My Top 10 Tips For Visiting Cuba | Clearing Customs, Exchanging Money & Cell Service
Cuba is an extremely beautiful place to visit; it’s even better if you have meticulously planned your stay because this island requires it a bit more than others. You can read my complete guide here. If you’re looking for a location that is well-advanced and technologically up to date, then I wouldn’t recommend Cuba, but if you’re looking for a place to really disconnect and immerse yourself in the culture, I would say Cuba fits the bill. There are some really specific things I want to suggest to help you better plan and enjoy your trip.
1. Travel in the dry season.
I went to Cuba in March which is in the dry season. The islands are not so fun for tourists if you travel outside of the dry season because the heavy rain will likely ruin most of your plans. The dry season is from November to April; that’s going to be your best range for booking a trip.
2. Take more money than you need.
This is high priority because it can be a bit more difficult here to get cash or exchange money if you need it. To be on the safe side, I would take between $150-$200USD per day. This is most especially the case if you plan to travel to Viñales or Varadero, as they are both two hours away from Havana, and transportation can be in the ballpark of $120 for the taxi to take you there and bring you back to Havana.
3. Exchange money at the airport.
There are places around the city of Havana to exchange your money but it’s easier to do it at the airport as soon as you land. You should also be aware that conversion rates will vary depending on the kind of establishment where you exchange. It also is absolutely a good idea to convert US dollars to euros or pounds before you travel to Cuba.
4. Screenshot addresses for everywhere you’ll go.
You’ll want to save offline maps and/or screenshots of names and addresses of places you want to visit. This will come in handy with your transportation if you don’t speak Spanish, because you can show them names and addresses and they’ll likely know exactly where you want to go.
5. Decide whether you’re okay being off the grid solo.
If I had it to do over again, I would probably would have visited this specific destination with at least one other person rather than alone. Because I don’t speak Spanish and cell service is a bit tricky, I could not regularly communicate with my family back home. If that doesn’t bother you as a solo traveler, then great. If you like to update folks regularly on your whereabouts or need a bit more assurance of safety, I would suggest traveling to Cuba with someone else.
6. Find a great host.
I describe in my complete guide how I found an amazing Airbnb host, Niurka, that truly hosted. In addition to cleaning the apartment daily and providing taxi services, she also made sure that I ate and even let me use her phone when I needed to contact my family upon arrival. When you travel, your accommodations can sometimes make or break your trip, and this choice felt very warm, secure, and memorable
7. Figure out your cell phone compatibility before you go.
I have Verizon cell service, and there is no international plan for Cuba; you can only “pay as you go.” Each phone call is about three dollars, outgoing texts are fifty cents, and incoming texts are five cents.
If you don’t feel you can go long periods of time without cell service, I would suggest you stay at a hotel or Airbnb that has wifi. At the time, my accommodations did not have wifi, so when I wanted to make calls, check social media, or use my computer, I walked to a hotel. Even if you are not staying at a hotel, some of them allow tourists to purchase a WiFi card for around five dollars. The cards allow you one hour of usage, which was enough for me to catch up on what I needed to each day. You will need to purchase a new card whenever you need more time.
8. Book tours and experiences ahead of time online
I would highly recommend booking experiences through Airbnb. It justifies your reason for being there, which for most people is “support of the Cuban people.” I booked several activities including a cigar workshop, horseback riding, and photoshoot dance lessons through Airbnb. As you book experiences, Airbnb builds an itinerary for you, so that you have all the information you need in one place including what you’re doing, addresses, and times. This can be helpful financially, because if you prepay online or through an app, then you don’t have to carry additional cash with you to pay for these experiences. Be sure to read the reviews so that you know exactly what you are getting and make sure that the experience is offered in English if you do not speak Spanish.
9. Don’t drink tap water.
This is pretty self-explanatory. In many international destinations, you’ll want to only drink bottled water to avoid getting sick in a foreign country.
10. Be mindful of purchases and souvenirs.
Many people want to return home with cigars, rum, and other notable souvenirs that Cuba is known for; however, Cuban customs is much stricter than other islands about what you can bring into the country and what you can leave with than other islands. You will be very disappointed to have wasted money and not be able to return with things you’ve purchased. Check here to for what is and is not allowed.
Before I actually began traveling, I had a running list of places I wanted to visit, mostly international. I had not thought of Cuba…until I thought of Cuba. I found an article that listed places off the east coast with relatively inexpensive flights and Cuba was one of those places.