LICENSING, VISAS & LEGALITIES FOR CUBAN TRAVEL:
As for other requirements, all visitors to Cuba are still required to obtain a "Cuban Tourist Card." This is for Cuban customs, and acts like a visitor visa. Make sure to check with your airline regarding how to obtain the Tourist Card. They can be purchased easily in advance of your trip, and in many cases at the departure gate in the United States.
It should be pointed out that travel to Cuba for non US citizens is easy. They have no restrictions from their governments, and only need to obtain a visa to travel to Cuba.
Travel to Cuba for US citizens is indeed still legal! Certainly, there were a number of changes made under the Trump administration. So, although Americans can visit Cuba, they must have a pre-determined itinerary. This itinerary is best created by an agency with the legal credentials to do this work. And, that itinerary must follow one of the categories of travel under which Cuban visits are legal. Currently, some of these categories are support for the Cuban people, family visits, research, journalistic activities, and humanitarian projects.
GETTING TO CUBA:
important port of entry for some of the fishing destinations. Carriers include American,United Airlines, Jet Blue, and Southwest. Current departure cities for non-stop flights are Houston, Newark, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Tampa.
Commercial air travel directly to Cuba from the US resumed in September of 2016. This was an historic change, of course. Under the Trump administration there were several pull-backs from this relationship, including restricting flights only to Havana. Slowly, some of Trump’s restrictions are changing, and now airlines are starting to fly to others cities, including Camaguey which is an
CUBAN CUSTOMS AND IMMIGRATION:
The phrase of the day here is "Be smart." Cuban customs officers see many tourists. Every day they go through suitcases of clothing, sunscreen, medications, and bags with laptops, cell phones, cameras, snorkels and dive fins. But this is still a police state, and things like illegal drugs and pornography are not tolerated. And although cell phones are just fine, GPS units are not and will be confiscated. And, leave your drone at home, because it too will stay with Cuban customs if you try and bring it in to the country.
CURRENCY AND CREDIT CARDS IN CUBA:
At this time US travelers are still limited in paying for expenses in Cuba with credit cards issued by American banks. The exception to this rule seems to be at big hotels and resorts. Nevertheless, travelers must make sure to notify their bank before traveling so that the transaction will be allowed. Remember that most vendors in Cuba are simply not set up to accept credit cards. This is bound to change, although like most of what happens in Cuba, expect it to be a slow process. Do remember that most of your travel expenses will be paid in advance, such as airfare, hotels, and tour costs, so it will only be daily incidentals that you need worry about. Our recommendation, at this point, is to have cash for anything you plan to pay for or buy while in Cuba. Plan for your expenses, error on the high side, and then add in several hundred dollars. If you run short of cash traveling in Cuba, you will be hard-pressed to find a way to get more.
Recently, the Cuban government announced that it would no longer use the CUC as a currency. The CUP(Moneda Nacional) is now the standard Cuban currency, and officially worth about four cents. Most Cubans will be very happy to accept Euros or US Dollars as they can be used in some of the best stores in Cuba. This is in large part due to the government needing hard currency to use on the international market. The result is that many Cubans are willing to trade for your euros pr dollars, and usually at a much better rate than the bank or exchange office.
CELL PHONES AND THE INTERNET IN CUBA:
Most US and International cell phones will work in Cuba. You may want to check with your carrier in advance to learn about how you are charged for using your phone while there. I find that it is not incredibly expensive, as long as you keep actual phone conversations short. It is also possible to rent phones beforehand from specialized companies such as CELLULAR ABROAD or CELLO MOBILE. Travelers can also rent SIM cards if they have an unlocked phone, or a cell phone itself in Cuba, from CUBACEL.
Internet availability is now widely available in Cuba. Service itself can be slow, so be patient. With recent expansions, many of the Casa Particulars and private businesses have wi-fi as well.
DAILY LIFE:
the "richest poor-country in the world" which seems to be a great description. All that being said, the Cuban people have an average wage of around $35 per month. Although some of their food is subsidized, wages are seldom sufficient for the average Cuban to purchase all their necessities, never mind small luxuries. Add to that the fact that consumerism in Cuba has long been frowned upon, and even when a Cuban has money in their pocket there is still very little on store shelves for them to purchase.
What you see on balance, is a society that has very little when it comes to "things." People struggle to get by. They trade on the black market, and are inventive with the things they do have. Economically, Cuba is a mess.
What the Cuban people do have is an incredible social structure that many might envy. Kids play in the street, young people gather in groups socializing, and groups of adults listen to or play their own music. Instead of life behind a computer or flat screen TV, life in Cuba is lived out of doors. For an aware traveler this gives a great glimpse in to a truly different way of life than most of us know.
Let's remind ourselves, before we get too far, that Cuba is still a communist country. Slow change is, however, in the air. Fidel is gone. Under Raul's leadership Cubans were allowed to own their own home or business, see a little more opportunity at travel outside of the country, and although expensive have access to internet. Raul is recently retired, and Cubans hope that the new leadership will be even more progressive in their views of change.
It is very easy to get frustrated traveling in Cuba if you expect things to work like they do in the US or Europe. Cubans joke that their national pastime is waiting in line. Things move more slowly in Cuba, plans are changed, and flights get canceled. It is a healthy to arrive in Cuba ready for things to not go exactly as planned, and chances are you will be happy with how smoothly things do go.
Outsiders arrive in Cuba with pre-conceived notions about what they will see. Knowing that Cuba is a poor country, most are surprised that there is virtually no homeless problem, and that unemployment rates are very low. Cubans have a high level of education, and a very respectable medical system (their infant mortality rate is slightly better than the US and life expectancy is 78 years). I have heard Cuba called
HUSTLERS & JINITERAS IN CUBA:
I recently read a blog post on traveling in Cuba, where a man spent a lot of time speaking with husslers and jiniteras in Havana. One girl finally said to him "it is easier to lie than to tell the truth. Tourists are stupid. And they are the ones that have all the money." With that being said, the best advice is to simply keep walking when approached. You can be polite and say "no thank you," but just keep walking. An even better option is to visit areas that are not so typically frequented by tourists. You will seldom feel this pressure, and will see the real way of life in Cuba. In Havana, for example, you will be approached constantly within the old part of town (Havana Vieja). But, if you are in Vedado or Havana Centrale, you will almost never be hustled. If you feel bad for the way people have to live in Cuba, pick someone out that looks like they need the help but is not approaching you, and give them a little money. Or bring things like basic items to give out to people, such as toothpaste, aspirin, ibuprofen, pencils, erasers, baseballs, etc. Most everything is hard to come by in Cuba.
An unfortunate consequence to the economics of Cuban life, is the taking advantage of tourists. Cuba is not the only place where this happens of course. But for travelers visiting Havana or other areas with large concentrations of tourists, it can be tiring. It is important to understand, as a new traveler to Cuba, that if someone in Havana approaches you on the street, asking where you are from, how long you are spending in Cuba, etc. they have an agenda. This sounds pessimistic, but it is the truth. You will be approached for buying cigars, for taxis, for the services of a tour guide, and you will be asked if you are looking for a club or a girl.
Jiniteras (or Jiniteros) are men or women looking to trade attention or sex, for money or things. Some are simply prostitutes, but many play on the emotions of tourists by first showing them attention, then starting to explain how difficult their life is, how their baby needs milk, how their mother is in the hospital, etc.