I fell in love with Cuba when I was a teenager. Before I moved to New York City, I went on many trips to Havana with my family. It was one of the few cities that I never got bored visiting. The people are so friendly, the customs are fascinating, the ballet is almost free, and everywhere you look you are overwhelmed by the beauty that surrounds you. I always wanted to go back. But since I’ve been living in NYC (and married to a New Yorker), it’s been impossible. Now, though Cuba’s not quite “vacation-ready” for Americans, we may be heading in that direction.
Since President Obama announced a move to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba and to alleviate certain travel restrictions, American travelers have been anxiously awaiting the opportunity to pay Cuba a visit. This will mark the first time in more than 50 years that Americans have been allowed to travel within the Cuban borders without having permission from the U.S. Treasury’s office. And though many restrictions remain in place, the move still represents a landmark moment for those who want to visit family or who are simply curious about our island neighbor to the south.
That said, we’re still swimming in new waters, so prospective travelers need to educate themselves as much as possible before booking that plane ticket. If you’re considering a trip yourself, here are just few tips to help you stay safe and stay legal when planning a trip to Cuba.
You Still Need a Reason (and some documents)
Traveling to Cuba is not simply a matter of business or pleasure. Although you don’t need expressed permission from the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, you do need to have a reason for travelling to Cuba that falls under one of 12 categories permitted by a “general license.” The full list is available here on the Treasury’s website, but you should be aware that one the categories is not “Vacation.”
It’s rare that an American is reprimanded for a trip to Cuba. That said, if the Department of Treasury were to find out that you traveled to Cuba, they are going to want proof that your trip was for an explicit reason. Entry to Cuba is permitted for family visitation, religious ceremony, journalism, humanitarian missions, and even for attending a sporting event. More generally, you can travel there for person-to-person contact and educational or humanitarian reasons (but not for your bachelorette).
If you’re interested in volunteering, there are many organizations you can team up with. Check out this program to help the cats and dogs of Havana, and check this listing to see if any other humanitarian missions interest you. This way you’ll not only get to experience a broadening of your mind — but also of your heart.
Make sure to check this gov website for current details. All travelers to Cuba, including religious workers, should contact the Cuban Embassy (tel: 202-797-8518) in Washington to determine the appropriate type of travel card/visa required for their purpose of travel. Cuba requires visitors to have non-U.S. medical insurance, and sells a temporary policy to those who do not have it. Questions about this insurance requirement should, again, be directed to the Cuban Embassy. Alternatively, you can travel with one of many “Cuba USA” tour operators, and they will arrange all the necessary documents for you. As always, make sure to check reviews (even the “filtered” ones on Yelp, which are usually valid reviews). Here’s a great FAQ article via CNN, and another via the NY Times, that will answer more of your questions.
Protect Yourself Ahead of Time
The general position on traveler safety in Cuba is that it’s just as safe (or unsafe) as being in any other country in the Caribbean, like the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico. It is a relatively poor country with a low-level criminal element — mostly stealing boxes of cigars from factories and reselling them. Still, as with all travel, the best defense means having a little bit of common sense and taking steps to protect your belongings at all times.
Currently, Havana is a low crime area since there are many police officers scattered around the city, and punishment for any crime against a tourist is extremely steep — an effective deterrent. Still, travelers can be sure that a whole industry of pickpockets and thieves will pop up to take advantage of the sudden influx of American travelers with wallets and purses full of American money.
Before you travel, take the time to read about how to avoid becoming a victim of credit card and identity theft. Protect the personal information on your smartphone by setting a lockscreen passcode. It’s valuable advice whether you’re travelling across the street or across the Gulf.
Have a Contact or Hire a Tour Guide
The move to open the borders with Cuba happened suddenly, so it’s understandable if the country’s infrastructure isn’t yet suited for hundreds of thousands of new travelers. To be sure, Cuba has several incredible resort hotels and tourist attractions to cater to international travelers, but getting around the country can still be very tricky.
Even hailing a taxi can involve a series of negotiations and miscommunications, so do yourself a favor and have a contact or private tour guide who can show you around or make arrangements for you ahead of time. Even if you have to pay extra upfront, you will most likely avoid a lot of anxiety and price gouging. Plus, you’ll have the peace of mind of knowing that you can call someone if your trip starts to go south.
Congrats on being one of the bravest Americans for traveling in Cuba. I am sure these tips will help many in the future as more and more Americans make their way to Cuba. I will be going to Colombia soon, and I found some of these tips helpful for that adventure. Need to bone up on my Spanish.
Fantastic tips for Cuba, a place I yet have been to, but strive to go to in the future. 🙂
I was planning on spending one month in Cuba in July until I found out about the dial-up internet…definitely not a good idea now that I’m in the process of making my movie critics blog one of the top 100 ? Maybe next year haha
I’ve been a little intimidated by Cuba, being a solo traveler. But I’ve seen many good posts on it. This is an excellent and practical post that’s really helpful. Makes me want to put it back on my bucketlist.
I know what you mean, and I won’t like and say Cuba is completely fine for safety. While I did feel that Varadero was a safe place, my time in Havana was very intimidating and I was hissed at non-stop for 12 hours, basically. Some of that was due to me staying in a completely wrong part of town, but it was nonetheless a little scary. I can’t speak for more of Cuba as I didn’t travel round too much, but I think it’s fairly hit and miss. I’ve heard of lots of other solo travelling women who were totally fine, though. Hope you make it there one day!
Yep, there are taxis everywhere that will get you to town from your resort, or as you’ve said there are buses that run too. The majority of the resorts are a few miles from town. Haven’t heard of many people getting the same driver the whole week – I’m not sure if that’s even possible! Hope you have a fantastic time, and enjoy the sunshine! 🙂
Hi. Thanks for the tips. I will be travelling solo next week. I was concerned about getting scammed but after reading what you wrote I guess it’ll be ok. So to get to town from your resort is it better to get a taxi or bus it? If possible, should you just get one taxi guy/guide for the whole week?
Yep, there are taxis everywhere that will get you to town from your resort, or as you’ve said there are buses that run too. The majority of the resorts are a few miles from town. Haven’t heard of many people getting the same driver the whole week – I’m not sure if that’s even possible! Hope you have a fantastic time, and enjoy the sunshine! ?
Great tips! Cuba is very safe – safer than other Caribbean islands like Jamaica. I think there’s just real confusion around how to get there, legally is all.
I agree. Cuba is an amazing place to visit, and in my experience very safe. But you can never be too safe in anywhere in the world, even in your home town.
We flew into Varadero (because it was cheaper) with plans to catch the Víazul bus to Havana but couldn’t book tickets online because of time. When we went to the Víazul terminal she said “Sorry, I can’t sell you tickets without a reservation”. It was about an $80- 100 taxi into town, 25-50 ea for a bus going to a Havana Hotel (Melia Cohiba) whereas Víazul would be 10 CUC. We hung around Juan Gomez airport waiting for a solution to appear. After a short while the girl from the terminal came over and said “The bus is coming in. If anybody gets off, you get on and I’ll sell you tickets” It was a pleasant ride through Matanzas into Havana.
When I went to Cuba in 2004 (legally, via Miami), I had asked them to stamp my passport but they refused b/c it was a US passport. They only stamped the Visa….
Hmmm… I went to Cuba this past September and I had my passport stamped – but I’m a Canadian citizen. My friend that traveled with me had a Russian passport but she did not get a stamp. I think it just mostly depends on the mood that strikes the border official at the moment.
Did you get sprayed by a flight attendant as you approached Havana? A flight attendant walked up and down the aisles on Jamaica Air from Nassau to Havana spaying some unknown type of bug spray. It was a sea of fog on the plane.
Also went to the Tropicana which I highly recommend. It includes a bottle of Havana Club Rum per person. For the people who did not drink I walked out with a trove of rum which I drank on the beach in Nassau on the route home.