You should travel to Cuba if you want to experience a culture that hasn’t changed all that much in the last 50 years. I’m talking vintage cars. Outside of Havana, pigs are running in the streets. There are horse drawn carts. It is an agricultural society and a whole lot of things that are going to blow your mind. If you love beautiful beaches and wonderful weather, you should definitely travel to Cuba.
Just like with any other travel destination, expect the unexpected. Buses could be sold out and there is going to be no alternative forms of transportation. Restaurants and bars could be closed without warning. And sometimes you’re going to find it easier to buy beer than water at certain stores (although that might not be a problem for some!) You’ve just got to suck it up.
There’s no 7-11, there’s no McDonalds in Cuba to bail you out. When traveling to Cuba you should expect to interact with the Locals. Especially outside of Havana. The people there are a very warm, down to earth bunch. They’re going to be curious about where you’re from. You will have to chance to take in their culture and notice the socialist and communist messages plastered all over. For example, when you’re driving on the highway, instead of seeing billboards for advertisements for clothing and restaurants, you will see Fidel Castro this, Pro socialist this, Pro communist that!
When in Cuba you will notice how people who are pretty disconnected from the outside world live. Family values are extremely important there. No social media access or people walking around on cell phones all day. It is actually quite refreshing to see people just enjoying each others time. You should not travel to Cuba if you’re expecting to find a large variety of gourmet foods, outside of Havana.
The people there are very receptive and welcoming towards Americans. And yes, Americans are starting to travel to Cuba in droves! I never heard a single bad thing from a Cuban person about the United States. In fact, during interactions, many of them told me about their relatives living in either Miami or New York. The main thing to do when traveling is to be open to new things and accepting of a culture that you may not be familiar with. Just be apart of where you go!
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