Cuba, Cuba and more Cuba

In case you haven’t noticed, Cuba has been in the news a lot lately thank to the beginning of normalization of relations between the island nation and the United States. This has led to an increase in interest in travel to Cuba. Because of this renewed intrigue, Airbnb recently announced more than one thousand homes would be part of its rental program. Airbnb says the average nightly rental rate will run you about $42. While most of the rooms available are in and around Havana, some others are also available.

However, some analysts note that the 1950’s “stuck in time” appeal many people associate with Cuba could be lost with the normalization of ties and commercialization with the U.S. While it appears that the change is inevitable, the window of opportunity to explore Cuba as it has (largely) been for several decades is open right now, especially because several real estate agents and cruise lines have already been scoping out the island looking for opportunity.

Cheaper travel thanks to fuel prices?

For the past several years, airlines have cited higher fuel prices for higher airfares. However, things may be changing thanks to cheaper oil. Delta Airlines President Ed Bastian says the relaxed prices his airline and a number of other are beginning to enjoy will inevitably trickle down to consumers.

However, Bastian notes that before prices start to fall in step with oil those $50-$60 per barrel oil prices would need to be the norm for some time.