Airbnb has revolutionized the way we travel by allowing people to rent rooms on the fly in 190 countries around the world. Now that President Barack Obama is finally opening U.S. relations with Cuba, Airbnb is taking over Havana and other cities in the communist island nation.
The DIY rental service says it already has more than 1,000 listings available in Cuba. You have to be a U.S. citizen to stay at the Airbnb rooms, but you could score an awesome retro-chic rental for super-cheap.
Cast your eyes on a few of the glorious places you can rent.
Airbnb faces considerable challenges out of the gate in Cuba, including limited access to the Internet (only 4 percent of Cuban homes have web access). The service is starting small and concentrating mostly on the area around Havana for now. Airbnb told Bloomberg its aim is to facilitate travel to Cuba without paving over the unique culture forged during decades of isolation from the U.S.
“Think about the big hotel chains coming in, with mass development,” says Nathan Blecharczyk, Airbnb co-founder and chief technology officer. “The idea here is to support growth in travel that isn’t disruptive, that actually celebrates and preserves Cuba as a distinct destination.”
Traveling to Cuba still isn’t easy if you’re in the States. Visits that are explicitly for tourism are banned; however, you can book the commie getaway of your dreams if you tell them you’re going for professional research, educational activities or to “support the Cuban people.”
Source: Airbnb
