There are 3 things you need to know before traveling to Cuba - and it will make or break your trip

Traveling to Cuba isn't like traveling to other countries.

While every country is unique, Cuba has an idiosyncratic culture influenced by decades of US embargo (known locally as El Bloqueo) and rule by the Communist Party.

Tourists have been visiting the country for years, but it is only recently that Americans have joined the fray thanks to the reopening of diplomatic relations between the US and Cuba in 2014.

With Trump threatening to undo the Obama-initiated re-opening of Cuba, I visited the island last year.

By the end of my 10-day stay, I found that a few tips that I picked up both before leaving and while in the country were the difference between an excellent vacation and a travel disaster.