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Cuba, Now: The Two-Tier Society of Standing in Line

With President Obama working to lessen Cuba Travel restrictions, the focus on future trips to the country is growing wildly. A Jaunted special secret correspondent just returned from a period in Cuba, and she'll be sharing her impressions of the country, the people and their hopes all this week.

As a patriotic English girl I thought—hah!—I knew how to queue. I’d never been to Cuba before.

Masters of the art of standing in line, Cuban people have cultivated both infinite patience and a set of queuing rules more complex than the small print on a bureaucrat’s brain. It’s partly practice. Socialism is supposed to create equality, but Cuba has two currencies and two sets of people: those who earn in Cuban pesos, or moneda nacional, and those with access to Convertible pesos, which in 2004 replaced the US dollar. Meager salaries—around $15-20 a month for most jobs, including doctors—are supplemented by ration books. And rationing means queuing.

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Cuba, Now: Viva la Commercial Revolución

With President Obama working to lessen Cuba Travel restrictions, the focus on future trips to the country is growing wildly. A Jaunted special secret correspondent just returned from a period in Cuba, and she'll be sharing her impressions of the country, the people and their hopes all this week.

What struck me most powerfully on arriving in Havana was the complete absence of advertising.

Traveling to Cuba from the world’s commercial super-center—the USA—is like diving from a hot, sweaty and crowded monkey cage into a refreshingly vast and empty pool. There is nothing in most Cuban shops beyond a packet of dried black beans and some powdered custard—the same brand, always the same brand. You can’t buy or sell a car made after Castro’s 1959 communist revolution. Toasters and other domestic essentials were until recently banned. Decadent, capitalist toasters!

So the question is: are Cubans ready for the commercial revolution that will sweep through the island like a rainy-season hurricane the moment the US embargo falls?

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More Airports to Get Havana Flights as Obama Lessens Cuba Travel Restrictions

You know, ever since President Barack Obama entered office, we've been doing stories on the ever-so-gradual opening of Cuba, including everything from Orbitz's "Open Cuba" campaign to WestJet's direct flights from Canada. And now we are yet another step closer to drinking many a Cuba Libre as Obama has made several changes, all which go into effect in about two weeks and do not require congressional approval.

Here's what's going down:

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Obama May Take Cuba Travel into His Own Hands

While the first family has enjoyed several unique vacation locations, we think that they really want to go to Cuba this winter. President Obama seems eager to open up the travel channels between the United States and the island nation, and it might just happen before the summer is over.

Rumors suggest that Obama could ease travel restrictions to Cuba through a change in US policy without necessarily getting approval from Congress. However, the new rules won’t really apply to everyone, so once again, we’ll have to hold off on getting our tickets and transportation booked. The changes would allow more Americans to head to Castro-country for cultural and educational trips. That sounds kind of vague, so maybe checking out an art museum or two would suffice for cultural experience.

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Another Vote, Another Step Closer to Cuba Travel

This just might be the year where we can finally put that flight to Cuba on our holiday wish list. Lawmakers have talked about lifting travel restrictions before, but it seems that the Cuba travel movement picks up a little bit more support with every passing day.

The latest news comes out of the House Agriculture Committee, as they voted to eliminate the ban on United States citizens traveling to Cuba as well as the sale of American goods there. Don’t start looking for vintage-1950s rental car deals just yet, as there is still a lot of voting and arguing left before you’ll be filling your suitcase full of cigars in the the heart of Havana.

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Cuba is Already Planning the Parties for the End of the US Travel Ban

As Congress mulls over lifting the 47-year-old travel ban against Cuba, the Caribbean country is already planning for the influx of U.S. tourists and for the possibility of being the hot new spring break destination for 2011.

Cuba isn't waiting for the ban to be officially lifted before readying itself for the impending tourism boom. At least nine hotels are slated to be built this year, and the country's looking to add about 200,000 rooms. Cuba's also searching for investors to create 10 golf courses and luxury hotels aimed at American tourists. But what about a Copa Cabana club?

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LAX Direct To Havana From $689; Cuba Libres Not Included

Light a cigar in celebration, since yesterday marked the first day of direct flights to Havana, Cuba from LAX. Obama relaxed travel restrictions to Cuba back in April, allowing people to visit their relatives in Cuba and resume educational and journalistic travel to the Communist nation, but it takes some time to put the direct flights into place to get them there.

According to USA Today's Today In the Sky, the weekly flights are chartered by Cuba Travel Services of Long Beach, and flown on a Continental Airlines 737-800, which can accomodate 150 passengers, Perhaps Continental should consider putting their retro-liveried planes on this route just for kicks.

If your papers are in order, you can book one of the roundtrips starting at $689 and settle in for the five-hour flight landing in Havana at 7:25pm EST, perfect timing for dinner with the family you haven't seen in forever or just for kicking back with a few cuba libres.

Related Stories:
· Continental begins flights between LAX, Havana Today [Today In the Sky]
· Obama eases Cuba travel restrictions [CNN]
· Cuba Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Samuel Negredo]

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Orbitz Already Campaigning for Your Cuba Travel Dollars

Travel booking website Orbitz is not about to waste any time getting their foot on the door with travelers drooling over the possibility of making landfall in Cuba soon. On March 10, President Obama signed a bill to ease travel restrictions for Cuban Americans heading home to visit family, amongst other changes. On March 11, Orbitz had launched their website petition to open the floodgates to all tourism.

The "Open Cuba" campaign is simple enough: enter your name, state, postal code and email address, and choose if you'd like to receive further news about the campaign or emails from Orbitz about travel deals.

Aha! The entering the email part; that's where they get you! Their mailing list gets padded, they get free publicity, and you feel as though you have participated in history. That is, until you begin receiving Orbitz deal emails when you have no intention of booking a 3-star all-inclusive resort in Puerto Vallarta. You just want some Cuba time, damnit.

Until JFK to Havana direct flights look more feasible, we're going to hold back on the online signature. After all, the only thing we're in the mood to sign after checking out their website is the receipt for a box of Cohibas.

Related Stories:
· Open Cuba [Orbitz]
· Travel firm to Obama: Open up Cuba [Guardian UK]
· Cuba Travel Internet Campaign Begins [Havana Times]
· Cuba Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: JohnnyPinball]

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Cuba Travel is Getting Closer, But Still Slightly Sketchy For Most

Ever since Senator Obama became President Obama, travelers in the US have been wondering when the doors to Cuba would open. A couple weeks ago there was some talk about the country easing rules on travel to Cuba, and yesterday, we got one step closer. Congress signed a spending bill that the President is expected to sign today, that among other things, will allow easier family travel to Cuba.

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Obama Set to Ease Cuba Rules; Full-Scale Travel on the Way Soon?

President Obama's semi-State of the Union speech this week left the world with all kinds of questions—When's he gonna end the war? Will his housing plan work? Just how is he planning to cure cancer anyway? But in the travel community, we're still most anxious about just one thing—Is he gonna let us go to Cuba or what?

We’re not buying our tickets to Jose Marti Airport just year, but Washington is inching towards allowing Cuba travel. Congress is expected to pass a budget bill this week, which Obama has said he will sign, that includes language loosening restrictions on Cuba travel imposed by the Bush Administration:

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Más Mojitos! Cuba Tourism Chugging Along Despite Hurricanes, Global Economic Collapse

As we've mentioned before, most Americans can't legally visit Cuba, but it looks like the rest of the world is having a hell of a holiday down there without us. The communist Caribbean island recently welcomed its two millionth visitor for 2008, marking the fastest it has reached that annual milestone in four years. As the AP reports, Fidel and Raúl didn't single out one passenger in particular for the honor of being number two million. Instead, the Cubans threw parties for passengers arriving at international airports in Havana, Santiago, and Varadero on Friday, November 14, plying them with boozy mojitos and salsa music. We don't dig the Castro regime's heavy-handed treatment of its political adversaries, but who doesn't love a good rum cocktail! The 10.7 percent surge in international visitors is especially impressive considering that the island got rocked by three hurricanes this year and the global economy absconded with everybody's money. To the rest of the world, all I can say is enjoy your Cuban vacations, and maybe we'll be joining you some time in the no so distant future.

[Photo: usacubatravel.com]

Related Stories:
· Cuba Throws Party For 2 Millionth Visitor [msnbc.com]
· Cuba Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

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Travel Referendums: Considering Cuba

This November 4 is about more than just deciding between McCain and Obama. Other issues that directly affect travelers are up for decision, and this week we're taking a closer look at some of them.

Early in the Democratic primaries, Sen. Christopher Dodd, a returned Peace Corps volunteer, talked up the fact that all the American embargo on Cuba seems to accomplish is getting presidential candidates those 27 electoral votes in the swing state of Florida. We haven't heard much about Cuba policy ever since everyone's money evaporated, but there remain differences between the two possible presidents on whether or not the US should ease its embargo.

Barack Obama brought up the "pander to Cubans in Florida" aspect of campaigning when he spoke in Miami back in May. Before that, he stated that his administration would hold a "series of meetings with low-level diplomats" in Cuba. On the travel tip, though, Obama's policy isn't encouraging to would-be tourists from the US who want to obey the law. His stance on Cuba:

In the case of Cuba, [he and Biden] will empower our best ambassadors of freedom by allowing unlimited Cuban-American family travel and remittances to the island. Using aggressive and principled bilateral diplomacy he will also send an important message: If a post-Fidel government takes significant steps toward democracy, beginning with freeing all political prisoners, the US is prepared to take steps to normalize relations and ease the embargo that has governed relations between our countries for the last five decades.

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