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Top 9 Things to Know Before Taking a Trip to Cuba

Cuba is a fantastic place to travel for your next holiday. If you are planning a trip to Cuba, you must prepare before you visit Cuba. You must know a few things that will be helpful during your trip. Visiting Cuba also requires visitors to have health insurance for the length of their stay. Besides, there are other things which you must keep in mind.

Nine things to know before taking a trip to Cuba –

Cash is important

Visiting Cuba without cash is not cool, so keep the cash. You must not rely entirely on your debit or credit cards as only a few establishments will accept cards in Cuba. Well, you need to exchange your currency when you visit Cuba. Better to do it in town instead of airports to get the best deal.

Moreover, Cuba has some terms and conditions for exchange. For instance, Pounds and Euros are best and but USD carries a surcharge of 10%. Also, you must know that Visa cards are accepted, whereas Mastercards are a big NO. If you seek to withdraw from banks, you will have to pay 3% as fees.

Rare internet availability

Cuba is fun to explore. You can feel the beauty of it when you visit the place. There are a few things to know before visiting Cuba that can help you out during the trip.

Well, one such thing is the internet connectivity. The internet is not available freely in Cuba. Hence you can’t research things to do while you are there. Therefore, you must do all the inquiries beforehand for activities like restaurants, fun activities nearby, food reviews or place reviews, etc. Spontaneous change of plans will also be challenging if you fail to do proper research on the spot.

You must also know that the internet is very limited in the city and only you will get access to some hotels. Moreover, the rate per hour is too high. Besides, some of the American service providers have blocked the traffic from IP addresses in Cuba, and you will not be able to access them if you do not use a VPN. However, there are other options available, like many WIFI hotspots are installed in squares and the parks. So, you can access the internet from those places.

Roaming services are expensive

It is suggested not to use your cell phone because it will charge a high rate of roaming. Also, you must know that a few telecom companies provide roaming services in Cuba as Cuba’s only telecommunication provider has set a high rate for most services. Be careful with roaming rates before using the option. Thus, if you are planning a trip to Cuba, it is one of the things that you should know.

Shops and stores are rare to find

There are very rare shops, and people have to explore a lot to purchase something. Well, many areas don’t have shops and stores. Besides, most shops are small and have limited stock. Hence, try to bring some stuff with you while you travel.

Map is essential

In Cuba, the internet is minimal; thus, Google services are not available to help you out. Therefore, for this, you need a printed map or a guide book with you. This will help you a lot to make your plans. If you do not have it, then it will be difficult for you to navigate. However, there are a few apps that can be handy as they let you go through offline maps and a lot of information.

Besides, people are helpful in Cuba, and they can help you if you ask for directions.

The food

Many travelers love to explore foods when they are exploring a new place. All have the urge to get some nice and authentic delicacy. Well, in Cuba, there are a few cheap places with fantastic foods. The affordable private food joints serve tasty foods, whereas expensive restaurants sometimes can let you down.

Tourists easily get attracted to expensive restaurants. But, most of the time, it’s not worth it as the foods are a disappointment.

A little Spanish can help you

A tour to Cuba can be more amazing if you know a little bit of Spanish. Well, Spanish is spoken there, and people communicate in Spanish with confidence. Moreover, if you know Spanish, it can help you while ordering your breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Hence, this is one of the essential things to know before visiting Cuba.

Cuba is safe

Cuba has a very low crime rate, and it’s safe out there. In Cuba, if you are willing to explore at night, then you are most welcome to do so. It is safe, and no checking process is done. You can roam there with your cameras, backpacks, or handbags comfortably. Overall, Cuba is one of the safest tourist spots. Hence, you can explore the day and night without any panic.

Transportations

Transportation is one of the vital things to know before taking a trip to somewhere. In Cuba, you will get several options like cycles, bus, horse carriages too. Well, if you are thinking of public transportation in Cuba, then it is cheap but inconvenient. Therefore, you cannot rely on public transportation much.

However, you can look forward to taxis. They are affordable for local rides, but the price is not fixed, and it can change depending on the type of car. Besides, you can also book old American vintage cars from the 1950s. However, these are a bit expensive.

Also, you must book buses or taxis in advance to avoid any inconvenience.

Endnote –

These are the things to know before you take a trip to Cuba. Cuba is one of the famous tourist destinations. Indeed, you will have a one-of-a-kind experience because of Cuba’s uniqueness and mixed culture.

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