Originally Posted by
Astrophsx
In the past 5 years how many "rookie" mistakes have you made when traveling to a new country? I just get the feeling that everyone here has a stick up their butts. If you went up to any random person and asked... would you call a premium airplane cabin and hotel reviewer who logs 400k miles a year and travels to 20+ countries a travel expert... I bet you they'd say yes... and those are the people who Ben relies on for income.
Not to make this thread about me, but I visited Vietnam soon after it was opened up for Americans, Myanmar soon after it was opened up for Americans and soon Cuba soon after it was opened up for Americans.
I am not so naive as to go to any of these places without carefully planning and level setting for my time there. It's critical.
Ben went to Cuba thinking it would be like visiting Aruba or the DR. That's a stunning level of naivete for any traveler, much less a self-proclaimed travel expert.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Ben has a niche in which he is an unparalleled expert: luxury
transportation and lodging. Transportation =/= travel.
My wife and I think of it this way: there are vacations and there is travel. Vacations are relaxing and have their own rewards. Travel takes work and has its own different rewards. Ben is all about vacation. But Cuba is travel. Hence his dissonance. @:-)