In 2018, I traveled from the US to Cuba. I’m just now finally writing about it. This post will focus on what you need to know before traveling.
The Bacardi Building from Hotel Sevilla
Can US citizens still go to Cuba?
Just a few short years ago, the US made it easier for US citizens to travel to Cuba. Today there are daily flights to Cuba from many major airports, including Newark, Charlotte, and Miami. It should be noted that US citizens still may
not travel to Cuba for “tourism” purposes. Your visit must fall under one of the
12 11 categories approved by the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). More information can be found here:
https://cu.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/traveling-to-cuba/
Most group trips and cruises formerly operated on the People-to-People general license. Travel under this license is no longer allowed as of June 2019, but US citizens can still visit Cuba under one of the 11 other general licenses. More information on the changes can be found here:
https://www.viahero.com/travel-to-cuba/new-cuba-travel-policy-updates.
Cruise lines took the biggest hit when People-To-People was discontinued, but there are still some other group trips out there. These trips often operate under the ‘Support For The Cuban People’ license.
Music is everywhere in Cuba!
Group Travel
US citizens can travel to Cuba as individuals or part of a group. There were many benefits to traveling with a group and I’d highly recommend it.
- Logistics are taken care of. They’ll likely get your visa for you, book your flights, and arrange ground transportation to coincide with flight times. You can still practice your Spanish and interact with locals, but won't need to worry about how to get from A to B. (Mass transit in Cuba isn’t the greatest, and nothing is for sure in Cuba.) You get to spend all of your time learning/observing/enjoying, instead of planning your next move.
- Groups have access to things/events individuals don’t. I got to visit the US Embassy, a local school, a nursing home, and attend lectures by a Cuban economics professor and a Havana city architect. I certainly couldn’t have arranged any of that on my own.
- Safety. Cuba is safe. But if something goes wrong (canceled flights, hotel rooms double-booked, miscommunications… whatever!), your group leader can handle the situation for you. Even if you left your First Aid kit at home (please bring first aid supplies with you), your group leader should be able to help.
- Documentation. US citizens are required to retain all documentation and receipts yeeeears (5? 7?) after traveling to Cuba. If you go with a group, they are responsible for most of this. Just remember to keep any receipts you do have. If you buy an expensive souvenir it is a good idea to request a receipt.
- The People. Everyone on our trip was interesting, nice, and there to learn about the people of Cuba; it was a great group to be part of. Our tour director was an experienced traveler, and our local guide was amazing. He was willing to share so much about his country and his life with us. We couldn't really get to know everyone we visited in Cuba, but we spent over a week with our guide, day in and day out. By the end of the trip we had really connected.
Looking over the Prado onto Centro Habana
Travel Tips
Traveling to Cuba isn’t much different than traveling anywhere else in the world. You just have to be extra prepared because you can’t buy an extra phone charger or memory card there. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but here are some things to note:
Don’t drink the tap water. It’s probably fine, but it’s really not worth the risk. Jimmy used a
Grayl camp/survival filter which worked well, but bottled water is readily available. Another benefit of traveling with a group is that they’ll likely have more bottled water on hand than you’ll ever need! I usually took a bottle or two to my hotel room at the end of each day for use when brushing my teeth and to stay hydrated overnight.
To help mask the mineral taste Cuban water has, I put half of a
Nuun tablet into my water bottles. It added some flavor and helped with hydration in that tropical heat!
Debit/credit cards won’t work in Cuba, especially if affiliated with a US bank. Bring lots of cash. If you run out, Western Union is pretty much your only option.
I read online to bring Euros and Canadian dollars instead of United States Dollars (USD). Meh. Unless you have these other currencies already, it isn’t that much cheaper than converting directly from USD, even with the extra penalty. It’s probably not worth the hassle. Many touristy places accept USD directly anyway (ex: artists, prominent gift shops).
Exchange money at your hotel, not at the airport. Your hotel will usually have a better exchange rate than the airport, and they will already have your passport on file from when you checked in. Since most US travelers won’t be making frequent return trips to Cuba, you probably don’t want a bunch of extra Cuban Convertible Pesos (CUCs) at the end of your trip. To avoid this, exchange money as you go, and only exchange what you think you’ll need for the next few days.
Internet connectivity is sparse. Cell service is available, but wireless data isn’t really a thing in Cuba. You can send/receive texts (albeit expensively), but don’t expect to post to Instagram.
You’ll need to buy a WiFi card to connect, even at your hotel. The most popular ones (ex: 60 minutes) are often sold out, so you end up paying for more minutes than you may have wanted. Don’t expect reliable service or speed. Most hotels offer WiFi only in common areas, not in the rooms.
I used my trip to Cuba as a technology detox of sorts. It was refreshing! :) If someone couldn’t remember the name of an actor in a movie... too bad! You’re not going to Google it!
Bring anything you might need. I can’t reiterate this enough. High-end hotels usually provide shampoo and soap, but smaller hotels and B&Bs aren’t likely to do so. Same goes for towels. I didn’t end up needing my
travel towel, but I was glad I had it just in case. Bring painkillers, bandaids, moleskin, first-aid ointment, sunscreen, bug spray, anti-itch cream, Pepto, Immodium/loperamide, Benedryl, cough drops, hand sanitizer…
anything you might possibly need, because
you. cannot. buy. it. there!
Camping/travel toilet paper is very useful. You will probably need it everywhere outside of your hotel. Some restaurants will have toilet paper, but it might be seriously limited. Like, the attendant might hand you 2 squares of toilet paper. I kept a roll in my bag at all times. Besides, you never know when you’ll need a tissue or napkin.
You will look like a tourist. You won’t be able to fly under the radar, especially when you have a camera in your hand. Common tourist scams are ‘cigar festivals’ or any ‘today only’ events or sales… skip them.
Many hotels have both European-style and US-style outlets. Beware (!) the dreaded US-style outlet that is actually 220v! If your devices aren’t dual voltage, you’ll need a
converter. If your devices are dual voltage, an
adapter will be fine. Make sure your converter or adapter can support your devices. Hairdryers and flatirons use a lot of power.
Souvenirs: You’re allowed to bring home rum, cigars, honey, etc. for personal use only (no re-selling). Rum and honey should be officially labeled, not in second-hand containers. You do you, but it might be confiscated. The honey sold in rum bottles was delicious, but I didn’t want to risk it being confiscated… so I sought out smaller, officially labeled jars of honey.
I packed extra bubble-wrap and gallon-size Ziplock bags for bringing home rum, beer, and honey. If I hadn't, I'm certain that my luggage would've been covered in honey from the inside out.
Plaza de San Francisco de Asís at night
That’s all for now. I’m working on an article for each day of my trip in hopes of sharing what I learned and some of my favorite parts of the trip.
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