Unlock the Rythms of Cuba

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Subject: Unlock the Rythms of Cuba

Hola Friend,

como estas? Hope you have been well.

There are so many questions about travelling to Cuba... not sure where the notion came from that it is hard. So I'd like to lay a few things out today. I have t apologise in advance that it maybe long as we have travellers from the US, UK, EU and Australia, so we need to cover all bases 😘 Feel free to skip ahead to the header that is relevant to you.

Let's begin...

Entry Requirements to Cuba

Probably the easiest part! Doesn't matter whether you are from US, UK, EU or Australia, this applies to all:

Loose leaf Cuban Tourist card - you can apply for it at your local consulate, check if your air fare already covers this and how you will be issued it or order through this link. Only thing you must ensure is that you have the correct one. Pink one if you are flying in directly from the US, and green one if you are flying in from any other airport.
Travel insurance - you may be covered through your credit card purchase, your air ticket purchase for US travellers, or you may need to obtain coverage. Repatriation coverage is what they will look at the airport if it is checked.
DViajeros - your online personal entry form to be completed 3 days prior to travel. You can do it here
Return airfare
6 month validity on your passport as best practice.

now let's get into the nitty gritty...

US Travellers

Despite what you thought, it is NOT HARD to travel to Cuba!

In fact, if you choose to travel with us it is rather easy...

You will have to reference a travel license, that you travel under.

U.S. Travel License: Support for the Cuban People is your choice

There are 12 U.S. Travel Licenses that Americans may use to visit Cuba. The good news is that the one you will need – “Support for the Cuban People”, this is a general license, meaning it does not require pre-approval from the U.S. government. What you do however need is a full-time schedule of cultural experiences that support local entrepreneurs in Cuba.

The basic guides for this are:

You must buy services from Cuban entrepreneurs, such as home rentals (casas), meals (paladares), transportation services (taxis) and cultural activities (having a local tour guide)
Participate in enriching cultural activities of your choosing from 9am – 6pm daily
Avoid sitting on the beach all day—you must engage with the local people of Cuba

All Simply Cuba Tours are fitting the US travel rules. It is recommended that you keep you record of your travel to Cuba for 5 years. We provide detailed itineraries for you, and also recommend that you keep a journal of your trip. It’s easy, at the end of every day, spend a few minutes writing down the time of each activity that you experienced, along with the services provided by a Cuban entrepreneur. You could even do this on an email to yourself. The electronic record in your email history will be easy to find, in the unlikely event that the U.S. government asks for proof of how your travel is compliant with the “Support for the Cuban People” travel category.

There are a few other things to consider. First, you are not allowed to spend money at Cuban government-owned businesses listed on the Restricted Entity List. This includes restricted hotels, such as the Manzana Kempinski and Iberostar Grand Packard. Review the restricted list here and bring a printed copy with you to be safe. Restricted Entities are easy to avoid.

Secondly, technically “tourism” to Cuba is prohibited under U.S. law. As such at this time, you are not allowed to travel to Cuba and lay on a beach at a government owned resort. You must engage with the local culture and people and support their businesses. So remember, when you join one of our tours, you are not visiting as a tourist, you are visiting to ‘Support the Cuban people”.

How to Get to Cuba

You may book your flight to Cuba directly with your preferred airline, just as you would to any other destination in the world. You may be asked for your purpose of travel before completing the booking. Your purpose of travel is “Support for the Cuban People.” These days, you can fly into any Cuban international airport.

If you travel with us, it's worth to note, all of our tours begin in Havana. Charter flights are prohibited for American travelers.

There you have it, it is that simple!

And if you ask Paul and Margaret, it is well worth the visit <3

Australian Travellers

You can stay and do whatever is on offer in Cuba. We would of course still recommend that you have a culturally immersive Cuban experience! Why travel all the way to the other side of the world just to sit on the beach.. you can just go to South East Asia for that, for a lot less.

Routes to choose

No, going via the US is not the easiest nor the best option. In fact, if you do not have to go to the US, we'd recommend you skip it.. If you do have US visit on the cards, we'll tell you more about what you need for US entry.. but first...

The routes

For quickest flight time and connections, you can go via:

Singapore - Paris - Havana

Hong Kong - Paris - Havana

Doha - Frankfurts - Havana

Doha/Dubai - Madrid - Havana

Johannesburg - Paris - Havana

Singapore - Istanbul - Havana

from July, Perth peeps are in luck with Perth - Paris - Havana coming online!

for east coasters

The not so quick routes...

Santiago - Lima - Havana

Santiago - Panama - Havana

Vancouver - Toronto - Varadero (not quite Havana, but a short car ride away)

As you can see, plenty of choices to not go via the US. BUT if the US is a must, then the following things you need to consider.

If you want the ease of processing an ESTA for your trip, then route in via the US and route out via a different way.

If you want to go back via the US also, then you will need to obtain a B1/B2 visa, as the U.S. Department of State designated Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism (SST) on January 12, 2021.With limited exceptions, a traveller who is found to have visited Cuba on or after this date is not eligible for travel under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) using an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) and must apply for a visa to travel to the United States.

Don't let that put you off, it just means that if the US is a must visit place, you will have to put your application in and attend a visa interview. Our lovely clients got the visa within a couple of weeks - which at the moment sounds like 'express delivery!'

Mary-Anne and Mario sure didn't!

UK and EU Travellers

You are in a same basket as the Aussies. Sad news for the UK travellers is that there are no direct flights currently, not even to the resort areas now. 🙄 So for you the easiest routes are through Madrid, Frankfurt or Paris.. SORRY!

I know it discouraged many travellers from this part of the world.. No wonder, you are spoilt for choice of so many places to visit with easy to access flights, but venture a little further afield! It can be fun <3

¡Vamos a Cuba!

Hasta la próxima,

Yoanis and Orsolya

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Subject: Unlock the Rythms of Cuba

How to Get to Cuba