My Trips vs National Geographic's Cuba trips.

A couple things to keep in mind...

1) I have not heard anything about the National Geographic Cuba trips in terms of their quality, but I am assuming they are excellent. I do personally know two of the leaders of their Cuba trips and they are terrific and highly qualified people.

2) To the best of my knowledge (ironically) National Geo does not offer a purely photographic trip to Cuba. In other words, none of their leaders are primarily travel photographers and/or photography teachers.

Here's the comparison (prices current as of February 20, 2017)...

National Geographic for a December trip. See their trip page here.

• 9 Days | Round-trip Havana via Miami

• Group Size: Max 25

• Meals included: YES. (all but two dinners are included in the expedition cost. For extra meals, budget for about $25 - $50 per person. 

• Trip Cost: $7,595.00

• Single room supplant: $1,850

• Airfare: Miami/Havana/Miami: $625.00

• Extras costs for optional special events: $0

• Total trip & air cost: : $8,220.00

MY December trip...

• 11 Days | Round-trip Havana via Miami

• Group Size: Max 20

• Meals included: No**

• Trip Cost: $6,995.00

• Airfare: Miami/Havana/Miami: included in trip cost

• Extras costs for optional special events: (approx.) $300

• Total trip & air cost: $7,295.00

**I do not include food costs in the trip price as often people just don’t want to eat sometimes and that seems like wasted money. So, assuming $20 for lunch and $40 for dinner, then you would have to add about $600 to my trip cost if you eat every meal…

• Total trip & air cost: $7,895.00 (including meals)

Important note: My trip are two days longer, and usually 5 people less for $325.00 less plus I always have an assistant with me. If you make both trips the same time, then my trip really come out to about $2,012 less than the National Geographic trips.

Also please note: Obviously Nat Geo and I are not the only players in the game now. There are lots of other people that are offering Cuba trips. It has been my experience over the last several years that a lot of photographers are jumping on the bandwagon and bringing people to Cuba, just so they can go there and shoot on someone else's dime. I know several shooters that have taken full groups there and have never been there themselves. Those photographers charge way less that Nat Geo and me. As they say...ya get what you pay for.