Bob...I now your travel is pretty much focused on round trip to Cuba these days but have you never taken trips to places to just go and visit for the first time? And have you taken your vacation time and spent a fair amount of money to go somewhere that interests you from a historical and culture standpoint...flown many hours etc.?
Actually I am in the midst of planning a June trip to Russia and Vietnam.
In all honestly I find the paragraph describing the OMG traveler very demeaning to most travelers.
I cannot think of any situation over the years where either here on TT or over there on TA that anyone was criticized for a trip report that detailed out what they enjoyed and did not. I can think of a good number of situations where such was encouraged. The problem comes from those who will try to tell the world what Cuba, its culture, its political situation, and the people are all about from one or two visits to a very narrow range of places. That is because they typically make many blanket statements that are simply wrong. They get so excited about their trip that they cannot accept they are not special, that millions of tourists have been going to Cuba for a long time, that US citizens have been going to Cuba for many years, or just how much information about Cuba is known. I find it notable that almost nobody who has spent much time in Cuba tries to explain what Cuba is all about. We realize just how complex and differing Cuba is.
And finally if someone does not end up liking Cuba it may be the result of many things but does not necessarily mean they had too strict of an agenda or pre booked or did anything wrong...simply put Cuba is not for everyone.
Definitely agree that Cuba is not for everyone. My comment was based on conversations with many returning tourists who thought they had seen it all because they have been to 8 places in 12 days but in reality missed totally what Cuba is all about. They only got the same superficial overview repeated over and over. And in most cases, this was a result of a over ambitions agenda with everything pre-booked so they could not make any changes. Having advanced knowledge really benefits any trip. Just too many take it to an extreme and surrender flexibility.
And on the casa situation you reference "no real basis for comparison"...so what...when I travel I do research find a place that I feel will work for me and book it.
My comment relates to casas, tour guides, drivers, and other similar where are multitudes of options that are basically the same. I see too many new visitors who feel that absolutely must stay at XXX casa, hire YYY as a guide, and use ZZZ as a driver when there are so many others that are the same.
There is a not so subtle tone here and on TA that all first timers are pretty much not savvy travelers....idiots...over extended etc...don't get good prices and on and on. Gets old after awhile. .
Sorry you have that impression but good you expressed your opinion.
No many of us are not part of the "club" but the constant comments get old. Therefore long way of saying I agree with Renata.
Again, sorry you feel that way. I note the number of experienced Cuban travelers who have left this forum and the other because they got tired of being berated, tired of answering the same questions over and over, tired of being questioned by those who actually had no experience or information, and tired of feeling the responsibility to step forward and correct erroneous information. They all basically said they were only trying to help but were not interested somewhere that their opinions were not appreciated.
And for first timers reading this...go ahead and plan and do research...booking ahead works for most of us and enjoy your trip.
I have always said research and some preliminary plans are good. If a traveler wants to lock themselves into a fixed schedule, they should do what works for them. I only want them to know there are options.