DearWorldTraveler,

There is a lot of excitement around traveling to Cuba now that the relationship between the island and America is being restored.  After an unforgettable trip to Havana, I’m happy to share some helpful insights!

Here are answers to the top 3 questions I’ve received:

1. Is it legal for Americans to travel to Cuba?  Yes (not as a “tourist” though).  There are 12 general licenses that Americans can travel under.  For those who don’t have family in Cuba or a professional reason for traveling there, People-to-People is a good general license to use.  As long as you have a set itinerary daily that includes interaction with the Cuban people you should be good to go.  If you’re looking for more official language, the Department of Treasury website has it all laid out for you. 🙂 Here is a quick listing of the general licenses:

1. Family visits
2. Official business of the U.S. government and foreign governments
3. Journalistic activity
4. Professional research and professional meetings
5. Educational activities
6. Religious activities
7. Public performances, clinics, workshops, athletic and other competitions
8. Support for the Cuban people (People-to-People)
9. Humanitarian projects
10. Activities of private foundations or research or educational institutes
11. Exportation, importation, or transmission of information or information materials
12. Certain authorized export transactions

2. How do I get to Cuba?  Commercial flights from the U.S. are not yet authorized to fly to Cuba (fingers crossed they’ll have approval by the end of the year).  For the time being, the only way to fly to Cuba is via charter flights (which aren’t cheap).  American Airlines and JetBlue operate several charter flights to Cuba.  Most flight schedules are released 2-3 months at a time and seats sell out fast.  So make sure your flight is booked and confirmed prior to making other arrangements.

3. How much does it cost to travel to Cuba?  Ahh yes, the money question…very important.  With charter flights ranging from $500 to $1,000 round trip, a trip to Cuba can easily cost a couple grand.  For my 3-day trip to Havana, I paid a total of $3,000!  (Crazy, I know.)  To get a breakdown of what was included in that amount, subscribe to my blog using the form below and I’ll lay it all out for you in an email. 🙂

Subscribe: