January 20, 2002

THE LEGAL WAY FOR

AMERICANS TO TRAVEL TO CUBA

By KARL ZIMMERMANN, Special To The Los Angeles Times

Getting there: Spending money in Cuba is illegal because of the
Trading With the Enemy Act. To go to the island legally,
independent travelers must qualify under Treasury Department
regulations. For information, contact the Office of Foreign
Assets Control, Department of the Treasury, (202) 622- 2480,
fax (202) 622-1657, http://www.treas.gov/ofac.

Tours: Trains Unlimited Tours, P.O. Box 1997, Portola, CA
96122; (800) 359-4870 or (530) 836-1745, fax (530) 836-1748,
http://www.trainsunlimitedtours.com. The company has two
more departures this year, Feb. 9 and March 2, of its unique
"Cuban Rail Historian Adventure." Each is 16 days long, costs
$3,948 (single room supplement $475) and includes a charter
flight from Miami to Havana, all lodging, meals and acquisition
of Treasury Department license. Arrangements in Cuba are made
by Transnico, a company run by Belgian steam locomotive fan
Thierry Nicholas, who accompanied my tour, and Global
Exchange of San Francisco, which specializes in travel to
difficult places. Global Exchange sponsored the tour I took and
handles Treasury Department approval of tour participants.

For more information: Because the U.S. has no diplomatic
relations with Cuba, there is no Cuban information agency in the
U.S. The Cuban government's Web site is http://www.cubaweb.cu.