{"id":34830,"date":"2017-04-19T18:00:01","date_gmt":"2017-04-19T23:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/?p=34830"},"modified":"2017-04-08T13:38:31","modified_gmt":"2017-04-08T18:38:31","slug":"tips-for-visiting-cuba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/?p=34830","title":{"rendered":"Tips for Visiting Cuba"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since our country’s relations with Cuba have improved, travel and tourism to that small island just 90 miles off our coast have increased.\u00a0 There seems to be a curiosity about Cuba, and the best way to scratch that itch it to take a trip there.\u00a0 As you all know, we recently spent two weeks there, and\u00a0 you can read about it here<\/a> and here<\/a>.\u00a0 I promised a third post with some tips that can make your visit there a little easier.\u00a0 I think that learning about a place from someone who has been there makes traveling easier or more pleasurable.<\/p>\n

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\"Cuba\"<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0 Getting There<\/strong> – Not all airlines are flying into Cuba right now.\u00a0 American, Delta, and Alaskan are the largest carriers with regular flights, and you don’t have to fly to Havana to start your trip.\u00a0 At least 15 other cities have small airports that are receiving US airlines.\u00a0 This website<\/a> has more information on flights.\u00a0 And by the way, when you land, be sure to check out the uniforms worn by their local version of TSA.\u00a0 Let’s just say very tight and very short and many with lace stockings.<\/p>\n

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\"Cuba<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0 Booking Your Room<\/strong> – Consider using a Canadian travel agency to save money when booking your room.\u00a0 Canadians have been traveling to Cuba for years and years, and they have a good working relationship with the government.\u00a0 We used an agency out of Toronto and saved 25 per cent on our room.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0\"Cuba<\/p>\n

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3.\u00a0 Take Cash – <\/strong>American credit cards are not accepted in Cuba so take plenty of cash.\u00a0 Save enough for any exit fees you might encounter.\u00a0 They like large bills that are nice and new, and you will exchange your US money for Cuban money.<\/p>\n

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\"Cuba<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0 You Need a Visa<\/strong> –\u00a0 All Americans traveling to Cuba need a visa to enter the country.\u00a0 The process is different depending on the airline you use, so, be sure to check with them when you book your tickets.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0\"Cuba<\/p>\n

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5.\u00a0 Rent a Convertible<\/strong> – Cuba is loaded, just loaded with vintage cars that are in very good condition.\u00a0 Somehow, the Cubans are able to fix motors, exchange motors, and overhaul motors to keep these wonderful cars from the past on the road.\u00a0 Do yourself a favor and hire one with a driver for a day or more.\u00a0 You can have a hard top or a convertible, but I recommend that you go all out and go with the convertible.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\"Cuba<\/p>\n

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6.\u00a0 Food<\/strong> – The food in Cuba tends to be on the basic side, but the pina coladas are divine. (;\u00a0 Expect a lot of fish, rice, plantains, and salad.\u00a0 They don’t have a lot of snack foods, candy, soft drinks, etc. for sale, so if you are into these things, take them with you (except the soft drinks.)<\/p>\n

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\u00a0\"Cuba<\/p>\n

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7.\u00a0 Travel within the Country<\/strong> – No matter where you go, be sure to join a tour or hire a driver for the day to take you somewhere else.\u00a0 The country is beautiful and has a lot of variety in what there is to see and do.\u00a0 If you are staying in a city, be sure to get to the beach for a day.\u00a0 If you are staying in a small town, go to Havana for a day.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0\"Cuba<\/p>\n

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8.\u00a0 Vaccinations<\/strong> – There are no mandatory vaccines required to travel to Cuba, but there are a few that are recommended.\u00a0 Check with the CDC and then decide if you will get them.<\/p>\n

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\"Cuban<\/p>\n

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9.\u00a0 Souvenirs<\/strong> – We stopped by several markets in both Havana and Varadero, and they all sold pretty much the same things.\u00a0 There were a lot of carved items, and some were marked “made in China.”\u00a0 I was lucky enough to buy two small paintings<\/a>, but there weren’t many things I was interested in bringing home.<\/p>\n

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\"Cuba<\/p>\n

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10.\u00a0 Safety<\/strong> – We always felt very safe in both the city and in the country.\u00a0 The Cuban people are very laid back and peaceful.\u00a0 Also, we were never approached for money or harrassed to buy something.<\/p>\n

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There are plenty of books about Cuba out there so be sure to buy one or two before you go.\u00a0 Also, there’s a great Netflix series dealing Cuba and its history up to the present.<\/p>\n

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Take care.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Since our country’s relations with Cuba have improved, travel and tourism to that small island just 90 miles off our coast have increased.\u00a0 There seems to be a curiosity about Cuba, and the best way to scratch that itch it to take a trip there.\u00a0 As you all know, we recently spent two weeks there, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":34762,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"categories":[9,4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34830"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=34830"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34830\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34912,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34830\/revisions\/34912"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/34762"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}