Travel To Cuba Easier, For Cubans

by Chris Owen on

Travel to and from Cuba took a progressive turn this week as restrictions dating back a half-century were lifted for Cubans, allowing them to leave the island without going through a time-consuming process. It’s good news for Cubans longing to travel freely in and out of their country and a step in the right direction for Americans, dreaming of a visit to Cuba.

Starting in January, Cubans will no longer need an exit visa permitting departure and a letter of invitation from someone in the destination country. Those restrictions were imposed in 1961 after the Cuban Revolution that occurred between 1953 and 1959, placing Fidel Castro in power. Now, most Cubans will only need their passports, national identity cards and a visa (if needed) from the country they will visit.It’s a move viewed as a next step to allowing free travel to and from Cuba for Americans eager to visit the island. Right now, travel is restricted via the U.S. government’s 1917 Trading with the Enemy Act. Under that act, the restriction is not on travel but on the spending of money in Cuba.

That act effectively equates to a travel ban because under normal circumstances a visitor would spend on accommodations, food and other necessities.

“Like earlier decisions legalizing the personal sales of homes and cars, this is another step in the direction of loosening restrictions and opening up Cuban society,” said Sarah Stephens, executive director of the Center for Democracy in the Americas, a Washington group opposed to the U.S. embargo on Cuba, in a Reuters report.

Back in April 2011, Gadling reported on new guidelines that allowed journalists plus religious and educational groups to travel to Cuba just about whenever they wanted to. Those rules also allowed Americans to send up to $2,000 annually to Cuba, limited to $500 per quarter (up from $300). Progress is being made.

Still, to get to Cuba, Americans must look to an exception to the rule on spending money in Cuba, allowed by licenses issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the Treasury Department.

Want to go to Cuba?

Cuba Travel Services, Cubalinda and a few other travel agencies specialize in travel to and from Cuba, operate direct flights between the United States and Cuba and can assist licensed travelers with all their travel accommodations.




[Photo Credit: Flickr user Ed Yourdon]

Grounded Cruise Ship Trial Begins With Black Box Evidence

by Chris Owen on

The grounded cruise ship Costa Concordia may not be on trial itself but court proceedings began this week, looking for answers to what happened. More than 100 lawyers representing survivors and the families of passengers and crew members who died in the January event are on hand to plead their case.

The proceedings will be based on evidence from the ship’s black box recordings, navigational details and conversations recorded on the bridge of the ship. Making up part of the 270 pages of documents before the court is Captain Francesco Schettino’s testimony that his ship was not too close to the island of Gigio. Schettino maintains that he was simply following company policy to “salute” the island.

Thirty-two people died after Schettino allegedly took the ship off course and dangerously close to the Tuscan island of Giglio on the night of January 13. The ship then ran aground and capsized. Hearings this week will help decide whether to put Schettino on trial for manslaughter among other charges.

“We want to look him in the eye to see how he will react to the accusations,” German survivor Michael Liessen, 50, who was attending with his wife said in a ClarionLedger report.



Video Of The Day: The ‘Wildscapes’ Of Wyoming

by Libby Zay on

Wyoming, the least populous of all of the states in the United States, is also one of the most beautiful places to visit. The land is covered in mountains, foothills, prairies and high plains, nearly half of which is owned by the U.S. Government. Each year, more than six million people come to see Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park, making this one place where travelers outnumber the locals; just over 500,000 people call the state home. In today’s Video of the Day, Nicolaus Wegner attempts to capture the many varied landscapes of the state. Give it a look and you might find yourself daydreaming about a visit to the Cowboy State.

A Spooky Road Trip On Vermont’s Haunted Highways

by Chris Owen on

The state of Vermont thinks it has plenty of ghosts and is looking to share them with the world, at least during the witching month of October. In the southwest part of the state, known as “Bennington Triangle,” hikers mysteriously went missing between 1920 and 1950. At Lake Memphremagog in the north, the ghost of General “Mad” Anthony Wayne has been spotted walking across the top of the lake. To share stories, Vermont has launched Haunted Highways, a collection of ghost stories with lodging packages available statewide.

“Ghosts have been part of the Vermont landscape for hundreds of years, marking each phase of Vermont’s historical development,” said Joseph Citro, Vermont’s official Ghost-Master General and author of “The Vermont Ghost Guide” in a statement. “Across all corners of the state, vengeful vagrants, lovelorn ladies, and lonely lads lurk in Vermont’s eternal shadows, and it’s wonderful how the state is embracing its spooky past.”

Travelers hoping to catch a glimpse of one of these elusive figures can follow Vermont’s highway system, starting in the southern part of the state in Bennington, then driving North on Route 7 to The Equinox resort off exit three to historic Manchester Village where the spirit of Mary Todd Lincoln is said to haunt the third and fourth floors of the resort’s south wing.

Along the way, several spooky Vermont inns and bed-and-breakfasts close to ghost sighting areas – some with haunted rooms and the home to strange events – have special seasonal offers.

The Green Mountain Inn in Stowe, Vermont, wants guests to listen for the tap dancing steps of the inn’s former horseman Boots Berry. Born in 1840 in the servant’s quarters of the Green Mountain Inn, Boots Berry was a local hero before he was fired for excessive drinking. Legend has it, he saved a little girl stuck on the Inn’s roof during a snowstorm before slipping and falling to his death. During severe winter storms, Boots can still be heard tap dancing on the third floor of the hotel. From October 21 through November 30, 2012, rates start at $96 per night based on double occupancy.

The Readmore Bed & Breakfast in Bellows Falls, Vermont, is offering a bottle of local Spooky Sparkling Cider and scary tales about the haunted “Cook’s Room” to travelers who book a two-night stay with breakfast through November 30, 2012. Total package price starts at $300, based on double occupancy.

The White House Inn in Wilmington, Vermont, haunted by the presence of the baroness who originally occupied the inn, is hosting a special séance/haunted tour with dinner on October 27, 2012. Rates for a two-night stay through November 30, 2012 start at $349, based on double occupancy.

The Golden Stage Inn- Interstate 91 in eastern Vermont, where guests and staff alike have noticed strange events in the “new” wing, and where innkeepers have become familiar with a young friendly spirit they’ve named George, who appears dressed in a traveling cloak and some say bears a remarkable resemblance to Robert Redford. The Golden Stage Inn is encouraging curious visitors to have their own ghostly experience through November 30, 2012, with rates beginning at $165 per person based on double occupancy.

Forty Putney Road Bed & Breakfast in Brattleboro, Vermont, is showcasing the spooky side of town at locations such as the Retreat Cemetery, just steps away from the inn, where numerous ghost sightings have occurred. Through November 30, 2012, rates start at $159 per night based on double occupancy.

This video has more on the ghosts of Brattleboro, which seem to center on the cemetery of the former Vermont Asylum and a stone tower built by Asylum patients as well as a haunted castle.



[Flickr photos by VTscapes]