To travel to Cuba legally, all U.S. citizens must travel under one of 12 general license categories defined by the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Project Por Amor designs all of our itineraries to fully-adhere to the guidelines and takes care of all the complicated paperwork and planning so that your trip is easy, successful, legal and worry-free. The titles Project Por Amor travels under are listed below.

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The US and Cuban governments categorize US citizens differently. The US embargo prevents you from visiting Cuba as a tourist and requires strict qualification and adherence to professional research, people-to-people educational travel, and other authorized categories. Unless you are visiting for long-term work purposes, the Cuban government categorizes US citizens as tourists. It's confusing but we guarantee to have the paperwork handled on both sides of the border to ensure safe traveling.

Cuba is a cash economy that is in the process of trying to digitize its monetary system. The current monetary system in Cuba is confusing. US banks and credit card companies are not available in Cuba. 

For spending money outside of the hotel you need to bring cash in US Dollars (and/or Euros). What you bring is all you will have while you are on the island, so we recommend you bring more than you'll need to spend in case of an emergency or special purchase. You will not be able to use or access your US credit cards or US bank accounts while in Cuba. Traveler's checks are also not accepted in Cuba. 

At the private boutique hotels in Havana and at our casas in Trinidad that we'll be staying in on Days 1-6, you can pay for any extras in cash USD. In our hotel upon return to Havana for days 6-8 you will have to buy an "MLC" card in cash to make extra purchases.

We recommend that each of you bring the equivalent of at least $100 USD per day. You probably won’t even spend half of it but since what you bring is all that you will have, it is best to bring more just in case of an emergency situation and then return home with the rest of the money you don't use. You also might find some art or expensive souvenirs you really want to buy. Don't worry about walking around with so much cash because Cuba is statistically one of the safest countries in the world and theft and violent crime are rare. 

You can pay for taxis and most things in USD (or Euro). Sometimes they will give you your change in Cuban (CUP) which equals $1 USD = 200 CUP. This rate fluctuates a lot and differs from place to place. There are banks and exchange kiosks in the airport, on the streets, and in hotels but we probably won't have time or need to change dollars into CUP.

Your U.S. cell phone will work in Cuba to make calls and stream data but you must call your carrier to make sure it is turned for international roaming in Cuba on before you travel. The cost of using your U.S. phone in Cuba are very high, around $1 per minute and 30 cents per text message so probably will want to use it for emergencies only. Make sure to keep it on airplane mode when you are not using it so that you don't accidently rack up an expensive bill without knowing it.

If you want to set up a phone with a local temporary Cuban line (Cubacel), you can bring an "unlocked" phone with a SIM card. You can buy a line at the airport for $3 CUC per day and buy minutes with phone cards. We recommend getting a local temporary line only if you plan on communicating frequently within Cuba. But getting it set up is a lot of work and waiting in lines so only attempt if necessary.

Internet is available in Cuba but it is very slow. Depending on the hotel there is WiFi. We make sure that most places you stay you will have access to the internet whenever possible. But because it is so slow and hard to send even a few KB of data, don't plan on doing a lot more than emailing.

Dress comfortably. Cuba is a casual country so you will only need one outfit that is dressy in case we go to a ballet or symphony concert. It will most likely be humid and in the 80s (during winter months) so you won't need many warm clothes but bring one warm outfit in case there is a cold front. Cuba is a great country to wear the color white. And make sure you have good shoes as there will be a lot of walking on sidewalks that are in dire need of repair.

Cuba has become a "foodie" destination with the burgeoning paladar industry. We will be eating in Cuba's best private and state-run restaurants so be prepared for a great culinary creole experience. Vegetarians should be well prepared with a stash of Cliff bars, granola bars, or other supplements. The water in Cuba is much cleaner than most of Latin America but should not be drunk from the tap. Bottled water will be provided throughout the trip. Ice that comes in the drinks at the places we will be eating is purified and need not be avoided. If you have further questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Although not required or expected, bringing supplies and other useful items to give as gifts to Cubans is helpful to fulfill OFAC’s General License for Support for the Cuban People if you are legally traveling under that category. Because of supply chain problems and a US embargo, there is a scarcity of international products, equipment, day-to-day goods, and information in Cuba. Anything from pens to laptops to musical instruments and clothes, USB flash drives, over-the-counter medicine, art supplies, music supplies (violin or guitar strings, reeds, etc.), external hard drives, books, magazines, athletic equipment, music scores, and smartphones, will be well appreciated and used for years. If you are going on a professional delegation we recommend you bring the tools of your trade to give away to your professional counterparts. We will help you find the right people to give it to.