Travel

Team members will attend an online or in-person (for BC residents) orientation where you’ll learn what to bring and what to expect in more detail. 
 

The team will be escorted by economy air from Canada to Krakow, Poland and then by bus to Lviv in western Ukraine. 
 

In Lviv you’ll be met by British personnel who have years of experience travelling across the front in eastern Ukraine. An in-country orientation will take place, and you’ll have some time to see Lviv and visit the Field of Mars, where hundreds of war dead lie buried. If you’d like to leave a token of support, we have small Canadian flags you can write a message on and plant at the grave of the unknown soldier.
 

Airspace in Ukraine is closed, so the team will embark on a 16-hour train trip in a first or second class railway coach, depending on availability, toward the east.  Neither the Russians nor the Ukrainians have attacked each other’s rail lines, so this portion of the trip has historically been safe, if somewhat uncomfortable. Don’t expect gold plated silverware though… the train carriages in Ukraine are clean but basic. As with most countries, the rail system wasn’t prepared for an airspace closure and the resultant glut of passengers. Ukrainian carriages are old Soviet coaches from the 1960s through 80s, and first class really means two berths in a closet, while second class means four berths to a closet. We think third class might be a cattle car but we’re not sure. 
 

Arrival at a front-line city is usually greeted by air raid sirens, and you’ll hear them all along the front frequently. The Russians may not physically be in the city, but they are firing occasional missiles and bombs. The sirens may be sounding because a missile is about to fall somewhere in the city, but it’s as likely to be a missile that’s just passing over and heading far to our rear. You’ll almost certainly hear or even see a Patriot battery take out a long-distance Russian missile high overhead, and you’ll have to be careful of falling debris. 
 

You’ll also visit several non-governmental organizations helping civilians or the army, so be prepared to learn and ask questions.
 

Thereafter the team will travel along the front, at times close enough to see Russian lines. You’ll talk to various groups and individuals and gain a sense of the living conditions near the front and in front-line cities. 
 

The atmosphere, the surreality, the tragedy and sometimes even comedy of war is something you’ll have to experience to understand. Only out there along the eastern front can you absorb a sense of broken normalcy.
 

After it’s over you’ll retrace your steps back to Poland and fly home with much to think about.