Cuba only cost me $257
My trip to Havana, Cuba only cost me $257 flight and Airbnb for 4 days!
How? I bought a one-way ticket with my American Airlines points and bought the return ticket through United Airlines for $150. The airbnb was a total of $198 and I paid half. Travel doesn’t have to be expensive!
10 Things you need to know before you go:
- VISA: Don’t let the US make you think that you can’t travel to Cuba and that Americans are not welcome there. That is FALSE! Things to know: in order to travel to Cuba you must apply for a visa. There are only 12 categories approved for Americans to travel to Cuba, I traveled under the Support for the Cuban People. You can apply for your visa in advance (which is cheaper) or at the airport when you catch your flight (which is more convenient). I was asked more questions upon my return to the US and with snide remarks than my entrance to Cuba. Yes, the US embassy is closed and yes I did visit during the time the US embassy is closed. It was a risk I was willing to take and there was not one time I felt unsafe in Cuba.
- STAY CONNECTED: Your cell service will not work in Cuba. You will only be able to access the internet when connected to Wi-Fi using a Wi-Fi card. In general, the people in Cuba only have access to Wi-Fi in public places like a park or hotel lobby. For the tourist, if you search you can find a nice Airbnb with Wi-Fi. It is easy to stay connected with family and friends by using these apps: WhatsApp and FaceTime iMessages and FaceTime.
- LODGING: I personally like staying in Airbnb’s and here’s why:
- It’s usually cheaper.
- It’s an authentic experience. You connect with locals and get good information about the area, food, and get a good feel for what it’s like to live like a local (within reason). Of course, Airbnb’s are catered to get good reviews and in poor countries, it is still a place of luxury.
- TRANSPORTATION: Classic cars were nice, even better if you get the right driver. We took an hour tour and our driver had us lit with the music. Make sure you watch the videos! Overall, the transportation in Cuba includes taxi 🚕, classic car, or bus. We traveled mostly by taxi or classic car. We found a very nice taxi driver who was also bi-lingual, so after meeting him we decided to call him for most of our rides. If you plan to visit Cuba, his contact info can be found in the caption under his business card and photo/video…..tell him I said Aye!!
- FLIGHTS: When I first planned my trip to Cuba in March 2017 I booked a flight for $200 RT, but I had to cancel my trip when I found out I was pregnant. At that time, Zika was a big concern and not worth the risk (and is still a great risk to pregnant women traveling out of the country so PLEASE check the countries before you go). When I rebooked my trip to Cuba in July 2018, I booked a one-way flight on my American airline points so the ticket was free, and a one-way flight on United for $157!
- AFO-CUBANS: I really enjoyed the Afro-Cuban culture and can’t wait to get back! As far as what to do, I will give suggestions BUT the most fun on any trip is discovering the culture, places to go, food to eat and SPONTANEITY. Don’t get caught sticking to an hour by hour agenda you will miss the joy of being in the moment.
- MONEY: Cash only! Your credit cards and debit cards will not work in Cuba…periodt! So take enough cash to last your whole trip. You can convert your money in two ways: While you are in the US you can convert USD to Euros and once you are in Cuba convert your Euros to Peso….and the same process to return. CUC to Euro in Cuba and Euro to USD in America………Confusing? It was for me too…..This is what I did….Wait until you get to Cuba and convert USD to CUC, which is what I did. Cuba has two currencies the CUC and CUP. CUP is the currency that locals use…more than likely as a tourist you will have CUC. The conversion felt like dollar to dollar to me so I am not the one to ask about it being affordable. It was nothing like the Asian countries I have traveled to.
- FOOD: As I learned from Alain (our taxi driver), seafood is a rarity for locals and can be found mostly at tourist restaurants. Taking a boat out to fish is illegal (of course people do it), but if you go to a local small family-owned restaurant you will probably only see pork or chicken. Restaurants that serve tourist generally have a lot of seafood options. After I learned this, my rationale was this……”Cubans must know how to cook some chicken and pork lol” so that’s mostly what I ate and often the better dishes I tasted in the country. Do some research, BUT have fun with exploring local places to eat….
- COMMUNITY: There are community pet dogs who are adopted by the government and assigned to different neighborhoods. In the picture you will see the dog and their tags: The tag reads: “I live here. Don’t mistreat me.”
- THE TRUTH: Cuba is a poor country. The truth is I felt at home in Cuba. More comfortable there than any other country I have visited. When you get there you will fall in love. If you are looking to give to the people while in Cuba, stuff your luggage full of clothes you would like to give away and pack it with souvenirs to support the local small business owners.
