Traveling to Cuba? Make sure you have these essential items!
1. Enough Cash for the Trip
In Cuba, cash is king. If you are coming from the US, your credit card and bank card will not work, unless you have a card from Stonegate Bank, a small bank in Florida. Even if you do have a card that can be used in Cuba, most places will only take cash, so make sure you bring enough for the trip.
The Cuban government charges a 10% penalty for using USD to exchange for CUC (the Cuban currency for foreigners), and then on top of that there is a 3% – 3.5% exchange fee. For those with USD, it might be cheaper to first convert the USD into Euros or British pounds and then into CUC, so you will not be hit with the 10% penalty.
2. Pack Tissue
Many public places in Cuba do not include toilet paper. You will need to use your own or sometimes you may be able to buy tissue from an attendant sitting outside the bathroom.
3. Your Toiletries
When you go to Cuba, bring all the travel essentials you will need on the trip with you. It is very difficult to find a market, and even if you do find one, there isn’t much to buy. (Even water is hard to find!) If you can, it is best to bring your own. This includes items like tooth paste, tooth brush, face wash, lotion, body wash, shampoo and conditioner.
4. Soap
If you are staying in a casa particular during your trip, it is likely that they do not provide soap. Given how hard it is to purchase personal items, you may not be able to find soap even if you want to. Don’t be caught in this situation. Bring your own soap (bar soap from hotels will do) that you can use throughout your trip. If you are moving locations, you may want to bring a zip lock bag so you can save the soap for another casa particular.
5. Hand Sanitizer and Wet Wipes
It’s always nice to have clean hands, especially right before eating. Bring wet wipes and hand sanitizers so you can keep your hands clean.
6. Extra shirts (and sets of clothes if you have room)
Cuba is hot and humid. You will be sweating a lot. My trip took place in September, and I was drenched in sweat within minutes. You may want to bring a few extra shirts to change into if you need to rinse off from time to time.
7. Guide book
In Cuba, internet connectivity is very limited, so it will be difficult to research restaurants, hotels, and points of interests on the go. On my trip I brought a good-old-fashioned Cuba guidebook with me so I could look up information as needed. It is old-schooled and heavy, but it works!
8. Offline phone apps
When you travel to Cuba, prepare to be disconnected from the world. Wifi is controlled and regulated by the government, and it is super hard to find! Since internet is so sparse, offline apps are very useful for getting around Cuba, so load it up! Click here for a list of useful offline apps.
9. Power bank
If you store everything on your phone and use it to navigate and take pictures like I do, you will drain your battery pretty quickly. Be sure to bring a charged power bank with you so you can charge your phone (and other electronics) on the go.
10. Day Pack
If you plan on doing more than lie on the beach all day, a day pack would be useful for other adventures like hiking, climbing, cave explorations, and horseback riding. I didn’t bring a day pack on my trip and really wish I did! For the most part, I managed to get by with my purse, but it was very annoying moving around with a large purse, and it also looks out of place in my pictures (imagine a hiking picture with a purse). 😛
It might also be helpful to bring something smaller to put personal belongings in (smaller purses or even “fanny packs”). For horseback riding, Some museums and even dance places make you check large bags, so you may want a smaller bag to keep valuables with you.
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Thank you Yacon! Glad you found it helpful!
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Thank you!