The White House’s announcement that the U.S. would re-establish diplomatic ties with Cuba and loosen travel restrictions has had a stunning effect on travel to Cuba. Hotels are suddenly overbooked, Havana and other cities are teeming with Americans—once rarely seen—and the Cuban tourism industry is retooling its strategy for what is being described as an avalanche of demand from U.S., Canadian, and European markets.

Few destinations appeal to the American traveler the way Cuba does. The U.S. and Cuba are inexorably linked culturally, historically, and geographically. Yet U.S. policy has separated us for more than five decades. Many Americans long to take a bite of the forbidden fruit and see Cuba before it changes. So, what awaits the American traveler to Cuba?