Budget Travel: How to Travel to Cuba

Budget Travel: How to Travel to Cuba
By Julie Schwietert Collazo
Published September 09, 2012
Fox News Latino

How to Travel to Cuba

Though Americans have more options now, it's important to know what your
choices are to make your trip memorable.

When the United States imposed an embargo on Cuba in 1960, American
travel to the Caribbean island that lay just 90 miles to the south began
grinding to a halt. What had been a veritable playground for America's
gangsters, celebrities, and the moneyed jet-set, as easily accessible
for quick weekend trips as it was for longer leisure vacations, suddenly
became frustratingly forbidden.

The language of the embargo is confusing; despite popular references to
a "travel ban," the embargo does not expressly prohibit travel. Instead,
it forbids spending money "in transactions in which Cuba or a Cuban
national has any interest... including transactions related to travel."
But many Americans aren't even familiar with the terms of the embargo;
they are simply unaware they can travel to Cuba if they do so with an
approved organization or tour operator that has been licensed by the US
Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, the body
responsible for overseeing interpretation and enforcement of the embargo.

Under current terms of the embargo, there are eight categories of travel
that are licensed; these categories range from family travel to travel
for professional research and journalistic work. The licensed forms of
travel also include a category popularly referred to as "people to
people" travel, a category whose boundaries have expanded during the
Obama administration. During the Bush administration, Americans could
travel to Cuba with educational, religious, humanitarian, or cultural
organizations holding a US government license. In 2011, Obama reinstated
and then increased the scope of Clinton-era travel regulations to
include licenses for nearly any type of non-profit organization or
for-profit tour operator interested in leading Cuba trips as long as it
could substantiate that it would implement "a full-time schedule of
educational exchange activities that will result in meaningful
interaction between the travelers and individuals in Cuba."

When the "people to people" category was reintroduced and expanded, more
than 100 organizations and outfitters—many of which had never led Cuba
trips previously—applied for licenses, and an unprecedented number of
those licenses were granted. The (US) National Trust for Historic
Preservation was one of the non-profits granted a license; National
Geographic Expeditions and Friendly Planet were among the commercial
tour operators who began leading Cuba trips.

Though Americans who want to travel to Cuba legally have more options
than they have enjoyed in the past 50 years, as with any type of trip,
it's important to know what your choices are and how to make smart
decisions for a meaningful and memorable visit. Travelers who have been
on authorized people-to-people trips offer some firsthand tips about how
to choose an operator and what to prepare for in order to have the best
experience.

Ask about the itinerary

Meta Reid, a children's librarian, traveled to Cuba with tour operator
International Expeditions. She recommends that Americans who are
interested in traveling to Cuba on a people-to-people tour ask the
operators or organizations with which they are considering traveling for
a detailed itinerary before booking. "You'll want to have at least one
or two things that will really interest you," says Reid, whose trip
included a number of cultural and artistically-focused activities, such
as seeing rehearsals of a ballet company and jazz group, having lunch at
an organic farm, and meeting a librarian in Havana.

Choose an agency that will handle logistics for you

Donna Mikeska, who also traveled on an International Expeditions tour,
says that choosing an organization or operator who handles your
paperwork for you is preferable to handling logistics on your own. "The
process seems difficult and we did not have to deal with any of this; it
was done for us by IE," she says. When considering an operator, ask what
logistics they handle and what preparations you're responsible for.

Pack your patience

Mikeska also recommends packing patience and practicing flexibility.
From clearing Customs at the airport to reacting to unforeseen schedule
changes, Mikeska says attitude is everything. Challenges and
frustrations are a feature of traveling in Cuba, and a good dose of
patience and humor goes a long way.

Adjust your expectations

Mikeska's husband, Gerry, who long dreamed of traveling to Cuba and
signed up with International Expeditions within 24 hours of receiving an
email notification that the operator was offering a Cuba trip, urges
prospective visitors to adjust their expectations. Given the economic
impact of the embargo, he says, "some hotels were in need of paint [and]
lost electricity," though he notes, "others were very upscale." The
variety and quality of food are typically poor, so he advises travelers
who seek creature comforts to consider another destination.

Engage in people-to-people encounters

Gerry Mikeska also recommends taking as much advantage as possible of
the "people-to-people" contact with locals. Most operators pair with
local guides, and for Mikeska, "the knowledge gained from being able to
ask questions and converse with [local guide] Edelso was 50% of the trip
for me." Donna Mikeska and Meta Reid agree that one-on-one conversations
provided some of the most meaningful memories from their Cuba trips.

Travel outside Havana

While Havana could be a destination in and of itself (and is for many
people-to-people tours), Donna Mikeska recommends booking a trip with an
operator who offers itinerary options beyond the Cuban capital. "It is
important to travel to various towns to get a real feel for the country.
There are so many other areas that deserve a visit, so selecting a tour
group that travels about the island would be best," she says. One of the
trip highlights for her was SCUBA diving in the Bay of Pigs.

Don't be an ugly American

Curiosity and the desire to experience an "unspoiled" Cuba are what
compel many Americans who travel to Cuba to visit the island. Be curious
and ask questions, the Mikeskas urge, but act with the same courtesy
you'd exhibit anywhere else. Their top tips? Don't take photos without
asking permission and bring small gifts, especially art or school items
or small toiletries, to share with hosts and locals you'll meet during
your trip.

Share your stories

Travelers who have participated in people-to-people trips say they feel
informed and inspired by their experiences, and enjoy sharing stories of
their travels with others. Some even become involved in advocacy to call
for an end to the embargo. "I hope with a little more effort from Cuba
and the US that the embargo can be lifted, travel unrestricted, and a
brighter future for Cuba can develop," says Gerry Mikeska.

Julie Schwietert Collazo is a freelance writer based in New York City.

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/lifestyle/2012/09/09/how-to-travel-to-cuba/