26/08/2026
That moment the plane wheels hit the tarmac at Queen Beatrix International Airport, a collective sigh of relief goes through the cabin. If you are a repeat visitor, you know exactly what comes next. It is the magical transformation where your brain completely shuts off its survival mode and switches into pure island mode.Let's face it: you just survived the ultimate pre-vacation test. You spent three days playing Tetris with your suitcase, desperately trying to keep it under fifty pounds while packing four different pairs of sunglasses and way too many bottles of reef-safe sunscreen. You survived the airport security line, where you inevitably had to chug an entire bottle of water like you were in a college competition because you forgot it was in your bag. But the second that cabin door opens and the warm Aruba breeze hits your face, all that travel trauma is completely forgotten. You look out the window at that impossible turquoise water, and you are officially a person who does not care what day of the week it is.For those of us who keep coming back year after year, landing here feels less like starting a vacation and more like a family reunion where the main activities are sitting under a palapa and doing absolutely nothing. To our fellow Aruba veterans, we know you have this down to a science. What is your go-to, slightly ridiculous ritual the moment you clear customs? Do you do the frantic wardrobe change into shorts right there in the airport bathroom, or do you head straight to your favorite beach bar before you even think about checking into your hotel? Let us know your arrival traditions in the comments below.
