Disappearing Act

DISAPPEARING ACT

Words: Arielle ClayPictures: Kivvi Roberts

On a muggy Friday night, our group of 10 decided to headinto Old Havana for drinks and dancing. With such a largeparty, we had to split into groups of 3 or 4 to taxi into the

city from our Airbnb. “Flordita por favor,” I asked in my terrible Spanish. The driver's answer? "Of course! For 10 CUCs..." Great! I thought. That is until we met up with the rest of our group and learned some had hailed a ride for 8 and others for just 5!

VISAS

2017 several in our group pre-purchased the document. at a discount. American Airlines, for example, charged $85

for a pre-purchased visa. At the gate the cost was $100.

MONEY EXCHANGE

When exchanging money take this advice, bring euros. No question about it. Some in our group were told to bring American dollars and they would be able to exchange them 1-for-1 in the city. That didn’t happen and they was stuck with U.S. dollars that got a bad exchange rate.

As for the best place to exchange, we found the bank to be a sure bet. Over the course of our trip our group exchanged at the airport, hotels and a bank. The bank gave us the best rate. But it wasn't hugely better. At the time we exchanged, the bank vs. the airport gave us an extra $5 per $100. We exchanged a small amount $20 - $100 when you first landed at the airport. Then immediately found a bank and stood in line for an hour. When it comes down to it, if your back is against the wall just exchange all your money at the airport. You can exchange the CUCs back to dollars at the end of your trip at the airport. To do so you must go inside rather than attempting the exchange at the outdoor terminal.

TAXIS

There are pretty consistent ranges for the price of taxis. You won’t find anyone offering more than 5 – 6 cucs difference in price. Still bargain to get on the lower end of things.

Make sure you check your change when paying for taxis and any other services. You want CUCs not CUPs back. Look for the monument instead of the face. If you give a CUC and get a CUP in return you have lost money. Never get out of a taxi until you are 100% sure you are at thecorrect location. We lost $30+ making this mistake whena driver dropped us off about 15 minutes from our actualdestination.