{"id":5202,"date":"2015-01-16T11:30:09","date_gmt":"2015-01-16T16:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/?p=5202"},"modified":"2015-01-16T12:46:21","modified_gmt":"2015-01-16T17:46:21","slug":"travel-to-cuba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/travel-to-cuba","title":{"rendered":"Travel to Cuba: Road-tested Cuba trips with Explorica"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo by Alejandra Mena, Explorica Cuba Educational Exchange 2014<\/p><\/div>\n

As you might have heard, the U.S. government has \u00a0some very exciting plans in store for 2015: namely, loosening restrictions on U.S. travel to Cuba<\/a>. No beach vacations yet, but the prospects are looking good!\u00a0After years of going through the rigorous processes involved to upkeep our people-to-people license to\u00a0travel to Cuba<\/a>, we\u2019re as thrilled as anyone else about the prospect of loosened restrictions, but we know not to expect everything to change at once. Travel companies just entering the Cuba market may need time establishing their tours, particularly with the still limited communication and travel options. Charter planes have to be booked, business relationships with Cuban suppliers need to be made, and itineraries that meet the government\u2019s requirements have to be developed.<\/p>\n

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Photo by Alejandra Mena, Explorica Cuba Educational Exchange 2014<\/p><\/div>\n

But that certainly doesn\u2019t mean you should put your dreams of visiting Cuba on hold. By the time\u00a0Cuban travel<\/a>\u00a0becomes entirely de-regulated and a mainstream U.S. resort destination, it may not have the same unique culture, untouched by American corporations. In 10 years, Cuba could have a Starbucks on every corner. That\u2019s why there\u2019s no better time to visit Cuba, and we\u2019re happy to provide our culturally immersive, road-tested Cuba tours to give you the opportunity to explore Cuba before the rest of the U.S. does.<\/p>\n

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Photo by Alejandra Mena, Explorica Cuba Educational Exchange 2014<\/p><\/div>\n

You don\u2019t have to wait to start planning your visit to Cuba\u2014with Explorica, you can book a tour<\/a> and guarantee your tour and date right now. We\u2019ve been licensed to lead tours to Cuba for years, and have led numerous government-sanctioned tours to the exclusive travel destination. So if you\u2019re excited to explore the uncharted territory of Cuba, you don\u2019t have to wait a single second to start planning the adventure of a lifetime.<\/p>\n

6 reasons to visit Cuba in 2015<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

#1 To build global perspective<\/h2>\n
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Photo by Alejandra Mena, Explorica Cuba Educational Exchange 2014<\/p><\/div>\n

Although Cuba is just 93 miles away from the U.S., the 50+ year embargo between the U.S. and the communist country has created a unique barrier between the two countries. Now that relations are softening, it’s the perfect time to visit and explore the little known culture and unique perspective of the people of Cuba.<\/p>\n

#2 To meet the locals<\/h2>\n
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Photo by Alejandra Mena, Explorica Cuba Educational Exchange 2014<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cWe had several opportunities to engage in meaningful dialogue with our tour directors, leaders of various social projects, writers, farmers, musicians, and local teachers and students. We touched on everything, including music, food, economy, politics, education, and hopes and dreams from a clearly changing society.\u201d Ryan, Portland, Oregon<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

#3 To change lives<\/h2>\n
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Photo by Alejandra Mena, Explorica Cuba Educational Exchange 2014<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThese have been the best all-around experiences that immerse the students in the language, culture and lifestyle of the people. I would not change these experiences for anything! They are life-changing.\u201d Michael, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

#4 To be more than a \u201ctourist\u201d<\/h2>\n
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Photo by Alejandra Mena, Explorica Cuba Educational Exchange 2014<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThis tour was unlike any other in that all of our activities were centered around the community. It was not a “touristy” visit. We learned about how the people of Cuba really live and what life is like there. It was excellent!\u201d Christina, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

#5 To make new friends<\/h2>\n

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Photo by Alejandra Mena, Explorica Cuba Educational Exchange 2014<\/p><\/div>
\n\u201cThe lunch we had in Vi\u00f1ales Valley was perhaps the culminating moment of our trip. We lunched on a farm after visiting an organic farm. The whole roasted pig, the hospitality, and the poetic explanation of life in rural Cuba by Se\u00f1or Vitamina were all great, but it was at this moment that everyone in the group just knew how similar people from all places and cultures really are to one another. We exchanged this idea with our Cuban hosts and conveyed well how inspired we were to have experienced a rich culture.\u201d Sean, Seattle, Washington<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

#6 To discover the culture of Cuba<\/h2>\n
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Photo by Alejandra Mena, Explorica Cuba Educational Exchange 2014<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cGrab the opportunity to take your students to Cuba! It is a fantastic chance to learn about Cuba’s history and culture through the eyes of everyday citizens who are working to better their country.\u201d\u00a0Alicia, Seattle, Washington<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

#7 For the experience<\/h2>\n
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Photo by Alejandra Mena, Explorica Cuba Educational Exchange 2014<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Cuba Educational Exchang<\/a>e was a once in a lifetime experience.\u201d Beth, Washington, D.C.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

So, what are you waiting for?<\/p>\n

Plan your trip to Cuba today<\/a><\/h1>\n
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Photo by Alejandra Mena, Explorica Cuba Educational Exchange 2014<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As you might have heard, the U.S. government has \u00a0some very exciting plans in store for 2015: namely, loosening restrictions on U.S. travel to Cuba. No beach vacations yet, but the prospects are looking good!\u00a0After years of going through the rigorous processes involved to upkeep our people-to-people license to\u00a0travel to Cuba, we\u2019re as thrilled as Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[411,466,468,467,465],"class_list":["post-5202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-explorica-news","tag-cuba","tag-cuba-travel","tag-educational-exchange","tag-people-to-people","tag-travel-to-cuba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5202"}],"version-history":[{"count":87,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5202\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5477,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5202\/revisions\/5477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}