I’m Going To Cuba!

You may remember, I contemplated going to Cuba last year on my first solo trip. While the US-Cuba traveling restrictions certainly improved, things were still a bit too unpredictable at that point with getting into Cuba that I didn’t feel confident in it. I knew it would ease up soon, but not soon enough for that trip.

So when we saw the regulations essentially lifted and US carriers now have the ability to fly to Cuba, I jumped at the chance to go with my two numbnut-travel gal pals AND the hubster. Yes, this timed perfectly with one of his few weeks off of work as a first year ER resident. Boo-yah.

So what do we do in the land of mojitos?

I have no idea.

Lies.

Travel Docs

Prior to boarding our flight, we must obtain a tourist card (should cost $25-50USD) which will specify what our itinerary is for the length of the stay and allow us to choose one of 12 reasons why we’re going. While I hear it’s not totally stringent, authority scares me, soooo I’ll be abiding by the rules. I need to carry my passport and tourist card with me at all times. The tourist card also serves as proof we have medical insurance too, since it is included in the fee to get one. We have a tour planned for nearly every day and an idea of what were doing for the days we’re not. This sort of stipulation doesn’t intimidate me much. When I traveled on a student visa while interning in the UK, there were similar obligations that needed to be met so I could stay longer than the normal 30-day tourist visa.

Accommodations

It’s a quick trip–5 days, 4 nights. I booked our flights through Delta. Yup, again, American carriers can now fly there. It’s a quick flight from where I live–1.5 hours to Cuban cigars and classic cars. We’re staying in Havana the whole time and doing a day trip to Las Terrazas for one morning and afternoon. I booked our stay through AirBnb because all decent hotels were already booked for New Years.

Oh yeah.

Minor detail. I’m going over New Years! We’ll say PISS OFF to 2016 and wholeheartedly welcome in 2017 on an island we were forbidden to be on as Americans a little less than 2 years ago.

Money

American credit cards still won’t work there, so you need to exchange money on arrival and pay for everything in Cuban Convertible Peso or CUC. Exchanging US Dollars incurs a lot more fees than other currencies, so we’ll be exchanging Euros to avoid those penalties. Ah, the benefits of having friends who travel for work all the time and are currently in Czech Republic.

Internet

From what I hear, there is very little internet, let alone Wi-Fi. So while the hubster is looking forward to disconnecting, I’m having a minor panic attack.

But how do I prove I’m in Cuba if I can’t check-in on Facebook!?

We actually need to print out maps or use that funny service we pay for called AAA and get maps! I need to make sure I have all the phone numbers I need because I can’t Google on the spot. My phone will be on roaming, so I’ll try to avoid it.

Actually, I’m sure it will be refreshing. I want to share with you how we booked our flights and landed our sweet AirBnb penthouse, but I’d like to actually get there and explore our laid-out itinerary before I offer it up as the best advice.

Can you pick up what I’m throwing down?

What are you most interested in seeing from a land that has not been overrun by American tourists yet?