Travelling in Aruba!

When travelling to Aruba there are several required documents you must bring with you to get there. Firstly, you must have a passport that is valid upon entry and for the duration of stay in Aruba. If the tourist holds a passport from a visa required country then you must have a valid visa sticker in your passport. You need a completely filled-in and signed Embarkation and Disembarkation card, a valid return ticket, and the necessary documents for returning to the country of origin or to a country that you have the right to enter, for example a valid residence permit, a re-entry permit, or a visa. If so requested, the tourist has to be able to prove to the satisfaction of the migration officer that you have a valid reservation for a hotel in Aruba or that you own property in Aruba. Lastly, you will need all the necessary vaccinations and a certificate of proof for required countries. After you've acquired all your documentation you're ready to book a flight! After doing your research you'll find that a basic economy flight to and from Aruba averages around $450 for the July time period.

Now that you've found your flight it's time to make hotel reservations. For a stand alone condo sleeping two people the price per night is around $229. If you're planning to stay a week that'll total to around $1,374. Now that you have your hotel reservations you're ready to decide what sites you'd like to see during your trip. Boca Catalina is a beautiful little beach that offers a great snorkeling experience with a diversity of aquatic life very close to the shore. This small inlet is located between Malmok and Arashi Beach, but is not visited as much as these beaches. A popular attraction in front of Boca Catalina is the sunken German ship wreck (the Antilla) that is sticking out of the water. However swimming to the Antilla from Boca Catalina is too far. Although this attraction is visited a lot by many catamarans and sail boats, it's still very quiet and relaxing at this beach. The best time to visit this beach is in the morning when the wind and current are not as strong. Another good place to visit while you're in Aruba is to take a sail boat out to the Antilla. 

The Antilla is the largest wreck in the South Caribbean and is one of the most popular dive sites on Aruba, either for day or night dive site, where everything that lives under the sea can be seen. This German freighter was confiscated at the start of World War II. The German crew opened its valves and let it sink rather than be confiscated. Lastly, Oranjestad is the capital of Aruba and is named after 'Huis van Oranje' (Orange House), the name of the Dutch Royal Family in 1824 during the Dutch colonization. Most of Aruba's government buildings are located in Oranjestad and it is also the place for shopping and along the seaside you will find merchants sailing Aruba art and local handcrafts. Oranjestad features some traditional Dutch multicolored buildings. This is a wonderful place to travel and fully enjoy the beautiful culture of Aruba.

Finally you can calculate your total trip cost, start with your $450 round trip flight, then add your $1,374 condo, now set aside about $400 for your meals, set aside $500 for a week long car rental, set aside $200 for shopping, and lastly set aside about $300 for tourism attractions. Add all of those numbers together and you'll have a total of about $3,300 for your entire trip. Now exchange the shopping, meal, car rental, and attractions cost to Aruban Florin and you'll need about 2,500 Aruban Florin.

Aruba Travel Itinerary

1. Arrive at airport and board flight.
2. Arrive in Aruba and pick up rental car.
3. Hotel check in, eat dinner, and recover from flight with a good night's sleep.
4. Wake up, get breakfast, and drive to the beach.
5. Snorkel while at the beach, then get lunch and dinner, and settle in for the night.
6. Wake up, get breakfast, and drive to Oranjestad.
7. Shop, eat lunch and dinner, and settle in for the night.
8. Wake up, get breakfast, and drive to the beach.
9. Deep sea fishing, get lunch and dinner, and settle in for the night.
10. Wake up, get breakfast, and drive to the Antilla touring port.
11. Tour the Antilla, get lunch and dinner, and settle in for the night.
12. Wake up, get breakfast, and drive to the beach.
13. Coastal fishing, get lunch and dinner, and settle in for the night.
14. Wake up, get breakfast, and drive to Oranjestad.
15. Shop from sailing merchants, get lunch and dinner, and settle in for the night.
16. Wake up, get breakfast, and pack belongings.
17. Drop off rental car, go to airport, and board plane back to the U.S.