish (ryba). Pastries (ciastka) are also very good. Table service is the norm in restaurants. Western drinks, such as whisky, gin or brandy, can be obtained in most bars but are expensive. Wine is available but, again, is imported and expensive. The best bottled beer is zywiec, a fairly strong lager-type beer. Bars have table and/or counter service. Coffee shops are very popular in Poland and are the favorite places for social meetings from early morning to late at night. They do not close during the day and have the same function as do pubs in the United Kingdom. Alcoholic drinks are available throughout the day. National specialties
? Bigos (sauerkraut, fresh cabbage, onions and any variety of leftover meat).
? Carp served in sweet-and-sour jellied sauce.
? Poached pike with horseradish in cream.
? Salted and rolled herring fillets with pickles and onions.
? Kulebiak (a large mushroom and cabbage pasty).
? Kabanos (long, thick sausages).
? Mysliwska (sausage made from pork and game).
? Barszcz (beetroot soup, excellent with sour cream).
? Zrazy zawijane (mushroom-stuffed beefsteak rolls in sour cream).
? Kasza (buckwheat). National drink
? Vodka (w?dka, in many various flavors).
Tipping:
10 to 15 per cent is customary in restaurants and cafes. Tipping in self-service restaurants is not expected. Tips for porter's services in hotels and train stations are customary but amounts are at the traveller's discretion.
Nightlife
Warsaw also reflects the strong theatrical and musical traditions of Poland, with about 17 theaters and three opera companies. Cinemas in Poland show both Polish and foreign films. There are some discos in Poland, as well as a growing number of nightclubs and music bars in Warsaw.