I was 13 years old the first time I stepped foot on a plane. Maybe in my 20’s by the time I flew for the second time. Traveling was limited to the surrounding states in my childhood. And truthfully it was a road trip to New Hampshire from Massachusetts for day trips. They always felt magical and were always appreciated, but I always had the pull to leave and travel. In my mid 20’s I road tripped through all of the lower 48 states of this country, experiencing all that it had to offer. I think so much of this country is left unvisited by the very people that take it for granted.
I knew that when I started a family that I would want to travel as much as possible. I love that my boys have that sense of adventure that I didn’t have to let die just because I started a new season of life. Now, every year we plan our February vacation together and choose our next big adventure. This year it took us to Aruba! Neither myself or my husband had every experienced this country so I was overly exciting to go for the first time together.
Now, I’m not exactly a travel blogger but this will certainly be my first attempt to give you all of my tips and tricks about how we plan, pack and prepare for a week long trip with two kids to a foreign country. So, here it goes…
Work with a Travel Agent:
I think it can seem intimidating to use a travel agent. Mostly because you think that using one will add to the cost of your trip. For us, we experienced the exact opposite. My husband is a researcher and analyst by trade, so even using our travel agent for the first time, he cross referenced EVERYTHING that he priced out for us. And when I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING! And in that search he found that everything was either priced to what we researched or better yet, lower!!!
After booking multiple trips with Brian's Travel by Design we now sit back and let him do all of the leg work for us! We tell him what our wish list is, our budget and must haves and let him do the rest. It’s a wonderful personalized experience where he will lay out multiple options of experiences and locations and even offer alternatives. Brian has been so wonderful to work with I will recommend him forever! He even sends you a swag box before your trip and prints out everything you need so you don’t have to.
Passports and Travel Documents:
I didn’t apply for a passport until I was 30 years old and planning my honeymoon. Which means I had never left the country for that many years. I know that some people will never experience that kind of travel in a lifetime, but as I mentioned, it was an actual part of my gypsy soul to be able to explore and fill that gaping adventure hole. Now my children on the other hand, they had passports when they were only months old. I got them right away in the event we had the opportunity to travel with them. Who knew it would be a trip to Curaçao when Declan was only 5 months old! Looking back at pictures of that trip brings me SO much joy! I mean, look how refreshed Sean and I look even though we had an infant in tow! Sunshine is a necessity for my soul and Curaçao certainly didn’t disappoint! OK, enough blabbering, here is what I have learned about passports and specific documents pertaining to Aruba travel.
First, children’s passports are WAY different than adult passports! Adult passports are good for 10 years and only need a renewal application to renew them. Children under 16 must get a BRAND NEW passport every 5 years until they are 16 years of age. That means when their first passport expires, it does not go through a renewal process, you apply for an entirely NEW passport. The wait time for a new passport is a few weeks longer than a renewal so don’t make the same mistake I did and wait until the last minute. You will be paying crazy money for the expedited service. Also, when you apply for a child’s passport BOTH parents need to be in attendance for that. Local to me, the only appointments for passport application were during school hours! So we had to dismiss the kids about 30 minutes early to get everything in order. This was so stressful for me! I’m glad I can now pass on that advice so you can prepare with plenty of time. If you need more information about passports you can visit here.
Now with Aruba specifically there will be an online questionnaire that must be completed before you can travel. This brings me back to why working with a travel agent is key, I wouldn’t have known about this unless Brian had told us. A form has to be filled out for each person travelling and at the end it will give you a pass that must be loaded when you check in to your flight. This was the most involved travel work I have ever had to do to travel to another country. Usually they pass something out on the plane for you to fill out but apparently Aruba is MUCH different! I highly recommend downloading the app of the airline you will be flying on and checking in the night before. If you have an iPhone you can even add your boarding passes to your Apple Wallet. This has been an absolute game changer for me with travel! It is one less thing to think about and one less thing to hold and manage when navigating security and boarding. Trust me, add it to your Apple Wallet!
Packing for a Family of 4:
Repeat after me: YOU DO NOT NEED 42 PAIR OF UNDERWEAR FOR A 7 DAY TRIP! I used to be a serial over packer. I’m SO GLAD I broke that habit. Honestly, it was more stressful than helpful. Take the time to think about your days and then pack what you need for each day and MAYBE one or two extra things. For me, when I pack for the boys, I pack a pair of shorts and a T-shirt for each day, 3-4 “fancy” outfits for when we go to dinner, 5 bathing suits, 3 pair of pajamas and a travel home outfit. Each boy had their own set of packing cubes so they can help themselves to their own clothes. I’m very big on having the boys be as independent as possible for their age during these trips. I want them to feel confident in traveling as much as I am. I know it can seem daunting to travel with kids, but it’s worth it! Just like with anything else, the more you do it, the easier it gets.
Major piece of advice coming in here as well… You do NOT need the fancy luggage! But I highly recommend getting hard shell luggage. Don’t waste your money on the fancy luggage, I have only experienced it falling apart! I have had the same Samsonite 3 piece luggage set for 8 years! And I’m just now needing to replace one of them because I broke the zipper. Follow this set on Amazon and when it goes on sale, SNAG IT! 100/10 recommend it.
Now let’s talk about your carry on. The trip to Aruba was 4.25 hours long. I have a 5 and 8 year old who need to stay fed, hydrated and entertained. This is something I feel like I have perfected. I used to carry on so much shit you guys. It was confusing and messy and stressful. Because no matter how cute and organized your carry on bag is to start off with, it ALWAYS ends up a mess and you can never get it to look the same when you are getting off of the plane. This is my favorite carry on that fits all of the following.
For my boys I pack:
Empty Yeti Water Bottles
iPads fully charged
Extra Chargers
Nintendo Switch
4 Snacks Each and one piece of candy as a treat
Blank Paper and Colored Pencils
Headphones that can plug into the airplane TV
Something of comfort (stuffy, fidget toy)
For me I pack:
Charged Headphones
Charged Kindle with a book already downloaded onto it.
Empty Water Bottle
Lip Gloss
Favorite Snack
My husband is responsible for his own carry on because I typically take a row with the boys and Sean will sit close by in another row. His responsibility is to take care of the bathroom trips! I just have our travel down to a science so I don’t need a ton of help from him. He also gets motion sickness unexpectedly so I want him to not have too many things to focus on so he can concentrate getting off the plane feeling good and not green faced. It can take hours to recover from motion sickness so he will take a Zofran before take off and usually be right as rain when we arrive. I need him to cart all of the luggage! So I happily handle the kids on the plane.
Whenever I travel I try to share packing videos for you so I will share those here as well as some links to containers and what not.
Resort:
Phew! We have arrived! I highly recommend prebooking transportation from the airport to take that stress off of you in a brand new country. We booked our trip to the Divi All Inclusive Resort Transfer Service. We upgraded to the Elite Package so that our transportation was included in our package. When we disembarked from the plane we had Tabitha and Steve waiting to greet us and made navigating through the airport a breeze! They had a car ready with AC going and fresh cold waters. I love this travel time because it allows time for you to ask about the location, safety of the country and local suggestions. I have taught my kids to ask any questions they may have and that we always leave a new country with something we purchased from a local.
The Divi All Inclusive location consists of two properties and is adjacent to a third. We stayed at the Divi, it’s a short (and free) golf cart ride to the other location known as Divi Tamarijn. Across the street from there is the Divi Golf and Beach Resort. Divi and Tamarijn are all inclusive, the golf resort is not. Both resorts are about an 8 out of 10 for accessibility if you are mobility impaired. I asked a guest that was wheel chair bound and she said that besides a few cobble stone areas and a few narrow doorways it was very friendly and easy to navigate. She also mentioned if there was any issues, the staff was readily available and happy to accommodate anything she needed.
Aruba is known as “One Happy Island” and you feel this vibe immediately! With zero cold days and minimal rainy days it would be impossible to not be happy every day! English is widely used so it is extremely easy to communicate with everyone on the island! Other languages used are Spanish, Dutch and their native language Papiamento.
We chose a first floor, pool side room and it was perfect! The immediate difference I noticed about the particular pool we were facing was that I NEVER had to fight for a chair! If you have ever traveled to a resort you KNOW the pain it can be to get a good seat for the day! People are actual savages and they will go out at 4:30 am to toss a towel on a chair and claim it as their own. It’s bananas. I woke up around 7/7:30 am each day with Everett (my 5 year old) and there were PLENTY of chairs available. The pool never seemed over crowded and there was the perfect ratio of kids to adults. Possibly the most enjoyable pool experience I have ever had at a resort.
We had the pleasure of dining at 5 on site restaurants! Part of the Elite package is that you have an E-concierge that will book all of your dining for you prior to your arrival. If you choose not to upgrade be sure to book your dining ahead of time to ensure that you are all set. We chose a 6:30 dinner time every night and when I tell you, it was PERFECT timing to watch the evening sunset every night! It is breathtaking and we saw it every night right from our dinner table! Just look at this view from The Red Parrot!
I have traveled to about 10 countries now and the one thing that is always hit or miss is the food. It can really get tricky if you have picky eaters or aren’t adventurous in trying new things. I can confirm that Aruba is AMAZING for food choices! Every restaurant had something familiar on the menu. And if it didn’t you could literally grab something from the amazing buffet options and bring it to your table. My 5 year old lives on chicken fingers and hot dogs and those were available to him 100% of the time! What a relief to know my kids appetites were taken care of!
The buffet was fresh, stocked, pleasant and organized. We could always find a place to sit and the staff was so accommodating. I have heard that Aruba is so fun to explore and try local cuisine. We really took advantage of being at an all inclusive so didn’t stray too much from what was readily available to us. We did however head out on some excursions.
What We Did:
Our boys are at the size and age where they can’t do everything just yet. So while they have adventure and adrenaline in their blood, their age and size can hold us back from doing everything. We took a day trip to De Palm Island and had a BLAST! They have a small waterpark for the younger kiddos, my boys skipped this because they thought it was too “baby” but it was clean and popular with families of younger kids. They have GIGANTIC waterslides that Declan (8 years old 48” and 53 lbs) was able to go down! He had so much fun racing dad to see who would make it first! There are no lifeguards on duty so this entire park is at your own risk. There is free scuba diving for all ages, banana boat fun rides for those 10 and older as well as some upgraded amenities you can pay for. I will link De Palm Island so you can see what the pricing is. I know there is a similar park in Aruba as well but the locals said that De Palm is the best because less cruise ships people go there. I’d have to agree! It was a really fun day! The food and drinks were all inclusive with your ticket but be sure to bring some cash for temporary tattoos, ice cream bars, pineapple filled drinks and cotton candy. I think in total we spent $40-50 extra.
We also went to The Butterfly Garden. This was a quick 1 hour trip to break up the day and it was SO FUN! You head to a butterfly sanctuary and learn all about them in a short presentation and then walk amongst 100’s of butterfly species! They say if a butterfly lands on you to make a wish and at one point Declan had 3 on him! The butterflies are pretty much guaranteed to land on you (I recommend wearing blue!) so if your little ones have an aversion to critters, maybe skip this one. Ask me how I know that? Because a butterfly landed on Everett and he about lost it! LOL
Because of our upgraded Elite package, our room came with a $100 credit to the spa and also included a round of 9 holes of golf. My husband calls himself an “average golfer”. I think he’s way better than that! He golfs on average maybe 1 or 2 dozen times a year and will also hit the driving range when the weather allows. He said he really loved the course and that the wind made it a little tricky. I do know that the week we were there the wind was stronger than typical weather so this isn’t the norm. He was paired up with some great guests and really enjoyed himself! Me? You best believe I hit up the spa and used up that credit! I ended up with an 80 minute hot stone massage with Liz that only ended up costing me $60 out of pocket plus tip! I have a video overview of that here: Spa Vlog.
On all of the other days we spent it pool side and crashing in the waves at the beach! We brought a mini portable speaker and some pool toys that kept both the boys and other kids entertained for hours! They have noodle and float “rentals” for free so you do NOT have to purchase one. Let me know if you want me to create some content of what I pack in my pool bag in the comments below.
The sun is VERY strong in Aruba, so please take care of yourself and apply Reef Safe SPF and reapply often! Bring plenty of it with you! We went through about one bottle a day of the spray SPF and ran out. It is $35 for one bottle there!! SO pack plenty! I will link a few of my faves for you here! Stay hydrated (because you already carried on a water bottle!) and remember to relax! Dune Sunscreen and Sun Bum Sunscreen
Travel Home:
This was the most surprising thing to me! First and foremost, do NOT take home any seashells! They will literally detain you and slap you with a hefty fine! I never got clarification as to why they do this but it is very well known to NOT do this! So take pictures instead and if you find some sea glass, like we did, opt to take that home instead!
You’re going to think I’m crazy, but give yourself THREE hours minimum to get to your gate. We flew Delta and it seemed the most popular that day. There are SIX points of security that you must go through to get into the actual airport! This is why packing light for your carry on is so important. Your luggage gets scanned 3 times in this process. It was kind of wild. Have snacks and something to entertain the kids if they have a hard time waiting in lines. While they moved along nicely, there were a lot of them! All of these security check points make it so that your US Customs clearance is done in Aruba and you can head straight to the baggage claim in the US when you get home. We always drive and park at the airport so don’t forget to take a picture of where you parked so you don’t forget!
Overall:
Sean and I typically choose a new location every year for our February adventures. Aruba came so highly recommended and so many people that we met there said that they have been coming to Aruba for 20 and 30 years! I can absolutely see why. The atmosphere was so delightful and lovely and the bonus is that the country is SAFE! So you can enjoy without worry and stress. I can absolutely see my family visiting again and again!
10 out of 10 recommend and think that it lived up to the hype. There is plenty to do whether you are seeking fun and adventure or if you just want to relax, you will find both readily available to you!
Special Thanks:
I have to take a moment to send a special thanks to Tabitha and her team at The Divi. While Sean and I paid in full for our trip, I did reach out to the resort to see if there was an opportunity to work together. They agreed to upgrade our package in exchange for some video content. Whenever I travel I always record daily vlogs anyways so it seemed a win win for all. I was expecting only the upgrade, I left with so much more! We were treated like absolute royalty and the entire team went above and beyond to take care of us. At the time of me typing out this blog I have fulfilled all of my requirements for our arrangement. I was not paid to post any of this or give this write up. I feel like I left Aruba with friends! Tabitha and her team were so amazing to my boys and promised to send them birthday cards so we can keep in touch. They went all out for us and I just can’t say enough about the resort!
The Sarno’s will miss Aruba! And we will DEFINITELY be back!
