What You Need to Know about Cuba People-to-People Tours
It was day four or five of our people-to-people tour, and we were grilling our Cuban national guide with some of the harder-hitting questions, seeing how much we could get out of him. I had just asked him what I thought was an innocent question (more or less), but I had dropped in the word ‘tourist’ and his jaw seemed to tighten a little.
“You need to remember,” he said. “You are not American tourists. There can be no American tourists at this moment.”
Our American tour director maneuvered the mic away from him. “Remember, guys, you are participants in a cultural exchange program.”
According to the US State Department website, “Tourist travel to Cuba is not yet authorized by current US law.” So yeah, those Americans you see on Instagram and Snapchat showing off the tourist cards they bought at the Cancun airport really should stop taking selfies. Not that I blame them. If I were gutsier, I might have snuck into Cuba that way too. But instead I went as a ‘participant’ on an organized people-to-people tour.
Here’s what it’s really like to travel to Cuba as an American right now. The legal way.
On a Cuba people-to-people tour, we were booked from nine to five each day with a program that a Cuban tour company had dictated to our American operator. We met with artists and community leaders, toured cultural attractions, and had dozens of ‘welcome drinks.’ It meant giving up a little bit of freedom for the privilege of visiting the tiny island a ninety miles south of the US. It meant following a controlled schedule to get a first-hand look at the neighbor we’ve had such a complicated relationship with. It meant a bit of propaganda mixed into our education.
And sometimes it was incredibly frustrating. We power-walked through the National Museum of Fine Arts, speeding by some of the most articulate protests of civil disobedience in priceless paintings and sculpture. We stayed at an all-inclusive resort with fabulous beaches we barely even saw because we were always out and about during daylight hours. We would show up for demonstrations and mini-talks by experts and they would arrive late – or never even come. We went to a fish farm. I have no idea what that was all about. But it was part of our schedule.
We did meet some incredibly interesting locals, people who were involved in transformative work in their communities. We visited Arte Corte Salon, the only hairdressing museum in Havana. We learned how Papito was one of the first people to get a license to start a private company and how his small business of cutting hair in his living room has grown into a trade school for neighborhood kids, a beautification of the street, and a barber-themed playground. We met with several artists, who all shared how their work with recycled materials was born out of necessity. We saw children learning to paint with coffee grinds and sand. And of course, we were taught how to make mojitos and the proper way to light a Cuban cigar.
But I’m not blind to the fact that as part of this grand scheduling, we were kept isolated from authentic interactions with the Cuban people. Following the design of the Cuban tour agency that our American operator was obligated to work with, our hotels were far from the city center and we barely had time to wander around on our own, let alone strike up conversations. I can count the number of times I had genuine interactions with locals on my two thumbs.
One was in the small town of Sancti Spiritus (so small there were only two private restaurants), where our tour group took up most of the rooms in an adorable boutique hotel. As most of the people in our group were retirees, the hotel got quiet early in the evening. I stayed up with one of the other young women, drinking mojitos at the bar and chatting with the bartender, who had more than enough time for us. I asked him how he felt about the oncoming mass of Americans (by this point I had learned to be more general than to label them ‘tourists’).
He admitted that the money would be good. “But I’m worried about our way of life. Already it seems like it’s changing. Cubans won’t look out for other Cubans anymore. They will become obsessed with money.”
The changes he described seemed more like the results of growing internet access than swelling visitors, but I understood what he was saying about the money. Even now, working in the tourism industry separates the haves and the have-nots in Cuba, and with more visitors that internal social strain could grow. As for our bartender, he had been working at that hotel for seventeen years. Any hope that he had about the positive effects of more Americans seemed firmly encased in a thick layer of grim skepticism.
The guide who showed us around the barbershop museum in Havana had a much more buoyant perspective. As my tour group slowly filed down the narrow stairs, I lingered in the museum-barbershop, taking more pictures. I walked down the stairs with the guide, relishing the few moments of conversation but trying to get to the point quickly.
“You know,” I said. “Many Americans are very excited to visit Cuba as soon as possible. There will be a lot of people. How do you feel about that?”
“Let them come,” he said and grinned. “I also am an accountant for three restaurants – it will be good for business!”
It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit when I did, to be an American in Cuba at this very delicate moment between our countries. But it did feel a little bit like a tease. For all the culture, art, and rum we experienced, our people-to-people tour missed the most important part of Cuba.
The Cubans.
Have you been to Cuba or are you interested in going? Do you have questions or (even better) answers about Cuba? Share your thoughts in the comments!
17 Comments
Elaina
Very interesting read, sounds like an experience! Love the photos too 🙂
Amy
Thanks for stopping by, Elaina! 🙂
businesstravelerswife
I love the car and the beach. 🙂 Wasn’t it scary to travel to Cuba if it’s not yet authorized by US law?
Amy
It’s ok to travel to Cuba if you are on an organized people-to-people tour or fall into one of the other thirteen categories deemed ‘ok’ by the US State Department. Straight tourism isn’t *technically* allowed, but many Americans do it without consequence (especially now that the rules are relaxing). Cuba sees over 3 million tourists each year — primarily from Canada — so it does have some infrastructure. Especially at the fabulous beaches! 🙂
Dominique
I’d like to visit Cuba before the new way of life sets in. I think the country will undergo such massive changes, that’s it’ll be nice to visit the before and after. Hopefully I’ll make it there this year!
Amy
I hope you make it there soon too! It’s going to be interesting to see how things develop, both in Havana (where the problem seemed mostly financial with inability to restore buildings) and rural (where farm and daily life technology seemed to be lacking).
Christina
Interesting perspective. As a Canadian, we don’t have these restrictions. One of our best memories of Cuba was interacting with the people! Hopefully, the situation will change and Americans will be able to experience Cuba as they wish.
Amy
I heard that Canadians are the biggest tourism demographic down in Cuba! Glad that you enjoyed interacting with the Cubans, and yes, fingers crossed that some time soon Americans will be able to travel the same way.
Nadeen
Wow. I returned from Cuba two weeks ago and had such a different experience. I traveled with my husband thru Cancun under the journalism category. We had private local guides and toured the island. We interacted with a lot of Cubans and even stayed in a Casa Particular. It was interesting and wonderful and I can’t wait to go back. Stopping by from Drifters Unite and I posted my Cuba post there today as well!
Amy
Not to say I didn’t enjoy the tour, because I definitely did, but I would love to go back as an independent traveler! The travel rules just relaxed again a month or two ago, didn’t they? Did you have to fill out any additional paperwork to go as a journalist, or is it sort of ‘make sure you have something to tell them if they ask’ sort of thing? Will definitely check out your post!
Kenton J de Jong
I’ve often wondered what Cuba is like right now with the embargo ending. My boss goes down there every year and he’s worried the country will change and become more “Americanized” within the new next few decades. It’s interesting to hear locals have a similar worry. I really enjoyed reading this! 🙂
Amy
I really hope normalisation of relations continues. Not just for travellers, but for the Cuban people to have more access to resources and goods. The access to trade and international investment is sorely needed, but hopefully it will be used to preserve Cuba’s way of life and history. Access to the internet is going to be just as revolutionary! Right now it’s nearly impossible to have it in your home. Instead, there are wifi spots in the city square that you have to buy time for (which is a relatively recent development, just in the last year or two). It was interesting to see everyone gathered in the square, Skyping with friends and family, working on laptops, scrolling through their phones. That was similar to the US for sure. 🙂
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Carol
Can’t wait to get there!
Amy
I hope you get there soon, Carol!
Ashley Tippins
Hi! I found this article by searching for people-to-people itineraries that include Sancti Spiritus. My mother grew up there until the age of 7, and has been dying to return to the place she considers home ever since. With the opening of commercial flights and loosening of restrictions (somewhat) this year we have been planning an independent trip; however, we still need to qualify under the OFAC rules, and thus need to develop a full itinerary of cultural exchanges. We’ve mostly been waiting to do it on our own, because we figured the tours would do exactly as you said – gloss over the less than desirable parts, add a hint of propoganda, and charge a premium all the same. I am looking forward to the trip, but I do hope in doing it on our own we might get a few more genuine conversations – exactly what a people to people exchange should be – out of it. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated, feel free to email me!
Amy
Ashley,
You’ll have such a great time, I’m sure! How amazing to be able to visit a country where you have deep, personal roots. Sancti Spiritus was one of my favorite places *because* it was the easiest place for me to chat with locals. We were generally taken cre of, so I’m not sure if I have many additional tips, but I really enjoyed our dinner at 500 Anos in Sancti Spiritus! And I’m sure filling up a ‘itinerary’ won’t be difficult. There are tons of local artists and community programs that were really very interesting. It’s amazing to see how communities have banded together to provide for each other when there are shortages or stifling beaucracy. Have a fantastic trip!