Going to Cuba is not as hard as you think

After 50 years of isolation, Cuba finally opened its doors to American travelers. The highly anticipated travel destination attracted lots of political controversy and even celebrities. Despite the drama, sophomore Nicole Toppino and her family took advantage of the historical moment as they traveled to Cuba this past summer.

Cuba’s economy heavily depends on visitors, and welcoming Americans has their tourism blowing up. This new influx of tourists is helping the country restore itself and has given more opportunities to the locals. Old Havana is already being renovated for tourism, and it looks like the whole island will be too soon enough.

Nicole described Cuba as a, “time warp that will most likely be commercialized before we know it,” so you better get in there before it’s too late.

Why did you and your family decide to travel to Cuba this summer?

My dad’s grandma was from Cuba and he grew up in Key West, Florida, so he always wanted to go. My dad has five siblings and they all got to go to Cuba when they were younger, but he had never been. Once it opened up he started planning a trip. When his siblings found out that he was going they all decided to come and meet up with us there.

Was it easy to set up your trip?

My mom planned most of the trip but it was just like planning a normal vacation. We went to Cuba through this company called GoLatin and hired a guy who lives in Panama to set up most of the trip for us. Americans are only allowed to go to Cuba for educational visits so if you go there without a reason, you get fined. I thought it would be a huge deal to travel to Cuba, but customs didn’t seem to care on the way there. Only on the way back did they ask us any questions, but even then it wasn’t strenuous. I think a lot of people think it’s harder to go than it actually is. Many of the locals were laughing at us for having a tour guide and an itinerary.

Did you research the country before your trip?

Not really. The travel company gave us a huge list of what we were allowed to do, and then my dad knew of places because of his parents and grandparents. I only knew what I had heard from my family.

What were your expectations?

I had no idea what to expect other than the stereotypes of rum and Cuban cigars (which we bought 200 of). I had heard stories from my family, but I mostly imagined Cuba being a mix of  Key West and Spain, which it truly was. You could really see the Spanish influence when walking the cobblestone streets beneath the colorful buildings.

Did it feel like a third world country or a tropical travel destination?

It kind of felt like a third world country in some areas. Our five-star hotel would be considered a three-star hotel in the states. It was interesting because on one street they would be playing music for money outside crumbling buildings, but then a block over everything would be colorful and beautiful. The buildings don’t get renovated above the second floor, so from the ground it looks nice but if you go to the roof you can see the city deteriorating. The architecture made everything so pretty that I didn’t even feel unsafe in the run down areas.

Did you stick out as a tourist?

Everyone sticks out as a tourist. My family especially because we were a huge group with a tour guide. When we would drive around places we would get the tour bus to drop us off a block away, but even then they could still tell we weren’t locals. Europeans have always traveled to Cuba, and now that so many Americans have been traveling there the Cubans are used to it. There are also no hip places, so all the tourists go to the same places and the locals aren’t immersed in what the tourists are doing.

How were you able to post on Instagram?

You can buy internet cards and the hotel had internet, but it would only work for an hour. There are random streets where you see hundreds of people on their phones or sitting on the ground with their laptop because it’d have good connection. We didn’t really use the internet ’cause we were busy with our schedule and didn’t have time to relax, so I felt pretty disconnected. Plus, because the hotel was only able to provide one converter my phone was dead most of the time, and I didn’t get as many pictures as I would have hoped. I did get this really funny picture of a rat that this guy put on his dog so that he could charge money to take pictures, but it never made it to my Instagram.

Did you feel welcomed by the locals?

It was a weird relationship. The natives are happy tourists are coming but have a weird relationship with the people who left Cuba. When they were going to start sailing cruises to Cuba, the Cubans initially said that they wouldn’t allow people who were originally from Cuba to come visit. The cruise lines refused to discriminate and they eventually let it happen because they needed the money. But everyone seemed really nice and tourism is such a big part of their economy that I think they’re really happy we were there.

Do you think Cuba will become a common American travel destination?

I do because it has already become quite popular. In December, America’s going to have 60 flights a day to Cuba. Cuban tourism is growing so fast that it’s going to be quite overwhelming. I don’t know if they can handle it because it’s a lot at once, but I honestly don’t think people will appreciate it as much if they don’t have a connection to the island or enjoy history. It wasn’t like we were roughing it, but it wasn’t necessarily a luxurious trip. It was a lot about history, but we also drank a lot so that was fun. I would say that if you don’t care about the history and culture then it’s not the place to go. Having a family connection definitely made it more interesting for me.

Do you plan on returning?

I don’t feel like I need to go back since it’s going to change so much. I truly would be curious to visit again, but also a bit sad because so much is going to change. It was like a movie you that you really like when you first see it, but don’t need to see again. We did so much there that I don’t need to go back right away.