Hello,
If an American wishes to travel to Havana from Los Angeles, is this now legally possible for the majority of Americans or only special kinds of groups (such as medical and religious)? If only special kinds of groups are legally allowed to go, then is it easy to quickly join such a group and travel freely upon arrival? If so, then what groups specifically? Simply put, how can a group-unaffiliated American living in LA travel to Havana? What airlines fly directly (perhaps TACA)? If it is too difficult for a group-unaffiliated American to travel via LA, then how about traveling from Nassau (Bahamas), Mexico City or Cancun? On a side note, how long is the bus ride from Havana to Trinidad? Thank you for your time and Happy New Year.
Legalities of Traveling to Havana from Los Angeles, CA
Recent Activity
View all Caribbean Islands activity »
- 1 Comments regarding this Puerto Rico condo?
- 2 Where to go??
- 3
Photos from Havana and Vinales May 2013
- 4 Safety in Puerto Rico?
- 5 Curacao vs Puerto Rico
- 6 which month has a low heat index in Turks & Caicos
- 7 Staying in Aruba for 1 week in December
- 8 where to travel for 50th birthday with family?
- 9 Sightseeing and Lounging Islands
- 10 Sea Castle Villa Renters Beware!!
- 11 Do restaurants in Bermuda allow corkage/BYO
- 12 puerto rico cruise
- 13 Help choosing an all inclusive resort!
- 14 Gifts for Cubans - ElectricalOutlets
- 15 Active island stay for November solo trip?
- 16 Caribbean Real Estate Jobs
- 17 Best Quaint All Inclusive Resort
- 18 Kid-Friendly All-Inclusives in Caribbean or Cancun
- 19 Recent St. Martin travelers
- 20 Resort near a town?
- 21 Which hotel should we stay at in Aruba?
- 22 Puerto Rico - too much? a.k.a will I be like a coqui hopping all over?
- 23 Freeport to Abaco, how do you do it?
- 24 Ziplines near Rincon/West Coast of Puerto Rico NOT part of a tour
- 25 Mustique -- not so great
Before the previous Bush administration tightened the loopholes, it was easy to get to Cuba by going on a 'cultural exchange'. The one we went on was for the International Jazz Festival in Havana. It was awesome, the trip was awesome. I can't wait for the chance to return to Cuba. That said, I think it will be quite difficult for you to legally travel to Cuba at this time.
It's easy from Canada, Cancun, the Bahamas. There are lots of tourists in Cuba, just not American tourists.
There are even scheduled flights from Miami. I always wondered who all got on those planes.
If the US government finds out you went, you'll face legal hassles and possible large fines. They won't stamp your passport in Cuba, but if immigration looks closely, they'll be able to see that you left Mexico/Bahamas or where ever and then returned. I've even had immigration ask me upon returning from either Belize or Mexico (can't recall which) if I had been to Cuba. I'm not a good liar, I never could have pulled it off if I had been.
You have been great. How could I find out the daily Mexicana airlines schedule to and from Cancun-Havana and Havana-Cancun? I had difficulty reading this on the Mexicana website.
I couldn't find it either. I'm guessing they have an 800 number in the US. Call and get your info. The other issue is how you're going to pay for your ticket. Apparently you can't use a US credit card, at least on Mexicana. And, you won't be able to use any US issued credit card while you're in Cuba.
Once you find out schedules on the phone, you can probably just pay cash for a ticket in Mexico.
I just wanted to comment on the stamping the passport issue. We went to Cuba on an "educational" trip before GWB changed the rules. Before I went, I read that Cuban immigration stamps your passport on p. 16 with a generic looking stamp (doesn't say "Cuba"). This is exactly what they did.
So doesn't U.S. immigration know to look there if they are remotely concerned? Just wondered--it didn't seem as though asking the Cuban official not to stamp the passport was an option. We were there legally so I didn't worry about the stamp one way or the other.
I guess I'm just not the type to risk going there illegally--with my luck I'd be caught. Glad we went when we were able and I wouldn't hesitate to go again with another licensed group.