#Top 8 Budget-Friendly Tips for a Student while Traveling to Cuba

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Cuba is an exotic country that is really popular among tourists all over the world. Everyone who has ever been to Cuba knows it is a great country for people that are willing to visit as many popular and fascinating places as possible at the most affordable prices.

These days, budget trips are available for various directions whether it is your neighboring country or the country located far away from your home. Low-cost flights, low-cost or free apartments, affordable but delicious cuisines, amazing nature and climate – all these points are about Cuba.

Therefore, we have prepared a compilation of the most useful tips for people who are going on trips to Cuba and are willing to save money avoiding useless payments and making your trip amazing.

Best time to visit Cuba

Winter and summer are the hottest seasons among tourists visiting Cuba. So September is considered to be the most affordable month to visit Cuba. The airlines like JetBlue, Republic Airways, Mesa Airlines decrease the prices for tickets up 10% starting from $247 for one ticket. One of the websites where you can check available flights and book a ticket is Kayak. You can easily choose the destination, the flight class, dates, type of luggage, duration and cost of flight. Another great resource to check the tickets to Cuba is Skyscanner. This app allows you to compare the flights on particular dates and choose the most suitable flight for your budget.

Visa to visit Cuba

Getting a visa to travel to Cuba is obliged, but the process of receiving is quite simple. The cost is affordable and equals €39.95 for the 30 days. You can easily apply online by filling out the form on the official website and receive your visa that consists of two papers on email. The one paper is needed when you arrive, and the other one when you leave the country. The procedure is very simple and helps save your time and money if you do it ahead.

Choose a group travel insurance

Travel insurance is a must for visiting any country you are going to. You will not be able to leave your country or enter Cuba if you do not buy the insurance before your flight. Make sure that there are no special conditions for the insurance plans to visit Cuba. Among the insurance companies recommended for visiting Cuba we would like to mention due to the ratings

Safe Travel International
Patriot International
Allianz

You can surely choose the basic insurance plan which always has the lowest price but commonly provide you with the huge amount of money in case of treatment. Choosing such insurance plan will save your money for other entertainments in Cuba ensuring the help in case of need.

Explore local currency and allowed credit cards

If you are not going to take the cash, you should inform your bank about the change of your location. In other cases, if you withdraw cash, your bank can block your credit and debit cards and you will run out of money soon. Credit cards like Visa and Mastercard are acceptable but U.S.-based cards like Diners Club or American Express won’t work. Another variant is taking cash with you, if you do not want to make card payments with commissions due to your bank.

Cuban peso is the only official currency in Cuba where 100 Cuban pesos equal to $4.17 USD.

The best places to exchange money at the most profitable rate are Casa de Cambios (local money exchange) located at the airports on in the city center, international banks, or any money exchanges supported by the House of Exchange which are located in public places.

Online sim card is advantageous

The prices of using Wi-Fi in Cuba equal $1 per hour of usage which is quite low and will not take much of your travel budget. Think of buying a portable device or an additional online sim card to have access to the internet all around the clock. The prices of sim cards depend on the amount of internet you are going to use starting from $7 to $30. However, if you want to buy a separate sim card for incoming and outcoming calls, you will have to pay $25 for this one-time service. So the first variant will be more profitable and convenient for you.

Do not waste money on hotels and apartments rent

Cuba is quite a cheap but very exiting country compared to other popular resorts and countries where people like spending their vacations like Maldives, Seychelles, Dominican Republic, and so on. Do not spend much time on looking for hotels or apartments. One of the cost-efficient variants is to book an apartment at local guesthouses that are called casa particulares when local people offer their private as a hotel like Hostal Carpe Diem in Havana where the cheapest room costs $35, or Ayme ´s House where rooms are a little bit more expensive, starting from $40 per night. You will receive a bed to sleep and a breakfast but that is enough for have a good rest at night to continue exploring Cuba.

Couchsurfing apartments

Couchsurfing is an international app where tourists can look for free accommodation in foreign countries. However, this type of accommodation differs for the common Couchsurfing but you will surely find the suitable apartment anyway. If Cuban people want to have the opportunity to invite tourists to live at their casa particulares for free, the house owner needs to receive a permit. This permit is allowed to get only once a year for one group of tourists. So it is more cost-saving to ask your friends whether they have any connections in Cuba where you could stay at. It will make the search for apartment easier and cost-efficient.

Choose public transport instead of renting a car

Renting a car in Cuba is one of the excellent ways to spend all your money on transportation, you will likely not get the place you would like to due to the high prices. We recommend choosing a taxi or local bus that can take you wherever you want at the most reasonable prices. That is a great method to visit all places of interest during one trip. One kilometer of driving a taxi costs $1 while one day of driving by public transport costs $5 per day.

Guided tours are not recommended

This tip is recommended for visiting any country you want. Before going to Cuba, you should learn more about its culture, people, and the most popular sightseeing that are considered to be a must-visit from the different reviews written be the professional writing services review websites like All Top Reviews or Trust My Paper. You can find the videos on YouTube, articles on Google, blogs on social media about all the beautiful places, towns, and villages that you have to see in Cuba. It is not complicated to precisely plan your trip and go everywhere on your own by bus or local taxi whose prices are really nice and will help you save the budget for souvenirs and other activities.

Most of these places like old Havana, Varadero Beach, Playa Pilar, old plazas, etc are free to visit any time you prefer as these places are public.

Buy dishes at the local street cafes

Cuban food and tastes may appear very different from the dishes you used to eat every day. You should properly choose the cafes and products to try the most delicious and popular dishes in Cuba. Local cuisine is quite affordable, especially at the street points where dishes are much cheaper than in local cafes and restaurants but still really high-quality and tasty. You should definitely try a con tortilla which price is under $1, a chicken box that costs about $2, or locally made pizzas which cost is also approximately $2.

Taking everything into account

Before planning your trip to Cuba we emphasize that considering all these tips is obvious and helpful for you and your traveling. Cuba is an affordable country for everyone that is why most lots of people all over the world are willing to visit this beautiful place annually.

You can ask people who have already visited Cuba about the most common stereotypes and things to consider when packaging things for your Cuban trip to be ready for all adventures. If you have the opportunity to learn about Cuba from a real source, do not miss it as all these tips will make your trip to Cuba unforgettable. And this post is definitely the one that you need to consider before visiting Cuba.

Biography

Anna likes writing from her university years. When she graduated from the Interpreters Department, she realized that translation was not so interesting, as writing was. She trains her skills now working as a freelance writer on different topics. Always she does her best in the posts and articles.

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