Question
What challenges did Paul RYKEN face while traveling in Cuba post-pandemic?
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challengestravelingCubapost-pandemic
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Hi, I’m Paul Ryken from Minimalist Journeys. How can I help?
Summary
When I returned to Cuba post‑pandemic (in 2025), a few challenges really stood out:
Key Focus Areas
- Money and payments: Foreign credit cards that used to work no longer did, so I had to bring all funds in EUR/USD cash and rely on informal exchange rather than official CADECA rates.
- Impact of sanctions: Airbnb stopped paying Cuban hosts, remittances were restricted, and the designation as a state sponsor of terrorism made everything financially tighter for locals and less convenient for visitors.
- Electricity blackouts: Outside Havana, outages of 4–8 hours (or more) every day or two disrupted refrigeration, fans, and charging devices.
- Digital limitations: Many foreign apps and banking services did not work without a reliable VPN, and not every VPN functions in Cuba.
These issues did not make travel impossible, but they required more advance planning, flexibility, and a willingness to adapt to scarcity on the ground.
Are you thinking of visiting Cuba yourself, or just researching what it is like now?
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