On a trip organized by Insight Cuba last month, 12 Americans spent their morning speaking with Cubans at a neighborhood art project.

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"It is best to have one's trip organized by a certified safari operator because they already know which are the best places to stay given one's budget, " iReporter Marlene Francia said.

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It was "a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet with one of the world's most successful and knowledgeable businessmen, " according to Anne Thimsen, a second-year student who organized the trip for 27 MBA classmates at the University of Iowa's Tippie School of Management.

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The trip was not school-sanctioned, instead being organized by parents and WorldStrides, a student travel company, Biven said.

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