Another Sign of Change? Bold New Cuba Guide Promotes Travel To Cuba Will the Key West-Havana ferry be back in business soon? Travel to Cuba without a permit from the U.S. Treasury Department is still not legal for U.S. citizens, but the first Cuba travel guide of the Obama era is providing a big head start for those who don't want to wait around for Congress to pass a bill that would end the travel ban. Cuba Information Manual: The Definitive Guide to Legal and Illegal Travel to Cuba was officially released on February 26 at Voltaire Books in Key West. If sales at the book signing by author Michael Bellows is any indication (it set a record for book sales of all book signings at Voltaire Books, even beating out Joan Rivers' release of her book Men Are Stupid...and They Like Big Boobs in January), many U.S. citizens aren't waiting around for the congressional green light. Cuba Information Manual: The Definitive Guide to Legal and Illegal Travel to Cuba offers tried-and-true information about how to get to Cuba (legally or illegally), where to stay, how to get around, changing money, avoiding the Revolutionary police, dangers and annoyances, and navigating the very different laws and social customs that govern the communist country. Included in the manual are maps, an extensive reference section, and engaging color photographs that capture the flavor and character of an enigmatic tropical nation and her people who are the friendliest and most sociable on the planet. Click here to read an excerpt. But what sets Cuba Information Manual: The Definitive Guide to Legal and Illegal Travel to Cuba apart from other travel guides to Cuba is that it provides in-depth information and resources for U.S. citizens and residents of the United States who are confused about the legalities and/or illegalities concerning travel to Cuba in light of the U.S.-Cuba trade embargo laws that have been in effect since 1962.

Written in a style that is easy to read and seductively informative, Cuba Information Manual: The Definitive Guide to Legal and Illegal Travel to Cuba decodes the intimidating and often misinterpreted embargo laws. The manual is also peppered with anecdotes and personal experiences of the author's own visits to the renegade island. The result is an irresistible travel guide that offers insider secrets, tips, loopholes, and advice from a veteran Cuba traveler, and an entertaining book that helps the reader get a vivid and accurate picture of the Cuban people and daily life in Cuba. There is even a chapter on popular Cuban jokes, and a section on "How to Speak Cuban." Although Cuban Spanish is classic Castilian (from Spain), the unique pronunciation and much of the Cuban vocabulary owes its origins to the Canary Islands, a Spanish territory that saw massive migrations to Cuba in the 19th and early 20th century. Mr. Bellows is aware of the controversy his trailblazing guide creates. For example, the book openly challenges the U.S. trade embargo laws. And many Cuban-Americans who fled the Castro dictatorship vehemently oppose tourist travel to Cuba because they feel that the tourist dollars help keep the communist government in power. Mr. Bellows' response to these arguments, which are discussed in detail in his book, is that the trade embargo actually exacerbates the repression in Cuba and prolongs the impotency of the Cuban people by forcing them to be more dependent on the government for their needs. "The embargo also gives the Cuban government a pretext to enforce military law on its citizens," Mr. Bellows writes in his book. "And it establishes the U.S. as an imperialistic enemy." In a letter addressed to President Barack Obama, the U.S. State Department, and members of Congress, Mr. Bellows writes that change in countries wrestling under the yoke of repressive governments is fostered by opening up the communication lines and allowing for an exchange of ideas and information. "More people and more openness," says Vicki Huddleston, a former chief of the U.S. diplomatic mission in Cuba, "is a bigger threat (to the Cuban government) than isolating them." The text in this section is excerpted, in large part, from the popular Cuba travel guide, Cuba Information Manual: The Definitive Guide to Legal and Illegal Travel to Cuba, by veteran Cuba traveler and journalist Michael Bellows. The book is available in all Key West bookstores and other venues such as Cuba Cuba at 814 Duval Street and many Key West cigar shops such as the Key West Cigar Company at 1117 Duval Street. You can also purchase a copy of the book on Amazon.com. For questions or comments, or if you'd like to contact the author, visit the Cuba Information Manual website at cubatravelpro.com.