Getting There

Getting There

Getting to Cuba for a US citizen isn't easy, but it can be done. Most people who want to go are shy about running the gauntlet of rules and regulations that form the US embargo of Cuba. But if you dig in and wade through the regulations, it all begins to make a little sense, and there are plenty of people to help you. First, Google the Office of Foreign Assets Control--OFAC will do. After you have passed though the rules covering travel to Cuba, it won't seem so difficult.
You'll need to fall under one of three main areas which allow travelers to go to Cuba--Humanitarian, Religious, and Research. These classes of travelers can affiliate with one of many organizations licensed by the US government to authorize your travel. Many people can find something in their background or education to link them to one of these three exception areas. Also, under recent changes promulgated by the Obama administration, educational trips for small groups are now being offered to promote people to people exchanges.
As a starting point, you'll use a travel agent licensed by the US government to arrange Cuba travel. I can direct you to a good one in Miami if you need it.
But every i must be dotted, and every t must be crossed if you go. In November 2009, two friends and I ran into a real problem as we arrived at Miami's airport for a week in Cuba. The desk man studied our papers for a long while and then told us we had the wrong kind of a Cuban visa, and we could not travel that day. It was unbelievable, having jumped all the hurdles we were told to. It seemed the licensee was a religious organization, and our Cuban visa was for tourists. Well, Cuba requires a special kind of visa for religious organizations, and it levies fines on airlines that don't get the paperwork right. It hadn't been our fault as we never intended to do religious work, but we couldn't go that day.
We were crestfallen after months of planning, preparations and driving 240 miles to Miami's airport. We slowly gathered up our luggage and went out toward the parking lot, hardly knowing what to do next. Before we got to the garage, I heard a man running after us and yelling for us to stop. It was the desk agent, and he told me he had found a loophole that would allow us to go after all. Back inside he adjusted our paperwork and passed us on through. I was so grateful, I offered him a nice tip, but he wouldn't take it--explaining he was just doing his job.
The reason for telling this little story is to illustrate how you have to be ready for adventure if you want to go legally. It's still a little like buying a ticket on a roller coaster.
As for those who would sidestep the formalities and fly to Havana through a third country, my advice is don't do it. Like the old saying, "It's not nice to fool Mother Nature." Don't mess around with Uncle Sam either.
Sometimes even when you try to do everything right, you can still run into trouble. Thankfully, we were helped by a ticket agent who must have known how important our trip was to us.
Les Inglis