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Above, you can see a street in Trinidad, Cuba. Since 1988, Trinidad has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Of course, if you are an American, spending a single US dollar in Trinidad (or anywhere else in Cuba) means breaking American law. Apart from special circumstances, US travel to Cuba has been effectively banned for decades now. But the US Congress is currently considering a measure that would end the travel ban. Both sides have been arguing their case passionately. Some say there is no reason to punish the Cuban people by depriving them of needed US tourist dollars. Others say every dollar spent in Cuba only props up the nation’s Communist government. In this episode of our Talking Travel podcast, Lonely Planet’s Robert Reid and Tom Hall offer their assessments on what the lifting of the travel ban might mean for you as a tourist, and for the Cuban people.

Also in this episode, Tom looks at the European Commission’s list of blacklisted airlines. And Robert finds out that more than half of the airline caterers in the United States have safety flaws, according the US Food and Drug Administration. Simply put, think twice about taking Mega Airlines out of Kazakhstan, or about spending $10 on that airline sandwich.

And we end the episode with a brief chat about historical reenactments. Robert recently volunteered his excellent (reen)acting services:

Needless to say, Tom, our Brit, applauds Robert’s choice to play a loyalist!

On a more serious note, check out the US National Parks volunteer opportunities. You can do a lot more than just wear a tri-cornered hat, although that is pretty cool.

Don’t forget, you can follow us on Twitter, and on Facebook.

(Photo: José Porras)