One afternoon while watching Anthony Bourdain No Reservations Cuba  episode,  my husband turned to me and said “Why don’t we go to Cuba”?

Being a Cuba-American girl who left the country in 1969 on one of the last flights out,  I had concerns about going back. On the other hand, I have always wondered about Cuba and the family that I have never met.

I started researching travel to Cuba.  How to travel to Cuba from the U.S.  I found this local agency here in Miami called Marazul. American Citizens are not allow to travel to Cuba because of travel restrictions stemming from the embargo.

However, there are ways. Who can travel to Cuba under the current restrictions?

American citizens can travel to Cuba under certain types of trips, such as cultural, educational, and religious.  These type of trips are eligible for travel once you receive the proper licensing.  They offer two types of licenses “General” or “Specific” depending on the type of trip you take.

If you’re interested in traveling to Cuba on a tour, here’s a few agencies that offer trips to Cuba for Americans at a reasonable price.

Insight Cuba
Cuba Explorer
Authentic Cuba Tours
Smithsonian Journeys

In my case, since I was born in Cuba and left before 1970,  I was able to travel with my U.S. Passport but needed to apply for a Cuba passport as well, which I had when I left the country but it had expired.

The application process takes around 45-60 days.  So make sure you allow yourself enough time before your trip to get your license or visa.

Marazul took care of obtaining my Cuban Passport and also booked our flights out of Miami.

Find out about our Travels to Havana Cuba next……