Cuba - The Forbidden Fruit, March 2017

For over a half-century Cuba has been the "forbidden fruit" to American travelers. Yes, there are other places in the world Americans have been forbidden or discouraged from traveling at times, either because their war zones or political enemies of the U.S. government, but nowhere else did the ban last for so long or was it so specific in terms of its restrictions and possible sanctions in terms of fines. And that for a place whose shore is less than 100 miles from the nearest point in the U.S. in the Florida Keys. The reality is some Americans like Cuban-Americans with family have always been able to travel to Cuba and some travel for educational, professional, athletic or other competitions, and religious purposes were allowed under certain circumstances. Many Americans still went, though, via third countries like Canada or Mexico with little risk of detection by American authorities since Cuba doesn't stamp entry or exit into American passports. Some still took additional precautions; about a decade ago I became acquainted with an affluent couple from Florida who went to Cuba via Mexico. To avoid any risk of fine by the U.S., on their return to Mexico City they went to the American embassy and claimed their passports were stolen, then spent a few days there until new passports could be reissued. General tourism to Cuba is still technically forbidden under the American economic embargo, which has not been lifted yet, but travel is permitted under 12 legal categories. I think mine fits best under what's called "Support for the Cuban people", a quite broad description under which many things can fall. I write a travel blog, but don't think that quite counts under the Journalistic Activity category. I also am an economist, but seeing a socialist country through a professional's eye probably also doesn't cut it under the Educational Activities category. I originally started looking at tours to Cuba with some of the British, Australian, and Canadian budget tour companies with whom I often travel. Some people I've met who have traveled around Cuba on their own have claimed it wasn't easy and recommended going with a tour. However, I soon discovered that those companies either can't take bookings from U.S. passport holders or can only do so on certain trips that meet those "people-to-people" requirements. Those tours, though, as well as tours offered by American tour operators that fall within the State Department's guidelines cost well over two times as much as the trips we can't go on. This is clearly a form of market segmentation for tour companies that enables them to charge much higher prices to generally more affluent American travelers than those from other countries in a way they can't do on trips in other countries. Screw that! My plan for Cuba is to try to stay within the spirit of the "people-to-people travel" the State Department permits for American travelers in Cuba by staying in casas particulares (privately-owned guesthouses), use public transportation, and visiting natural and cultural attractions rather than basking in the sun while staying at more expensive government-owned luxury hotels. But hey, that's pretty much what I do wherever I travel. Cuba is about 750 miles from one end to another so would take a while to explore its whole length. Most tour companies that offer comprehensive tours of the island take about three weeks. Independent travel tends not to cram as much in as quickly and would likely take longer to cover the length of the island. My tentative plan is to spend a little over two weeks in the western half of Cuba from Havana west to Pinar del Rio and Vinales and then east to Trinidad, Cienfuegos, Matanzas, and some other towns. That's partly in consideration of time and partly in reaction to what I've been told about the relative struggles and discomforts of traveling in Cuba compared to elsewhere in Latin America. I can always go back again sometime in the future to see the eastern half of the country and how Cuba changes over time.

Planned Dates

Mar 06, 2017 to Mar 23, 2017

Countries

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