It’s been a long time since I’ve traveled like this and back then I usually did it alone. When I got married I inherited an awesome travel companion and on this trip we went with a group of friends which helped make it one of the most memorable trips of my lifetime.

Note: Bring funny people. There will be many moments when laughter will stave off the despair you will feel.

Traveling in a group has challenges, traveling in Cuba has more, but with open minds and adventurous hearts, we packed cameras, chocolate bars, flash drives and set off.

I’ve been wanting to visit Cuba for 20 years. Thankfully now you don’t have to go through the back door (Mexico or Jamaica with a $20 in your passport) and can catch a direct flight from Los Angeles to Havana on Alaska Airlines for $367 Round Trip!  Thanks Obama!

While researching I realized that I depended on other people’s websites heavily for information. For that reason, I’ve decided to post the details of our trip so that others can benefit from our myriad journeys and misadventures.

 

Let’s start with the broad strokes–general information you will probably see on multiple sites and then go into the day to day.