World Youth Day USA Guides International Pilgrimage Leaders Guide | Page 54
normally carry during WYD week, pilgrims will
Getting Around
need to carry: a sleeping bag or blanket (or a
Transportation is a significant issue at World
lightweight sleeping bag liner), a ground cloth (a
Youth Day since the event puts a major strain
shower curtain from a dollar store works great),
on the transportation infrastructure. Expect
a sleeping pad (a cheap pool mattress can do
possible delays and breakdowns in the system.
the job), flashlight (or portable light), change of
It is anticipated that they World Youth Day
clothes, toothbrush and toothpaste, and
credentials will serve as a public transportation
prescription drugs. This is where having some
pass that will allow pilgrims unlimited travel on
attachment points on your backpack can be
the buses, trams and trains in and near Kraków.
valuable. Climbing carabineers are especially
If your group has not experienced public
handy for attaching things to the backpack.
transportation before, consider traveling with
your pilgrims to a major metropolitan city in
Language
the United States to practice the art of riding
Thankfully, most Poles speak some English
public transit. Every pilgrim should be able to
(though do not rely on this completely). In a
read the public transportation route map of
country like Poland, you won’t need to speak
Kraków, know how to plan a trip on a public
fluent Polish to get by. However, knowing a
system, and know how transfer to another line.
few phrases in Polish such as “Yes” (Tak),
Please note that the numbers of the tramlines in
“No” (Nie), “Where is the bathroom?” (Gdzie
Kraków change from time to time, so a map
jest toaleta?), and “Thank You” (dziękuję) will
with the route numbers may be different from
go a long way to respecting the local culture.
what pilgrims actually encounter when they
Pilgrims may consider packing a small phrase
arrive in Poland. Group leaders should check
book of Polish and English words.
on these public transportation details
immediately upon arriving in Poland.
In addition, it is good for pilgrims to know
some basic phrases in the central World Youth
Expect to walk over five to ten miles each day
Day languages (Spanish, French, English,
as part of the World Youth Day experience,
German, and Italian) spoken by the majority of
depending on the location of your group’s
pilgrims at this event. In advance of the trip
accommodations and catechetical sessions in
overseas, leaders can work with groups to learn
relation to the central events and center city.
the basic phrases and words in Polish and the
Walking is a key component to WYD and as
official World Youth Day languages.
such, will be a frequent occurrence there.
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