Loopholes make going Cuba achievable

There has been an embargo on travel to Cuba since the Kennedy administration, causing many people to wish for the forbidden fruit of Havana. There are loopholes, however, in the laws and regulations and legal ways to travel to Cuba, one of the last strongholds of communism. The number of individuals traveling to Cuba is increasing each year, but don’t mistake Cuba for Busch Gardens or Cancun or the price to pay will indeed be very expensive.

It is okay to travel to Cuba

Relations between the U.S. and Cuba have not been the warmest for the past half century. The Cuban embargo enacted under the Kennedy administration is still in impact, but President Clinton signed a bill granting exceptions to the ban on travel to Cuba for private citizens in 1999, according to MSNBC, which a small but growing number of people have been taking advantage of. As long as a person 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.

How you get in now

In order to go on this kind of trip to Cuba, a person has to book a trip with a group that is authorized to conduct such tours. 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. When traveling to Cuba, don’t take children. It is not the most kid friendly environment. Individuals 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 trip, the State Department site explained. As long as relatives are Cuban nationals, individuals can go to Cuba to see them. In the Swiss Embassy in Havana, there’s a U.S. Special Interests Section that functions as an embassy. Otherwise, there is no U.S. Embassy there.

Make sure the documents are ready

Cuba is “a totalitarian police state,” according to the State Department meaning it uses physical and other means to keep its citizens under control. Make sure you’ve your paperwork in order and are behaved well while going to Cuba. Travel in Cuba is uncommon. Most are not allowed to do this. The exit visa, “white card,” required for Cubans to leave Cuba costs the equivalent of $150. Most Cubans live on $20 a month and barely get enough to eat, according to the Christian Science Monitor. If the Raul Castro regime is willing to make changes, President Obama would be willing to lift some restrictions on trade and travel, reports Reuters. Apparently Obama is trying to normalize relations with the country. Trade in Cuba is starting to take place more often. Castro won’t say goodbye to communism though.

Information from

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