I recently spent a couple of weeks in Cuba and learned a lot.  Here is the 3rd part of my best travel tips for your trip to Cuba!

1.  I cannot emphasize this enough – bring a bunch of tissue packs for the bathroom.  There were so many bathrooms without toilet paper!  I would also say hit the disposable wipes and hand sanitizer aisle while you are at it.  Just be sure to carry them in your bag or in your pocket!

2.  You may want to rent a car if you plan on moving around the country a lot.  Taxis are expensive and public transportation doesn’t often run between routes.  I was told the average rental is about $80 a day.  JUST BE WARNED – THE ROADS ARE TERRRIBLE (filled with big potholes).

3.  Learn some Spanish.  I believe one of the reasons we had such a great time and really immersed ourselves was the ability to speak Spanish.  I chose to speak Spanish every possible moment and it really improved over the trip.

4.  Get to know the people – stay in a casa particulare and have meals with them – every family I stayed with was great!!!

5.  Bring bug spray. They said no mosquitos – we got eaten alive in Vinales and it wasn’t dusk yet.  Also bring sunblock – it’s very expensive.

6.  Bring an umbrella – you will look like a local as they use them for sun. If by chance it rains (one day lots) you will have it for that as well. We did have one house that provided umbrellas in our room.

7.  Bring a bunch of snacks from home – I found it very helpful in car and bus rides.  My favorite is KIND bars – they are a perfect meal replacement in a pinch.  There are no healthy snacks to be found in Cuba (except fruit and you have to be careful with that and your stomach).

8.  Phone

I have an iPhone with AT&T.  As I do before all my international trips I called AT&T and bought an international plan with phone and text. For the first week it didn’t work – email and text fine – but no phone. I called from a landline in Cuba and was told no service in Cuba. A couple of days later – got text saying welcome.  Called husband and worked 😳.  Worked for latter part of trip.   I called AT&T to complain and they said they can’t be responsible for reliability of service – a Cuban carrier – Cubacel.  Maybe will work for you.  **Remember to the turn phone of/on again when traveling. Helps to reset the phone to international service.  Always bring the NON-TOLL-FREE number of your carrier in case you need to call for support.

9.  Speaking of non-toll-free, if you intend to call any such numbers in the US – they don’t work from Cuba.

So have fun and get to Cuba before it changes!

I recently spent almost three weeks in Cuba with my 5-year old daughter.  I learned a lot and hope that I can help you with some great travel tips for your trip to Cuba.

Here’s part 2 of my tips…

1.  Take some little gifts from your city/country as a thank you for kind guestures by the locals.  (That’s a must pack for all my travels.)

2.  Take a pedicab tour – it’s a great way to see the towns of Cuba.

3.  Visit Cienfuego, Trinidad, Cayo Santa Maria and Vinales.  Plan at least 2 weeks in Cuba if you want to see some different places.  Havana is fun and interesting but I find the people in the smaller towns much more open and friendly.

4.  Buy a bunch of internet cards if you plan on being online.  Internet is pretty hard to find.  You can usually only find it in town squares (plazas) and some hotel lobbies.  You must buy an internet card for 2 cuc/1 hour from their stores or 3 cuc from resellers in town squares.  Also, hotels will sell them but may charge much more or require a purchase (a drink, for example).

5.  There isn’t much A/C in public places BUT on the tour bus and in two taxis the A/C was blasting so I would definitely take a sweater.

6.  Cuba is very hot and humid – don’t go in July or August unless you love extreme heat.  Oct was a good time for coastal towns but can still be quite warm during the day (nights usually very nice in coastal towns). My daughter cried in Santa Clara because it was so hot.

7.  Keep your passport and visa at the ready when traveling town to town – we stopped to show documents to some police.

8.  Try some street food. Bocadillas are great little sandwiches (with fresh pork).  Always ask how much – they shouldn’t be more than a a cuc or 2 for two sandwiches.

9.  Know that there are good doctors in Cuba – 20 percent of the population has an M.D.  We know first hand as we went to the hospital in Havana.

10.  Ask for a price in advance for taxis, bicitaxi, etc.

11. Take a ride in an old car – they say 60% of their cars are historic.  They have some incredible convertibles in Havana.

Stay tuned for part 3 of travel tips to Cuba!

 

Well, Hurricane Matthew left Cuba (N/W where we are going) and Fort Lauderdale unscathed! We were delayed from 11 am to 2pm because the airport didn’t open until 11.  I wasn’t sure how much time would be needed to check-in with Jet Blue, get our visas and check bags.  Good thing I decided to give myself more time (arrived at airport 3.5 hours ahead).

There were two lines for check-in, one for US born and one for other.  I was excited to see only a couple of people in line but in fact it took almost an hour to get through!  They only had two terminals for checking in visas.  UGH!  Good thing we have TSA pre-check so after obtaining our visas we sped through security.

Oh and don’t forget to complete the necessary forms for your visa – I did mine but forgot my daughter’s.  The reason is that Jet Blue requires you to have a separate email assigned to her frequent flier number and I never use that email.  TIP – save time by completing your visa form online!

Once we were past security there was a good place to eat – Food Network Kitchen.  I got the black bean and rice burger platter and it was delicious.  Getting ready to board now.  Bidding you farewell and adios!