How to reduce your travel costs as an academic in Poland (wersja polska poniżej)

He who has some public money to spend on his research knows that these resources are never in abundance. In the course of the project, one will almost certainly think at one point or another to do something extra that was not provided for in the budget. So it’s always better to be prepared for it in advance and to spare money on every occasion.

One way to do this is to plan your travel expenses as tight as possible. I most of the time travel to visit libraries and make use of their collections. These trips typically last from a week to a month. It is really hard to rent a decent flat for a month, let alone for a shorter period of time. On the other hand, a hotel or even a hostel will cost us a lot if we stay longer and want a minimum of privacy. It seems almost impossible to be getting a solution we want, but here it is: the so-called guest rooms in the student dormitories of Polish cities. I can only try to explain how these kind of rooms evade the normal rules of the free market. Probably, it’s caused by the fact that the dormitories host students as their primary function rather than rent apartments to people from outside; these public institutions are thus not customer-oriented – you will face difficulties in reserving a place, you can call only in certain hours and you will get mixed information as to the room availability. And you would be expected to speak Polish. But if you are able to overcome these hurdles, you will be getting a nice room with a bathroom, and possibly – a small kitchen for a price that you would pay for a room in a shared apartment. Not all dormitories are equally cheap – an extended research is needed each time to compare and get an idea about prices. In Wrocław, I can highly recommend staying on the University of Economics campus. Also, Hotel Savoy, a half-dormitory located in the strict city centre, offers big reductions for students and PhD students after the manager of the hotel is consulted (‘it’s strange but it’s true’).

 

Interesting devices, that can be found in th so-called guest rooms - an orignal Unitra casette deck with a radio

Tadeusza Kościuszki Square in Wrocław as seen from a window of Hotel Savoy

A really good thing in such rooms is that one can usually use a kitchen – either a private or a shared one. Although most of the time we will dine out, we may also want to cook a couple of times and for sure – prepare our own breakfast and supper. Especially in Warsaw, where prices are far higher than average, this presents a considerable advantage. Here I list some things that are always needed in an empty kitchen which you newly enter:

- small sugars – it’s a good idea to collect such 5 gram sugars, unless we never sweeten anything or we want to end up with a kilogram of sugar in our luggage each time we travel

- small salt

- small oil – I’ve seen such small oil portions in a supermarket

- a wipe

- a piece of kitchen foil.