By Blane Bachelor
Published September 03, 2011
FoxNews.com
After five decades during which most Americans were all but banned from
traveling to Cuba, it's finally legal for tour groups to visit the
Communist-led nation, thanks to new easing of restrictions passed by the
Obama administration.
Groups of travelers under "people-to-people exchanges" have begun
arriving to the island to enhance the flow of information and culture.
FoxNews.com recently joined Insight Cuba, a leading operator of
authorized travel to Cuba, as one of the first groups given licenses.
For anyone with Cuba on their travel bucket list or those unwilling to
risk the thousands of dollars of fines going illegally through a third
country, there's no better time to book a trip. (The new rules still
restrict the solo traveler, though.)
But if you're envisioning days spent swilling mojitos or smoking
Montecristos by the pool, take note: These visits mean busy itineraries
that at times feel more like an international field trip, not a relaxing
island vacation.
Here, a few points to keep in mind if you're considering traveling to
Cuba legally.
Person to person means little beach time: The U.S. regulations for
"person-to-person" travel means diving into Cuba's cultural, not its
crystal clear waters.
We kept a busy schedule of visits to museums, community projects and
neighborhood associations and logged lots of hours in a tour van. A
trip to a live-in clinic for at-risk pregnant women for example, is an
excellent, although exhausting, crash course in Cuban culture and
history, but isn't everyone's idea of a vacation.
But getting access to places off the tourist track makes it a unique
experience, and having everything organized is a bonus.
Some organizations have more leeway for free time, however. Check before
you leave about taking an afternoon or morning off from scheduled
activities, which is easier to accommodate ahead of time.
Choose your operator carefully: Travel companies have been clamoring for
licenses which reinstate rules put in place by President Bill Clinton in
1999, but revoked by President George W. Bush in 2003.
So far about three dozen tour groups are reported to have obtained
licenses under the new regulations.
But at least one -- Abercrombie & Kent, best known for its luxurious
itineraries and exotic destinations – has had to put trips on indefinite
hold, pending compliance with the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of
Foreign Assets Control, which issues licenses.
Other operators are tweaking their offerings to make customers happy
while meeting the requirements of educational travel. Group size can be
as small as 10, or as large as 30, and detailed itineraries are
sometimes difficult to find on an organization's website.
The bottom line: A few phone calls ahead of time can go a long way in
determining which organization, and trip, is a good fit for you.
It's not as cheap as you think: A long weekend in Havana with Insight
Cuba starts at around $1,600. Weeklong trips with visits to different
parts of the country run from around $3,500.
Another operator, Distant Horizons, has 45 trips in the works with
organizations including Harvard University and the Carnegie Museum of
Art and the Art Institute of Chicago, with a five-day trip that starts
at $3,000.
Factor in incidentals (about $50-$75 a day, depending on what you do on
your own) on top of that.
On the bright side, in addition to accommodations, prices usually
include handling of visa and paperwork, charter flights, which are
usually from Miami, travel insurance and most meals, plus airport
transfers and domestic flights.
If you need it, you'll need to bring it: That means everything from
medication, sunscreen, toothpaste and feminine hygiene products, to
snacks like prepackaged granola bars, trail mix and dried fruit.
Convenience stores, groceries and pharmacies are scarce in Cuba, since
it's all controlled by the government.
Serious foodies, beware. Cuban cuisine isn't likely to please the most
sophisticated palates. Food is rationed, and chefs are doing the best
they can with what they have.
Expect lots of rice and beans and canned vegetables; meals included in
your trip are usually buffet or pre-selected dishes.
A heads-up for high-maintenance travelers: While crumbling buildings and
classic cars are iconic images of Cuba, the country's lack of
infrastructure can come as a shock to less intrepid travelers.
The quality of hotels and level of service are not up to par with
Western standards.
Bathrooms in restaurants, museums and public places can be dicey:
toilets are sometimes bucket-flushed, and available toilet paper is the
exception rather than the rule.
Drinking bottled water is recommended, even in higher-end hotels.
Internet is expensive, hard to come by and sometimes slower than
dial-up. Expect hustling, especially in touristy areas.
Cell phones and credit cards don't work: One aspect of travel to Cuba
that's sure not to change until the U.S. government lifts its
longstanding trade embargo is paying cash for everything.
Credit cards (and cell phones) don't work in Cuba, so you'll need to
take out American dollars in the United States and exchange into
Convertible Cuban Pesos, or CUCs (euros have a much lower exchange fee,
if you can use those) upon entering the country.
Leave your cell phone at home, because it won't work. You can rent
phones to call back home and hotels have Internet access, but it can be
expensive.
Carve out solo time: As with any tour group, solo exploring is critical
to understanding the true essence of the destination. You'll have a much
richer experience, plus a greater appreciation for the struggles of Cuba
and its proud, warmhearted people, with at least a conversational level
of Spanish and a basic understanding of U.S.-Cuban relations.
http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2011/09/02/legal-travel-to-cuba/
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