Cuba may just be the most exciting travel destination that’s a quick flight away from the United States. But it requires a lot more advanced planning than its Caribbean neighbors.
(Traveling with my fellow journalist & travel photographer Thomas Losito we prepare for a trip of a lifetime.)
There’s no place in the world like Cuba, particularly right now. Only 103 miles away from the United States (that’s about the distance between New York City and Philadelphia), the largest island in the Caribbean has lived through a complicated estrangement from its nearest neighbor since 1961. What Americans call “the embargo,” and what Cubans call “the blockade,” has arguably done more (or at least as much) to shape Cuba’s present as its 1959 revolution. Since President Obama lifted many of the longstanding travel restrictions for U.S. citizens when he restored diplomatic ties with Cuba in 2015, Americans are now able to experience a country that, in the 1950s, they flooded with tourists. (Now Cuba is probably flooding your Instagram feed.) What has happened since that high-rolling (and often mob-backed) heyday for American travel is a little paradoxical: Almost nothing has changed, and almost everything has.
Many Americans describe Cuba as being lost or frozen in time, and this is true—while Havana is a magnetic, lively city, there’s been very little new construction since 1959. But Cuba also wears those six decades, more or less, on its sleeve—the half-century-old cars chugging around the city neither look, nor sound, new. The ripple effect of U.S.-Cuban relations touches almost everything having to do with the island, from the paperwork you have to fill out before your Havana-bound flight to the dearth of shampoo and toilet paper once you arrive. (We recommend you bring your own.) If relations continue to thaw, travel will likely become easier for American visitors, but in the meantime, you’ll get the most out of your Cuba trip if you plan ahead. Here are all the nitty-gritty, unsexy details you’ll need to know before you leave.
Definition: “GeoTravellers”
Geotourism is a partnership between you as a traveler and the people who live at a destination. The ticket to geotourism is "go local." GeoTravellers patronize locally owned businesses and guides. You buy from local craftspeople and eat at restaurants serving regional cuisine. You seek out traditional music and dance. As a result, the money you spend helps local people earn a living and preserve the place's authenticity.
The following tips will help you get more out of your trip while creating local incentives to preserve the world's distinctive and precious places. These guideline
