SPUD HILTON
TRAVEL TO CUBA LIKE IT’S 1999.
Yes, you can still legally travel to Cuba and experience the music, the food and the baseball. But you’d better get ready to make some friends, because you’re not going alone.
Last month’s policy change by the Trump administration effectively ended the option for U.S. citizens to travel legally to Cuba as individuals while using cultural exchange as the reason. They still will be able to travel in groups with tour operators licensed to offer “education activities” trips that involve people-to-people cultural exchange, but no longer can they just go on their own.
So now that travelers have had a taste of visiting Cuba somewhat freely — but the rules have been rolled back almost to 1999 — what are your options?
Group tours: The market for tour operators offering peopleto-people trips has boomed — and by eliminating the option to go by yourself, the government has made these often-pricey trips just about the only option. The good news is there’s more competition and more variety — in itineraries, trip length, group size and types of cultural exchange. One variable that might change, however, is how loosey-goosey tour operators will be with the Treasury Department’s language that travelers in groups “must maintain a full-time schedule of educational exchange activities,” and that someone from the company must go along to ensure the full-time schedule. If the tour operator follows this strictly, you won’t be spending a day at the beach, nor will you be exploring Habana Vieja on your own. Prices for the group tours typically include lodging, meals and ground transportation; flights are extra.
By sea: It’s still possible to take a cruise to Cuba with one of several lines (including Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Oceania), although it’s unclear if passengers will be allowed to go ashore on their own. The cruise lines have indicated only that they will continue cruising there and will continue to offer group shore excursions.
Third country: In the past, the most common route for travelers was to fly through a third country (Mexico and Canada, mostly). Cuban authorities issue a tourist card (in lieu of a visa) that goes in your passport instead of a stamp and is removed when you depart. This route, however, is still illegal and, while it was loosely enforced (if at all) by prior administrations, it’s unclear if this White House will make enforcement a priority.