Big news today! As reported all over the place, and as documented in a new update on the Treasury Department’s Cuba Sanctions page, the Obama administration is relaxing some of the Cuba regulations. The biggest change for my purposes involves People-to-People trips, the kind I lead. Here’s a breakdown of what’s changed legally, and what it means for all practical purposes. The legal: (Disclaimer: I’m…
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Very crazy. This keeps coming up lately. People often come to me thinking that going to Cuba is way easier than it is. So I’m posting about it again. (I wrote a few months ago on similar themes: Traveling to Cuba These Days.) Here’s the deal: This is a tricky time to visit Cuba. Too many people are trying to go, Cuba is over capacity,…
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I’ve been getting a lot of inquiries lately about private trips. That is, someone calls and says, “My friends and I want to go to Cuba, just the four of us. What can we do, and what will it cost?” Here’s the thing. The trips I run are People-to-People programs, legal because we spend time with Cuban nationals in meaningful ways. Within that framework, there’s…
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I constantly hear people confused about the changing relationship between the U.S. and Cuba… and what that means for us as travelers. So here’s a rundown of what’s changed and what hasn’t. Also, my next post will explore options for private trips to Cuba. So if that might interest you, stay tuned! What’s legal New embassy or no new embassy, not much has changed for…
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As I keep referring to People-to-People trips, I realized I should probably say more about them! For my purposes, these aren’t that different from the trips I organize anywhere else: intimate, small group trips focused on local culture and society. But for those wondering what the term officially means, here’s an explanation.
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I’m thrilled to say I’ve just been licensed by the Department of the Treasury to lead People-to-People trips to Cuba! Officially the license was issued to my one-man tour company and not to me, but still. The license covers everyone in my groups – meaning that everyone traveling with me is visiting Cuba legally. “People-to-People” means you learn about Cuban culture/society through direct encounters with Cubans –…
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Disclaimer: I’m not a lawyer and can’t offer legal advice. When I’m not leading my own tours, I sometimes lead tours for larger tour companies. This year, I’ll be taking groups to Cuba. (Update, August 2014: The Treasury Department has licensed my company, Detour Travel, to organize my own People-to-People trips to Cuba! For more information, check out my Cuba page.) A lot of people…
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