Are You Going To Cuba?
It seems like a day doesn’t go by without news of changes in Cuban-American relations. After significant thawing of the relationship between the two countries, the airlines are fighting over the right to operate dozens of daily flights between the US and Cuba. Hotel chains like Marriott and Starwood are scrambling to start relationships with hoteliers in Cuba and cellular providers like Verizon are signing roaming agreements so American customers can use their cell phones in Cuba.
Just a few days before President Obama is scheduled to visit Cuba, the US government has again relaxed restrictions to make it easier on people traveling back and forth between the two countries:
The Obama administration announced Tuesday that it would allow individuals to travel to Cuba for “people to people” educational trips and lift limits on the use of American dollars in transactions with Cuba, wiping away stiff restrictions on travel and commerce as President Obama prepares to make a trip to Havana next week.
What does that functionally mean? Well, the embargo will actually stay in place (since Congress refuses to lift it). But, the Executive branch is effectively saying they won’t enforce the embargo even if American individuals aren’t traveling for one of the stated “allowable” purposes.
The freeing up of currency is also interesting:
As part of the action on Tuesday, the Treasury Department, which enforces the embargo through its Office of Foreign Assets Control, said it would allow so-called U-turn transactions, in which money from Cuba or a Cuban citizen can be cleared through a United States bank and transferred back in dollars. They would also allow American banks to process dollar-denominated transactions from Cuba, and to open accounts for Cubans that they could use to receive payment in the United States and send money back to Cuba.
But United States banks may still worry about being penalized, now or in the future, for touching such transactions, said Carlos M. Gutierrez, the Havana-born secretary of commerce under President George W. Bush, who is a convert to Mr. Obama’s policy change and will make the trip next week.
It remains to be seen what will actually happen with currency transactions of this nature. While I’m sure the lack of clarity will cause many to remain on the sidelines, I imagine there will be folks who take advantage of the changes.
Should You Go To Cuba?
As the lines between “legal” and “illegal” continue to blur on individual travel to Cuba, I definitely ponder if now is the right time to go. I’d like to experience Cuba before there are a bunch of McDonald’s and Holiday Inns dotting the landscape. And yet, questions abound, like “will my cell phone work”?
I’m cautious at this point because the embargo hasn’t officially been lifted. A change in the political party occupying the White House could significantly roll back some of these measures. I think I’ll hang out on the sidelines a little bit longer.
I am curious, however. Have conditions changed enough to encourage you to book a trip to Cuba?
The post Are You Going To Cuba? was published first on Pizza in Motion.
Was there in 2011. Great place. Recommended to travel in pairs or groups. Beautiful place, and if you like to dance salsa- you will love it there.
MaryE, nobody really wants to see me dance (other than my wife who would have preferred more than 2 dances at our wedding)! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Cuba! I do have a desire to see her before it’s trampled by rampant US tourism.
I have visited there 23 times in the last 20 years, usually going MIA-Nassau-Havana. The embargo for US tourists has never been enforced. My last trip was in December. Some cell phones were working, and everybody (including Cubans) could purchase Internet access. Most parks had wi-fi signals so you would see dozens of Cubans on their phones or laptops.
John, thanks for the info. I had talked to a few friends who had no cellphone connectivity while they were there recently. While that alone isn’t a reason to go, I do try to make sure my wife can always reach me when I’m traveling in case there’s an emergency I need to get home for.
John, also, since you have a ton of experience traveling to Cuba, did your cell phone work while there? Did you purchase a local SIM or other such method to stay in touch?
My AT&T phone did not work. My friend’s iPhone did work but I don’t recall the name of his service provider, sorry. I just used email to keep in touch. Wi-fi access was plentiful.
For Smitty06: You will see plenty of teens with cell phones.
For Shirley: Tourists do get overcharged for currency exchange.
For Greg: Traveling there is pretty simple. I used rooms booked through AirBnB.
Really wanting to travel there prior to the tourist overload… although a direct flight from TPA airport would be nice!
Acc, my fears exactly (tourist overload, not the nonstop from TPA).
Traveled there 2 yrs ago. I ‘d love to return. It appears that the American dollar is still being devalued by the Cuban govt. I brought Mexican Pesos when they were 12.5 to the dollar…no problems.
Shirley, I hope that the government will lean heavily on Cuba to normalize the currency conversion.
My phone did not work when I was there one year ago. I would highly recommend going now. See what a country is like with no advertisements anywhere, no teenagers with cell phones, and charming small restaurants everywhere.
Smitty, the restaurants is a big reason for me to want to go down, along with seeing the history without too much commercialism.
Great post! Cuba is absolutely my favorite country to travel to. My company, ViaHero (AlphaLab) is building a site for travelers to hire local Cuban experts to plan their custom trip. We can definitely help you out. Would love to chat at Happy Hour tomorrow if you get a chance.