An increase in Cuba travel from law changes

Many people have longed to enjoy many different drinks in the same bars as Hemingway, but the ban against traveling to Cuba has made that impossible. However, the restrictions are slowly being lifted. There are ways around the travel ban, and a lot of people are aware of them. More people are starting to travel to Cuba annually. However, bear in mind that Cuba is not Disneyland.

Ability to get to Cuba elevated

The relationship between Cuba and the U.S. in the last half century has not been very good. It has been quite terrible actually. A small number of individuals 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. As long as an individual is going to Cuba for “people to people contacts,” it is acceptable. This means that people have to go to Cuba with the intention of learning about the Cuban culture. Adjudicating the quality of the pina coladas doesn’t count; most groups have itineraries packed with museum, factory and farm visits.

Clampdown going away

An individual has to book a trip through a group authorized to go to Cuba if an individual wants to get in. 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. However, Cuba it isn’t an excellent place to take the children. People go to Cuba for religious, journalistic or governmental reasons. That means that even though there is still “person to person” travel, you should not just go to getaway, the State Department website explained. As long as relatives are Cuban nationals, individuals can go to Cuba to see them. There is no U.S. Embassy in Cuba, though a U.S. Special Interests Section is located in the Swiss Embassy in Havana, functioning as an embassy of sorts.

Get papers in order first

The State Department claims Cuba is “a totalitarian police state” that uses physical and other means to control its citizens. Do not worry about being safe while in Cuba. However, make sure you are respectful and have your paperwork in order if you are going to visit. Most Cubans cannot travel at all. In order to leave Cuba, Cubans need a “white card” exit visa. Costs have to be around $150 to go. Typically, Cubans have about $20 a month to live on. They typically don’t have enough to eat either, the Christian Science Monitor explains. 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. Cuba communism will not change, claims Castro, although he will let some trade occur.

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