HAVANA (AP) – Travel experts and upscale magazines are urging travel to Cuba before it changes. But visitors envisioning salsa in the streets and glamorous vintage cars should also be prepared to manage without ATMs, credit cards, Wi-Fi, air-conditioning, seat belts or toilet paper. Here are eight tips for visiting Havana.
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IF YOU NEED IT, BRING IT
I forgot to bring my toothbrush to Havana. It took me three days to find a new one.
Granted, I was in a “casa particular,” a Cuban homestay booked through Airbnb in a rundown part of town. Street vendors sell Che Guevara T-shirts and tropical fruit. But good luck buying sunscreen or Band-Aids. The fancy hotels sell some things in shops onsite, of course, but Havana just doesn’t have many stores. Even Harris Brothers, a market on Monserrate at O’Reilly Street, isn’t overflowing with consumer goods – though you can buy souvenir bags of coffee.