Travel to Cuba has been mostly restricted for the past half century. The individuals who long to don a Panama hat and enjoy Montecristo cigars and daiquiris in Hemingway's favored bars have had to go without doing so. It is becoming less impossible over time, as loopholes in the travel ban make it possible for a small number of people to go every year. The number of people traveling to Cuba is increasing yearly, but do not mistake Cuba for Busch Gardens or Cancun or the price to pay will indeed be very steep.


Getting to Cuba is fine as part of cultural exchange

The relationship between Cuba and the United States in the last half century has not been very good. It has been quite terrible actually. A small number of people were allowed to go to Cuba in 1999 when Clinton signed a bill to allow it, states MSNBC. The Kennedy administration's Cuban embargo is still in effect though. The law allows for travel to Cuba for "people to people contacts," or in other words, a person has to go with the intention of engaging in cultural exchange and learning about Cuba and the Cuban individuals. Adjudicating the quality of the pina coladas doesn't count; most groups have itineraries packed with museum, factory and farm visits.


Restrictions going down


To be able to go on this kind of trip to Cuba, an individual has to book a trip with a group that is authorized to conduct such tours. The State Department won't have to approve travel itineraries anymore ahead of time meaning it will be easier to get into a tour of Cuba. It is not a good idea to take children to Cuba though. The State Department site explains that even though "person to person" travel is allowed, more people will Cuba for governmental, religious or journalistic purposes. Individuals can visit relatives in Cuba, provided their relatives are Cuban nationals. In the Swiss Embassy in Havana, there is a United States Special Interests Section that functions as an embassy. Otherwise, there is no United States Embassy there.


Make sure you do every little thing right


The citizens in Cuba are kept under control with physical and other means. It is "a totalitarian police state," the State Department explained. Make sure you have your paperwork in order and are behaved well while visiting Cuba. Travel in Cuba is uncommon. Most aren't allowed to do this. The exit visa, "white card," required for Cubans to leave Cuba costs the equivalent of $150. Most Cubans live on $20 a month and barely get enough to eat, according to the Christian Science Monitor. President Obama, according to Reuters, is open to normalizing relations and lifting some restrictions on trade and travel if the Raul Castro regime makes meaningful changes to the notoriously tight-fisted Cuban regime. Castro notably started granting licenses for private trade and property ownership but is committed to retaining communism in Cuba.



Citations


MSNBC

msnbc.msn.com/id/43126754/ns/travel-news/

U.S. Department of State on traveling to Cuba

travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1097.html

Christian Science Monitor

csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2011/0513/Cubans-may-no-longer-be-stuck-on-Caribbean-isle

Reuters

reuters.com/article/2011/05/13/us-usa-cuba-obama-idUSTRE74C3P820110513