Traveling to Cuba

by Aditi Rao
(Saint Paul, MN, USA/ Bombay, India)

Hi, so I'm a college student, Indian national, currently studying in the US. I'm thinking of taking a leave of absence and traveling to Cuba in order to just work and live and hang out in Havana.

I'm not sure exactly how to go about this because I don't want to be part of a program but I'm not completely sure what I want to do either, so I'm in a little bit of flummox.

Is it possible for me to just search online for organizations (that aren't sketch) that would accept volunteers/interns? Does that culture exist in Cuba and is it safe for me as a young female traveler to just go rent an apartment and live alone? Apart from the loneliness, is there something else that I must be aware of?

Answer: I'm afraid that you can't just "work and live and hang out in Havana". You can visit Cuba as a tourist for a set length of time (usually about 30 days) according to visa regulations that would, as far as I know, exclude taking up work there. Remember that employment in Cuba equals STATE employment. So getting work in Cuba as a foreigner, just like that, is virtually impossible.

Also a foreigner can't just "rent an apartment" - as a tourist, there are bed and breakfast types of arrangements in private homes. There is no formal apartment rental system in Cuba. You might find a place to rent as a tourist for a couple of weeks, but only privately through word of mouth, as rentals aren't advertised and there's no private rental contract system, except for those foreigners who are, for example, diplomats and working in foreign companies, who need to rent accommodation. That then takes place via the state-owned agency, Cubalse.

You might be able to volunteer as an intern in an international NGO or organization but would likely have to organize that prior to entering Cuba. You can indeed surf the web for this but I would suggest you comb the best travel forums on the web and post your questions there. Many other students are traveling to Cuba and they may have just returned and have important information to share.

On the issue of safety, it would definitely be safe for a young female traveler to be in Cuba alone.

A word of warning thought. Even though you aren't a US citizen, you could be letting yourself in for some trouble given the US's legislation against travel to Cuba. You should find out about any potential repercussions on your status in the USA before going to Cuba. One way to get around this might be to enroll for a month in a Spanish course in Havana at a language school. You would get to spend some time in Cuba, and do so without jeopardizing your student status in the United States.

While I don't advocate doing anything illegal, I should point out that many Americans do travel to Cuba, however illegally, by flying in through a third country like Canada, Mexico or Panama. You'd also have to ask immigration not to stamp your passport if you're concerned about the reaction of US authorities when you return. The good news is that you can usually manage to avoid getting your passport stamped, but that's not always the case.

Here's hoping the US eventually discards its ridiculous laws surrounding Cuba and allows free and open travel to what in my mind is a truly wonderful country. Enjoy!

Photo by kelp1966 via Flickr CC

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