Dorota & Krzysztof Who Resurrected Their "RealPoland" Travel Business

Check the full transcript and show notes at: https://nerdontour.net/dorota-krzysztof-who-resurrected-their-realpoland-travel-business/ Krzysztof and Dorota spent years building a tour company in Warsaw, then watched COVID close the borders of nearly every country their guests come from. Just as people started booking again, war broke out next door. After three years of running tours for free at night, they shut the business down. Then an email from a past guest arrived at the exact moment they drove past the sign of her family's tiny hometown. We talk about what makes someone Polish, why Krzysztof travels to countries that officially don't exist, slow travel, AI trip planners that look perfect on screen, and why Poland is still one of the few places in Europe without crowds. About Krzysztof and Dorota Krzysztof and Dorota are a married couple from Warsaw and the team behind RealPoland Tours, an inbound tour operator focused on small group and private tours. Krzysztof is a licensed guide who helps travelers with Polish roots find their ancestors. Dorota designs the itineraries and translates children's books from Swedish into Polish. Together with their two boys, they explore Poland by caravan and run the business remotely, on their own terms. What we cover - What makes someone Polish: language, roots, or a last name - Slow travel with kids vs. intense couple trips - Surviving COVID and war next door as a small travel business - The email from Miłomłyn that brought RealPoland back to life - Why Poland is having its moment and still has no crowds - AI trip planning, chatbot fatigue, and the human touch Timestamps (00:00) - Start. (00:59) - How I met Krzysztof on a tour with Silesian miners. (02:33) - What makes someone Polish: language, roots, or a last name? (04:10) - Is Poland still seen as provincial? (09:13) - How foreign visitors see Poland today. (12:41) - The travel bug, family votes, and a Google Maps bucket list. (19:06) - A US road trip without kids and why a week can feel like two months. (22:52) - Krzysztof's obsession with countries that don't exist. (27:02) - Living with history in Warsaw, and what Malaysia taught me. (32:31) - War next door: does Poland still feel safe? (36:01) - From guide and translator to tour operators. (41:49) - 2014: the first small group tour and their first child. (46:17) - Their own vibe, then New York, Melbourne, and COVID. (51:05) - Closed borders, war, and shutting down. (53:12) - The email that arrived in Miłomłyn. (57:33) - Old guests return, pączki, and tracing Polish roots. (01:02:13) - Why travelers without Polish roots now choose Poland. (01:05:28) - No crowds, Żabka, fast trains, and good-value hotels. (01:11:30) - Warsaw as a gateway from Asia, and who RealPoland is for. (01:13:31) - AI trip planners: great on screen, nonsense on the road. (01:17:49) - Chatbot fatigue and the human touch as a luxury. (01:20:03) - Running a tour company like digital nomads. (01:23:21) - Why their way of working beats a 9-to-5. (01:25:17) - Where to find RealPoland and a free Polish course. Krzysztof, Dorota and their projectsRealPoland Tours: https://realpolandtours.com/ — small group and private tours of Poland Design your own tour: https://realpolandtours.com/private-tours/design-your-own-tour/ — tailor-made private trips Heritage Tour: https://realpolandtours.com/private-tours/heritage-tour/ — for travelers with Polish roots Learn Polish: https://realpolandtours.com/small-group-tours/learn-polish/ — Dorota's free Polish phrases course RealPoland on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RealPolandTravel/ — their most active channel Listen to all Nerd on Tour Podcast episodes on your preferred app YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nerdontour Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/46dwoqx Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7ncVtvERp058pd7AkIf0wy?si=hqKFLI6yT5Wt8WFF7AbApA Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/dltrbnoy Other Podcast Apps: https://podnews.net/podcast/i9n39 RSS: https://feeds.transistor.fm/nerd-on-tour-podcast Podcast Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZvspP4gu3fdAD4Nx2OQBkJi9za-qEj5G Let's connect Threads: https://www.threads.com/@nerdontour Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nerdontour/ X: https://x.com/nerdontour LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/piotrekbodera/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nerdontour/ Telegram: https://t.me/nerdontourFeed Mastodon: https://mastodon.social/@nerdontour BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/nerdontour.bsky.social Support Nerd on Tour Podcast If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe and share it with a fellow nomad. Skip the algorithm And subscribe to Nomad Tuesday for travel stories, podcasts, and recommendations delivered to your inbox every Tuesday. Help me create more episodes The best way to support Nerd on Tour Podcast is to back me on https://nerdontour.net/#/portal