Ways to Go
Updated July 2026
Since the US embargo and ongoing sanctions intimidate many people from visiting Cuba, this page is geared toward US travelers who may feel more hesitant about traveling to the island.
Travel to Cuba
Despite all the recent US sanctions against Cuba, including the oil blockade initiated in January of 2026, visiting the island is still as simple as going online and purchasing a from one of several US airlines (American, Delta, and Southwest) offering service to Cuba. In the airport, at the airline departure desk, you will be sold your visa for around $100.
These flights are not accessible via travel search engines such as Orbitz and Expedia, so you will have to go directly to the airlines’ websites to book your flights. When you do so, you will be asked to confirm that your travel meets fits into one of 12 authorized reasons for travel to Cuba– family visits, government business, journalism, educational activities, religious activities, professional research or meetings, workshops or conferences, support for Cuban people, humanitarian projects, research or activities of private foundations, import of information materials, certain (undefined) export activities.
While many of these categories overlap, the most common, catch-all category under which most travelers can go is “Support for the Cuban people,” which, due to the humanitarian crisis the oil blockade has created, is also the best reason to visit now.
Global Exchange, Witness for Peace, and Venceremos are currently taking humanitarian aid delegations to Cuba. Should you choose to go on your own, please consider taking one or more suitcases of medical supplies, available for free from Not Just a Tourist. This nonprofit organization will connect you with a hospital and a doctor to make the delivery near where you’ll be in Cuba.
Regarding places to stay, Airbnb is a good way to meet Cubans and experience the realities of everyday life in Cuba. But, due to the oil blockade, there are regular blackouts across the island. Staying in a hotel with a generator may be more comfortable.
Despite the widespread suffering caused by the US oil blockade, Cubans are as friendly and welcoming as ever to US and other visitors. They will do everything they can to make your stay comfortable; so, if you are able to go now, it is an important, historic time to do so and offer solidarity to the Cuban people.
