Cuba – What You Need To Know Before Going: Dos and Dont’s!

We’ve learned by now that going to Cuba requires a bit of preparation. I’ll be ending my Cuba series with a classic Do’s and Don’ts guide filled with everything you need to know before you go! This last one’s a doozy, so I won’t make a long intro – lets jump right in!

If you’re new here, catch up: Everything I did on my trip is outlined in my Cuba Photo Diary post here. Detailed instructions on how to travel to Cuba as an American is linked here.

DO: Prepare For Zero Cell Phone Usage

Through my research, this was drilled in my head, but I still thought: if worse comes to worse and I get desperate, I can turn on my roaming charges. Well, I tried that. It didn’t work. Cuba’s infrastructure is just not strong enough yet. You won’t be able to call, text, or access maps online.

So, big tip? SCREENSHOT everything you need to know before your trip!

You’ll need to show your taxi driver your screenshots of all the places you want to go. Screenshot all your important documents like hotel reservations, any prepaid excursions, etc. I made a photo folder in my phone titled “Cuba” and it made it easier to access anything I needed quickly.

How to Access the Internet in Cuba:

Internet does exist in Cuba, but its fairly new and access is limited and controlled. You’ll need to purchase a NAUTA scratch off internet card, and then go to a designated “internet hotspot” area to use it. Common internet spots include hotels, and outdoor wifi parks.

You can buy the Wifi card at an ETECSA store. ETECSA is Cuba’s telecommunications company. Usually theres a long line of tourists and locals outside of them, so I preferred to buy cards from hotels. The hotel I bought it from only charged $1, as long as you bought a drink as you sat down to use it in their bar or lobby. At around $2-$4, drinks were super cheap and worth it for me to avoid standing in lines out in the heat every day.

Once you turn on WiFi, you’ll select the “ETECSA” wifi network and a screen should pop up asking you to log in. This is where you’ll enter the usario (username) and contraseña (password) found on the scratch-off Internet card. You’ll then be timed an hour to use it before it cuts off.

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The internet is not the fastest, so I suggest you download any apps you may need to use before you travel. It’s good enough for a few FaceTime calls to check in with family back home and to google a few places you may need to look up.

DON’T: Forget to Withdraw Money in CASH BEFORE you get to Cuba

I repeat this from my last post because its so important: As an American, your debit/credit card will not work in the country, so you will need to withdraw all cash needed BEFORE you get to Cuba. You will not be able to swipe your card anywhere or withdraw money from an ATM. So, you’ll need to estimate how much you’re going to spend as you’ll have to take all the money you’ll need for the entirety of your stay.

BIG TAX TIP THAT WILL SAVE YOU MONEY:

U.S. Dollars are taxed an additional 10% on top of the conversion rates. (Again, we Americans are getting the short end of the stick here) A great hack to get around this? Exchange your U.S. dollars to another currency before you get to Cuba! I changed my cash to Canadian at my connection gate in Houston before I got on the plane.

When I got to Cuba, I handed over my Canadian money to be exchanged to Cuban pesos at the airport in Havana. Just like that, 10% tax avoided! When you leave Cuba, you can exchange your leftover Cuban pesos straight back to U.S. dollars at the airport. Thankfully, there won’t be a 10% tax at that point.

Cuba is a closed currency, so you’ll need to change it back to American money before you get back home. They won’t accept Cuban money at currency exchanges in the U.S.

DO: Pack your OWN Toilet Paper

Toilet paper was SCARCE. If you’re staying in a Airbnb or hotel, you should be okay, but some have a very limited supply. The house I stayed in provided me with only one toilet paper roll for the entirety of my stay.

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Left: The toilet paper provided at my Airbnb for my entire stay.

Right: The toilet paper available in a public restroom for ALL stalls to use.

In public places and restaurants, I rarely saw toilet paper. If there was some, it was a small roll, or a set amount that was handed to you by a bathroom attendant. I packed two fat rolls of paper of my own on the trip, and also brought flushable wipes. I kept a roll, plus a pack of wipes in my backpack everywhere I went, and I needed it, almost every single time.

Two rolls was enough for five days for two people. You know yourself – take what you think you’ll use. And while you’re at it, pack some hand sanitizer. There’s also limited to no hand soap.

DON’T: Drink the Water

Before going to any country other than your native, it’s worth googling to see if the water is ok for you to drink there. In Cuba, you should avoid tap water, and only drink from purchased water bottles. You’ll still consume some of the water by default through the ice in your drinks.

Some people feel the effects from that small amount, some don’t. Ahem, I did. (A little TMI, but we’re all friends here, right?) This was a problem for the first day or two, and then my stomach adjusted. Just be sure to pack some Pepto Bismol to get you through that adjustment period.

Which brings me to my next point…

DO: Bring your own Toiletries and Meds

Ever forget your toothbrush on vacay? No biggie, you just head to the nearest drugstore and buy a new one right? Wrong. In short, you don’t really see any convenience stores in Cuba. You’ll want to bring shampoo/conditioner, sunscreen, ibuprofen – basically a mini pharmacy with you! Toiletry items, just like toilet paper, are limited and hard to find. And if you can find it, its expensive.

ABOVE: The one and ONLY time I saw toothpaste for sale in a store front window. As you can see, I wasn’t kidding when I said the supply is limited. You also don’t want to be THAT American to purchase it and take from the little they have, when you can very well bring your own.

DO: Research the Dual Voltage and Plug Adapter Situation

Cuba has the same sockets as the U.S., so no need for a plug adaptor. What you do need, is a converter. (See the one I got from Amazon here) The voltage is 220, which is higher than ours, so it can overheat your device. I didn’t have problems, as the house I stayed in had different levels of voltage plugs. I also have dual voltage hair tools, which auto adapt to the higher voltage on their own.

For every house I went to, I made sure to ask the host about the voltage. When in doubt, turn on your flat iron and put it on a low heat setting to see how it reacts. I knew the voltage was too high when I saw that my flat iron was really hot at the 300 degree mark. That setting would never straighten my (very curly) hair at home! I typically straighten at 450 degree heat.

DON’T: Fall for the Scammers

As I said in my last post, its very safe! What you do need to be aware of, is the amount of hagglers and scammers you’ll come in contact with.

• The Cigar Scam: many will try to approach you with fake Cuban cigars at a big discount. Be wary of this and only purchase them from shops, hotels, or official cigar factories. The real ones will come in a box with a holographic seal and contain a certificate.

• The Restaurant Scam: You’ll get recommendations for the “best” places to eat by many locals, and some will offer to walk you there. The food will be super overpriced, and most of the time, not as good as they say. They usually get a commission from the owner if they bring customers. You’ll see this system a lot with cabs, clubs, and many more businesses in Cuba, so pay attention and be alert.

• The Mom and Baby Scam: A woman will approach you from outside of a store and state that she needs milk for her baby, and ask you to purchase it for her. You’ll be charged double the price and she will sell it right back to the store and get the other half of the money.

It happened to us: I heard about the mom scam before, and sure enough one night a woman approached our group and asked for a pack of diapers. One guy in our group fell for her story, even though we were all telling him not to listen. He paid 25 pesos for it anyway, and we watched her continue with the same story a few hours later and the next day. OF COURSE we teased him the rest of the trip about it.

DO: Brush up on the laws and culture

This goes for any country you travel to. Take the time to do a little research on the laws and customs so you know what’s considered appropriate. I learned that in Cuba, its illegal to take photos of the police or any government official, and you can get arrested if caught. Don’t do drugs while in Cuba either. Marijuana possession alone is a 10 year sentence there.

Learn about their culture and try to participate. Cubans are very loud and expressive, and they love to walk up to strangers and greet them. Make conversation!

BUT DON’T: Talk about Fidel Castro

…Or politics in general. Some people in Cuba have positive opinions on Fidel, so you don’t want to offend. Whether their opinion of their government is favorable or not, Cubans are taught not to talk openly about this kind of thing. Don’t bring it up unless they do, and if they do, try to come from a place of wanting to educate yourself about their life and stay neutral.

DO: Be safe

Cuba is very safe, but before any international trip, learn ahead of time where the U.S. embassy is located, and send details of your trip to someone back home. In Havana, if you have trouble, a taxi driver will take you to the embassy, its not very far. I took pictures of my passport and ID so I’d have a backup in my phone to identify myself if it ever got lost or stolen. I also sent copies of the photos to family members before my trip.

Apps to Download:

Maps.Me – This is a must. Download your chosen country before you arrive. It will show you restaurants and different places to go, and will even route you to places. Just like Google maps, but works offline.

Triposo – Let’s you customize and plan your trip by showing you recommendations of hotels, sights, activities and restaurants in your city! Works offline too!

Google Translate – I speak Spanish so this was not necessary, but I highly recommend it if you don’t! I would use it for any other country. Remember to download the language you need before you get to Cuba, or it won’t work. It has a cool feature where you can hover the phone over a foreign word and it reflects back in English! Try it out!

And with that my friends, our Cuba series has come to an end! I went on this trip LAST MAY and it took me this long to tell you everything you needed to know! This was definitely a different experience and one for the books. I hope to visit again in the future as I’ve only scratched the surface and there is so much more to explore!

DID YOU FIND THIS SERIES HELPFUL? WHAT COUNTRY SHOULD I GO TO NEXT?