10 important things you should know before traveling to Cuba

Arabiaweather.com- Ismail Ghasemi- Before you travel to Cuba, there are many things to look at, not to mention the beautiful tourist places to organize your trip, from the best time to visit to the nature of financial transactions, technology and organizing tours.

The best time of the year to visit Cuba is between mid-November and March because it is the dry season with cool breezes, which is when hotels are often full, while the rainy season is between May and June when things get hotter and wetter, and between July and early November it is Hurricane season.

- Learn Spanish as much as you can, even simple words and phrases help you a lot in Cuba, people love that you talk to them and you know a little bit of their language, and it will be more friendly to find help from the hosts.

- Take cash with you, and you will see that it is a good idea to take some hard currency with you to get the best exchange rate, and it is better to take euros or pounds sterling.

- Take a Visa card with you, since MasterCard is an American company that did not previously operate in Cuba, but with the changes that are taking place, it has begun to exist in some places, but in a small amount compared to Visa Card.

Tell your bank that you are going to Cuba, which should be done every time you go abroad, but in Cuba it will be more important, because international calls are very expensive and internet connection is very limited, and you will find it very annoying if anything happens to you emergency with the bank.

- Where to get the money? Try to find an ATM on the first floor of Havana International Airport, and avoid currency exchange at the airport desks because their rates are not good, hotels and resorts usually have exchanges.

- There are two types of currencies in Cuba, CUC is the Cuban Convertible Peso that tourists should use, and CUP is the national Cuban Peso for locals and foreigners should not acquire. You will notice double pricing in most places and that the prices in the two currencies do not match.

Gifts and barter.. Yes, there is still the barter system in Cuba, especially in things that are rare in Cuba such as canned tuna which is one of the most expensive things there, or American brand clothes which are very popular.

- It is difficult to rely on technology in Cuba, so make the necessary arrangements and print travel documents before you leave and rely on maps or a smartphone using map applications that do not need the Internet and allow you to use GPS so that you know your movements well.

- Choose your tour based on the itinerary, if you want to join the organized tours, and don't worry too much about services or extras, because most of the tours use the same agency with the tour guides.