Visiting Cuba isn't the pipe dream it used to be, ever since travel restrictions to the island nation were loosened in December. With that in mind, NY1 is launching a month-long series that takes a closer look at how to plan a trip there. NY1's Valarie D'Elia filed the following report, the first installment of "Cuba: Closer Than You Think."
As soon as Queens travel agent Gina Faustin learned that there was a legal familiarization cruise for travel professionals, she was literally on board.
"I was so curious about Cuba, I had to be here for myself," she says. "To me, there's a huge demand for people in the states to come and visit Cuba."
That demand for travel to Cuba has grown exponentially since President Barack Obama loosened restrictions back in December, making it easier for Americans who fall into 12 specific categories to make the trip.
Unless you are, say, a journalist or paying a visit to family, average Americans are required be under the general license of a people-to-people group—organized exchanges with the Cuban public. But from the throngs of visitors I witnessed in Havana, the new rules are subject to interpretation.
"Unless the government specifically comes in and narrowly defines something, the rule is, you look at it as as wide open as possible," says Antonio C. Martinez II, an attorney with knowledge of Cuban assets control regulation.
The Treasury Department has a list of guidelines and sanctions on their website. The next step they are taking under consideration is granting a general license to individuals. Until then, the safest way to legally go is connecting with an organizer with a general license, whom you can identify through either a travel agent or Internet search.
Right now, Cuba Travel Services charters flights out of Tampa and Miami. More recently, they added a Tuesday charter from JFK for $850, plus another $85 for a Cuban tourist visa. Third-party countries, such as Mexico, Jamaica and Canada, offer commercial flights that can be cheaper than the U.S. charters.