Michael Bellows lives in Key West, Florida. He was born in
Washington, D.C. and grew up on the Lower East Side in New York
City and the Mediterranean island of Ibiza, Spain. He has lived and
traveled extensively in the United States, Europe, the Caribbean
and Central America. With his sister Jo, he owned and operated a
travel company and led anthropological and archaeological tours to
Mexico. In 1989, during the contra war in Nicaragua (and with his
other sister Susie), he volunteered as a driver transporting
equipment and supplies to the Managua office of the U.S.-based
watchdog group Witness for Peace.

After graduating from Dowling College in Long Island, N.Y. in
1981 with a Bachelor's degree in business, he pursued freelance
journalism. His articles have appeared in various newspapers and
magazines throughout the U.S. and cover a wide range of subjects
including urban homelessness, New Age healers, folk rock
musicians, poet Allen Ginsberg, and actor and comedian Dom
DeLuise.

His interest in Cuba intensified after cultivating a close friendship
with a Cuban man who fled the Caribbean nation on a makeshift raft during the Cuban balsero (rafter) crisis in 1994.

Two weeks after moving to Key West in 1996, he bought his first
sailboat (a 26-foot, no-frills '69 Seafarer), took crash courses
(literally) in sailing from his buddies "on the hook" off Christmas
Tree island, and a few months later sailed to Cuba to investigate
things for himself.

The 100-mile crossing took him ten days because of delays
caused by bad weather, hull leaks, a jammed keel, a ripped sail,
and a busted boom. He would like to take this opportunity to thank
Tito and Diana of the fishing vessel Crusader for the wonderful crab
salad on crackers during this ordeal, and also Dry Tortugas park
ranger Roy Apuglese for the emergency water ration.

Bellows has since improved his sailing skills considerably, and
he has traveled to the forbidden island many times, by boat and by
plane. The country has become a second home for him, and many
of the people he has met during his explorations, including the
relatives of his balsero friend in Key West, have turned into a rather
large extended family across the Straits. Cuba Information Manual: The Definitive Guide to Legal and Illegal Travel to Cuba is a result of all those years of research and discovery and would not have been possible without the kindness, generosity, willingness, and trust of all these wonderful Cuban people.

Bellows understands that the issues of U.S.--Cuba relations, the U.S. Trade Embargo against Cuba, and the travel restrictions are not only complex, but emotional too. In this light, and in the spirit of dialogue, healthy debate, and exchange of information, he extends an open invitation to anyone to meet him for a cafe con leche at Harpoon Harry's diner in Key West, Florida.

"This book is indispensable for anyone who doesn't realize how difficult or how easy it is to get to Cuba, as a U.S. citizen. Here at the Center for Cuban Studies, we spend hours answering questions such as "How can I get to Cuba?" What makes me eligible to go legally?" "What will happen to me if I travel without a Treasury Department license?" "How do I apply for a general license?" (the worst, since you don't, try explaining THAT!) "Am I eligible for a specific license?" "Can I take a camera? Can I take pictures?" "Will the police arrest me for x, y, z?" "Can I wear a, b, c?" "What's the money?" The questions don't stop. From now on, we will just say, BUY THIS BOOK! IT WILL ANSWER ALMOST EVERY QUESTION YOU HAVE!"