Hello.
Today we are going to talk about Cuba
because of all of my videos about my travels to Cuba
I have gotten so many questions.
The best thing that I could do is just make a video addressing
some of the more common questions that I get
and hopefully I can provide you with some answers.
So here are some tips for traveling to Cuba.
Money, this is one of the biggest questions
The biggest?
That's weird.
This is one of the most common questions that I get, which is
how much money should I bring?
My answer to this question is anywhere between eight hundred US dollars
to fifteen hundred dollars per week.
The thing about Cuba is that over there they don't have Apple pay
they don't have credit cards
they don't have any of these digital commodities to pay with
so you have to bring cash
and that is very important
because I've actually found a couple people who have gone to Cuba
and had no knowledge of this
and had only brought a very small amount.
So, you have to budget the money that you are going to take to Cuba
and take it with you.
Don't rely on your credit cards
because you're not going to have access to it.
The 800 to 1500 dollar range that I just gave
is pretty much on the low end
if you're staying in Casaparticulares
or in Airbnbs
and not if you are staying at hotels
that would probably be more in the $1,500 range or more.
But you can find pretty cheap accommodations for as low as maybe $30 a night.
Staying in a hotel is obviously going to be a whole lot more expensive
and of course this is also taking into consideration the food that you eat
some places you can get very cheap food
and in others, like if you go to the more fancy, Paladares
then that is more gourmet food
and you are going to be spending a little bit of money, more money.
But over all the money that you're going to want to bring
is anywhere between 800 to $1,500 per week
if you would like a little bit more information about budgeting
then you should definitely check out my friend's video, potato jet
he made a video all about budgeting
and documented his expenses while he was staying in Havana
so you should definitely check that out, I'll put a link in the description
if that's something that you are interested in.
Speaking of accommodations
I get asked this question a lot which is
Are Casaparticulares reliable? Are they safe?
Is it okay to stay there
and although I did not stay at Casaparticular when I went to Cuba
I stayed at an Airbnb.
I do have a lot of friends
and people that I know who have stayed at these Casaparticulares
and they are extremely safe
and they are extremely reliable.
You do have to remember that these are people who live in Cuba
and are giving up a part of their home for you to stay in
and when you do that you have to realize
that they are going out of their way to provide you
with the best accommodation that they can
with the limited resources available.
So if the breakfast is not the breakfast
that you are usually accustomed to when staying at a hotel
or even a motel
please keep that in mind
and try not to complain
because most of the time these people do not have a lot of resources
and they just want you to be the most comfortable
and have the best possible time
while you are staying at their home.
How to get around Cuba?
A lot of people have asked me if the public transportation is okay to use
and I did not use the public transportation at all
and the reason is because I have heard and I have witnessed
that the public transportation is not reliable.
The public transportation like the buses do not really follow a strict schedule
so even though you think that you are going to go get a bus at a specific time and day
that bus might not be there
or her might appear two hours later
and the thing about the buses
is that you actually have to reserve your spot for buying a ticket the day before
and it's just it's very complicated.
Definitely research that, plan that.
That would not be my recommendation for getting around in Cuba.
I would say that the best way to get around in Cuba
is to look for a private driver.
This is something that you can actually look for using Trip Advisor
and what you should do is find a private driver
and coordinate with that driver how much it's going to cost you
how many hours a day you're going to need him
how many days you're going to need the driver
and just be sure that you have that all planned out before your trip.
Getting a driver is probably the most affordable
and the most reliable way to get around Cuba
and these drivers even for a little bit more money
are able to take you to different towns
if you plan it accordingly
and it's just probably the best way to go around Cuba.
On that note I would not recommend for you to rent a car
because the roads most of the roads on Cuba are not paved
and have a lot of holes
and there's not a lot of up keep going on there
even if you are a very experienced driver
I would say that it might be dangerous
it might be difficult for you to get around.
If you aren't familiar with the area
you might not know that any specific path is actually a road
because like I said there are a lot of unpaved roads.
It's best to just get a private driver
and have someone who knows exactly how to get around.
Is it safe in Cuba?
The answer is 100% yes.
You can really go around town and not have any issues really.
The only thing that I have heard of
and I have not have had an experience with this
but a few of my friends have mentioned
that they have experienced pick pocketing while in Cuba.
That isn't something that I witnessed
but I have heard it a few times
and even from one of my friends who got pickpocketed.
He said that the pickpocketer was very awkward
and like apologized afterwards
because he caught him like grabbing his phone, I think it was.
Of course with any place
I would recommend to not go down
any road that you are unfamiliar with
or any dark alleys or anything that looks suspicious.
Always be on alert wherever you are traveling
especially as a foreigner
and if you don't know the language you might make yourself a target.
For the most part Cuba is very safe and people are extremely friendly and kind
and I find that they're super hospitable and will go out of their way
to make you feel welcomed on the island.
Sometimes when you are a tourist in a new city
and foreigner
you can be a victim of scams
and getting knocked off
and I can say for a fact
that this is something that is not common at all in Cuba
I have not witnessed it
I have not experienced it
none of my friends or people that I know have experienced it
it's just not something that people will do.
Honestly I think that's something that you really don't need to worry about.
Like with any other country
if you are going to get a tour or something
it's always good to try to negotiate
and for the most part you might get you know a better deal
and don't be afraid to negotiate.
The Cuban people are very nice
and I'm sure that you will come to an agreement for a price
and will not be a ripoff.
Those are all of the tips that I have for you today.
Let me know in the comments below
if you have any other questions about traveling to Cuba
or anywhere else in the world that you've seen me go to.
I would be more than happy to answer those questions.
I hope that you enjoyed this video
if you did then please give me a thumbs up to let me know
and if you would like to see more about Cuba
then definitely check out my Cuba playlist
the link in the description
and if you just want to know the top five things that you should do in Cuba
then the link to that video will also be in the description below.
Thank you so much for watching
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Anyway I am going to go now.
So, I will see you when I see you, bye!
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