Cuba Tips

To book a trip on commercial airlines, U.S. citizens must affirm that you meet one of the 12 travel criteria for U.S. citizen travel to Cuba . . . . ABC Charters, Eastern, and Marazul run flights out of Miami. Most divers had to go through intermediary countries (Caymans, Panama, Mexico, and the Bahamas) to reach Havana. . . . American, Frontier, JetBlue, Silver, Southwest, and Sun Country will begin flying to airports other than Havana in September. . . . Visas are required for travel to Cuba, and there is a departure tax . . . .It can take hours to retrieve your luggage in Havana, as each piece is screened. . . . . Cuba has a two-tier currency system. The Cuban Peso (CUP) used by the general population is worth less than four cents. The Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC, pronounced Kook), used by foreign visitors, is supposedly on par with the U.S. dollar. There is a 13-percent surcharge and fee for converting U.S. dollars, so convert greenbacks to Euros or Canadian dollars at home to save money. . . . .If you book with a group and prepay, you will save the 13 percent. . .U.S. credit cards will generally not work in Cuba, and few places accept credit cards. For complete information, visit https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/country/cuba.html