How To Book Your Casa Particular In Cuba - Easy!

Yes, you can travel to Cuba on your own. It's easy and cheap. In Cuba, airbnb.com (if you use this link, you will get a $40 credit towards your first booking) is operating and these types of accommodations are called casa particulares. 



They are rooms inside private homes. They can be hosted or more like an apartment. They cost approximately $20-$30 per night and consist of a private room with a private or shared bathroom. The host will provide towels and linens. Some have air conditioning. 
I highly recommend hosted casa particulares. Why? What I love about casa particulares is that the host will serve you breakfast for $4-$5 and dinner for approximately $10. 

Here's a look at lobster dinner. YUM! Breakfast included eggs, coffee, fruit, fresh juice and even a pancake. 

The hosts vary, but we found both of our hosts very hospitable and eager to talk and share their story with us. And isn't that what traveling is all about? Our hosts also arranged shared taxis, rides to and from the airport and even a horseback ride to a waterfall in Trinidad. 
Next blog post, a day in the Cuban countryside. 

Finally, Some Good News From Marriott/SPG

Finally, some good news out of the merger between Marriott and Starwood. One of the perks of the old program was that you could transfer points to dozens of airlines AND get a 5,000 mile bonus when you transferred 20,000 points. 
But United Airlines was one of the few that didn't participate. In fact, under the old Starwood program, the transfer rate was actually 2:1. Boo! 
But now under the new program, United Airlines is actually rewarding you with an additional 10% bonus when you transfer points to miles. 
For example, if you transfer 60,000 points (remember when the merger occurred, all points were tripled so this is the same 20,000 points from the old program), you get a bonus of 15,000 points (same 5,000 bonus from before) AND a 10% extra bonus. That's another 2,500 miles. 

Marriott/SPG 60,000 points + 15,000 bonus + 10% United bonus = 27,500 United miles

Now that's finally some good news! My old trick was transferring Starwood points to Singapore Airlines to book a United flight. But sometimes Singapore Airlines can get you on the taxes. United does not charge the same taxes AND you get the 10% bonus. Woohoo! That's how we do it at almostFREEfamilytravel! 

Southwest California Sale Ends Today!

Southwest is promoting a sale just for California, but it ends tonight! $39 one way fares connecting San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Burbank. 

There are blackout dates around the holidays, but if you want to swing up to SF for some chowder or to SD for some tacos, you may want to hop on this one! 

If you have the companion pass, it makes it a no-brainer. 

Hurry! Southwest Priority Bonus Ends Tomorrow

Southwest launched the new Priority credit card about a month ago and they are saying that the lucrative offer will end August 22nd. The lucrative bonus offer includes 65,000 points which count towards the companion pass (40,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months and 25,000 points when you spend $15,000 in the first year), 4 upgraded boarding passes, $75 Southwest travel credit, 7,500 points on your anniversary and no foreign transaction fees. The card earns 2x points on Southwest and 1x on everything else. 
The annual fee is $149, but you get the $75 credit so it actually costs less than the Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card. 
The offer is pretty sweet especially if you can swing the extra $15,000 spend in the first year. 
One other catch, if you currently have a Southwest personal credit card OR have received the bonus in the past 24 months, you are not eligible for this card. 
Depending on what the new offer is on this card, I may cancel my personal Southwest Premier card and apply for this one. I will time it so I get the bonus in early 2019 to qualify for the companion pass. The companion pass is a buy one, get one FREE on Southwest flights. It is good for the year you earn it and the following year. Amazing perk! 
I'll keep you posted. 

Everything You Need To Know To Travel Well In Cuba!

Cuba is surprisingly easy to travel IF you plan ahead. So I'm going to help you with the details that could make or break your trip to this fascinating country. 

1. Money. 

American credit cards are not accepted in Cuba. Your ATM card and your debit card will also not work in Cuba. So you need to take cash and enough cash to last you the entire trip. 

First, try to pay as much as you can before you arrive in Cuba. You can pay for your airbnb.com when you book. You can pay for some tours online before you arrive. If you plan to visit the Tropicana, you can buy your tickets online before you arrive. Depending on your spending habits, you can plan for about $50 per day. Breakfast costs 4-5 CUC. Dinner costs 10-15 CUC. Transportation is expensive in Cuba. Taxi to the airport is 30 CUC. Shared taxi to Trinidad is 30 CUC. Taxi from the Castillo de San Carlos de la Cabana to the main plaza in Havana Vieja costs 10 CUC. 

There are two types of currency in Cuba: one for tourists CUC and one for locals CUP. 

CUC have monuments on them so check your change. You will not be able to spend CUP. 

Every cambio/bank in Cuba charges the same exchange rate and commission so go ahead and change your money at the airport. There is a change booth inside the Southwest terminal that has a smaller line than the one outside. 

Besides the exchange rate, there is a 10% commission charged so, for example, we changed $500 and received 432 CUC (less $50 commission and an exchange rate of 89 CUC per $1). 

I would recommend changing a substantial amount at a time because banks close at different times each day and there are lines at all of them. 

  

2. WIFI

If you can't live without WIFI, you may not want to travel to Cuba right now. The WIFI system is not great. Here's how it works. You have to buy a WIFI card good for 1 hour for 1-3 CUC. You can buy the cards from the Telefonica for 1 CUC, but you will wait in line for about 30 minutes OR you can buy them in any local park or plaza for 2 CUC. Your Airbnb may also sell them for 3 CUC.  Then you log onto the network and enter the pin off your card. You have to remember to turn off WIFI access after you are done or your clock will keep ticking on your card. 

Sometimes the WIFI just stops working altogether and you just have to wait. 

3. Transport 

Transportation in Cuba is expensive. However, there are a few things you can do to save money on taxis. The best thing to do is find a shared taxi. This means that instead of a taxi just taking you or you and a friend, the driver will find two more people to fill the taxi. Now the cost is shared by four people instead of two. Your Airbnb host can call a shared taxi for you. You can use these to get to Trinidad from Havana or to Vinales or anywhere else you may want to go. 

4. Water and Food 

Do not drink the water in Cuba! You can either buy a Lifestraw from Amazon which will filter the water for you. OR you will need to buy bottled water. Most places will sell big bottles of water for 2 CUC. However, if you can find a water or grocery store, they will sell a bottle for .80 CUC so stock up. The rule on food is if the restaurant looks clean, it probably is. If it looks gross, don't eat there. 

Next post: FREE walking tours and the best place to buy souvenirs

Take The Kids To Portugal For 50% Off

The Azores off the coast of Portugal are quickly becoming a popular vacation destination for those seeking outdoor beauty. And according to our friends at The Points Guy, starting August 20th, you can take the kids ages 2-11 for 50% off. Nice!
The deal is being offered by Azores Airlines starting August 20th from Boston (BOS) to Sao Miguel (PDL). You must book your tickets between August 20th and September 9th for travel Nov. 1 - Dec. 18 or Jan. 10 - April 30. You must book directly with Azores Airlines through the website or by phone.  

Marriott Warning About Possible System Outages

The day has finally arrived....the merger of Marriott and Starwood reward programs. In advance of the merging of the reservation systems, Marriott is warning about possible system-wide outages August 15-19.
In addition, any outstanding Marriott vacation package certificates will be on hold temporarily until the new guidelines are announced.
Just a fyi, if you are trying to use the system.

Yes, You Can Travel To Cuba On Your Own!

It was the playground for the rich during prohibition and then it was cut off from the world for 40 years. Now, Cuba is open for tourism. In 2016, former President Barak Obama opened the gates for Americans to visit Cuba. Several American airlines including Southwest, Jet Blue, Delta and others raced to provide service.
Americans flooded into Cuba and though, Cuba welcomed the business, it wasn't ready to receive so many tourists at one time.
But the Cubans are resourceful and very quickly, they figured out how to service the American tourists.
And just when they figured it out, President Trump changed the rules. Now, most Americans believe the door is shut once again.

But I'm here to tell you that you CAN travel to Cuba on your own and not on an expensive tour. In the next few blog posts, I''m going to share with you how to do it. I just got back and it's a beautiful country with warm and welcoming people who want and need Americans to come back and visit.
And now is the perfect time, the infrastructure is in place and Starbucks is not there yet.

There are 11 categories that you are allowed to visit Cuba. You can read in-depth on each category here. But, for most of us, the "support for the Cuban people" category will be the best fit. There used to be a 12th category, "the people to people" category. But that's the one Trump eliminated in October 2017.
Under the "support for the Cuban people" category, you are mandated to stay in casa particulares or with host families. You are also required to eat at family-owned restaurants or paladares.  More on what those offer and how to book them in the next post. The Department of State has published a list of hotels and restaurants owned by the Cuban government that are off-limits for Americans.
The idea behind the category is that you are engaged with the Cuban people and not sitting on a beach drinking a pina colada. If that's what you are picturing for your vacation, then pick a different island in the Carribean.
In 2016, American airlines were allowed to fly directly from the US to Cuba. United offers nonstop flights from Newark. American offers nonstops from Charlotte and Miami. Jet Blue offers non stop flights from Boston, JFK, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale. Delta offers nonstop flights from Atlanta. Southwest offers nonstops from Fort Lauderdale and Tampa. Check google.com/flights to find the one that works best for you.
We flew Southwest because I had a companion pass. There are only two flights a day from Fort Lauderdale so coming from the west coast, we spent the night going and had a long layover returning. But I was able to use points for the flights and my companion flew FREE.

When you book your flight, you will be prompted by the airline to buy a visa for $50 and to declare your category. When you pick up your visa, you will be asked again to state your category. I recommend buying your visa from the airline. It streamlines the process.
Other than those two times, no one ever asked me again. I brought my itinerary with in case someone asked, but no one did.
Your airplane ticket will include the mandatory health insurance required by Cuba.
But even with the additional charge for insurance, flights from Florida are approximately $100 each way.
In the next blog post, I will talk about how to book your casa particular, money, wifi and other important travel issues for your trip to Cuba.

Final Days To Get 3 FREE Nights At Wyndham

You just have one day left to snag a 45,000 point bonus from Wyndham. What can you do with 45,000 Wyndham points? A lot. Every room at Wyndham's 8,000 properties worldwide costs 15,000 points so 45,000 points gets you 3 nights at any Wyndham. 

For example, I used 60,000 points last summer to stay 2 nights in 2 rooms at the Ramada in central Prague. The hotel was centrally located and included a huge breakfast. Hotels in Prague can run upwards of $250 per night. So, those 60,000 points were a $1,000 value. 

The Wyndham credit card has a 30,000 point bonus after your first purchase and a 15,000 point bonus after you spend $2,000 within 3 months. 

This offer ends 8/10/18. There is a $75 annual fee which is not waived the first year. 

What does "Extra Time" mean on Southwest? A lot

On our recent return trip to Cuba (watch the blog for several articles on Cuba travel), we learned something about the boarding process at Southwest. "Extra Time". Let me back up. We tried to check in from Cuba for our Fort Lauderdale to Kansas City leg, but the WIFI is very sketchy so we were not able to check in until we landed in Florida. 

Yep, that means we got the dreaded C boarding group. 

The Southwest agent felt bad for us since we had been up early, had a long layover in Florida and still many hours of flying to reach our destination. 

So she told us "I'll put extra time on your boarding pass so you can board after the A boarding group and before the family boarding". What?!

To be honest, I had never heard the agents announce an extra time qualifier when calling different boarding groups before. But I heard it this time. 

And the agent told us she couldn't book us with more time on our Kansas City flight, but that we should talk to the boarding agent at the gate and see if he/she could add it. 

When we arrived in Kansas City, we talked to the agent there and bam, she added it to our boarding pass too. 

I'm not suggesting you should ask for extra time, but it's good to know the options if you are ever faced with a situation where you may need a bit extra time to board. 

Why Travel Reward Credit Cards Are Awesome!

Imagine buying a plane ticket and then erasing the charge from your credit card bill. What? Yep, for you newbies, this is the deal from several travel reward credit cards. The 3 most popular cards out there are the Capital One Venture, Bank of America Travel Rewards and the Barclays Arrival Plus. 

With all 3, you get a sign up bonus, earn points for charges and then "erase" travel charges with your points. No blackout dates and travel charges are low budget airlines, train tickets, airbnb, car rentals and more. 

Let's go over the differences between these cards : 

Capital One Venture offers 2x points on everyday purchases, 10x on hotels booked through hotels.com and a 50,000 sign up bonus for a $3,000 minimum spend. Fee waived the first year, $95 fee after that. 

Bank of America Travel Rewards offers 1.5x on everyday purchases, 20,000 sign up bonus for a $1,000 minimum spend. No annual fee. 

Barclays Arrival Plus offers 2x points on everyday purchases,  60,000 sign up bonus for a $5,000 minimum spend.  $89 annual fee, not waived the first year. 

Depending on your spending habits or if you have a big purchase coming up, you can decide which card makes the most sense for you. When we traveled to Costa Rica, I charged our plane tickets to the Barclays card and then erased two of them. Yep, BOGO. That's how we do it at almost FREE family travel.