Are you planning a vacation in Aruba? Have you booked your room, made your flight reservations and packed your bags? Are you totally ready for your island get away? Before you leave for the airport, you may want to make sure that you have everything you need to get onto the island, as not meeting all of the Aruba entry requirements can prevent you from entering this small paradise. Nestled in the south Caribbean Sea, Aruba is a small island nation that is part of the Lesser Antilles chain of islands. It is an independent realm of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and as such has its own stringent requirements for letting anyone visit.
Aruba entry requirements include having a valid passport and a return ticket. All people wishing to visit Aruba need to furnish a passport and anyone coming from one of the “List B”, or visa required countries will also need to provide a valid visa sticker in their passport. While in Aruba, tourists are eligible to vacation, go to school, attend religious ceremonies, visit family, seek medical treatment or even attend a sporting event. The one thing that they may not do is work. Another requirement to visit the island is to have a valid ticket showing that you will be returning to either your home country or another place that you are eligible for entry to.
There are some other Aruba entry requirements as well. These may include providing proof that you have a reservation for accommodations while on the island and that you have the means to pay for your accommodations if applicable. Acceptable accommodations include having hotel reservations, owning a timeshare, owning property such as a home, apartment of condominium or having a yacht that is at least 14 meters long, moored off shore of the island. An immigration officer may also require that you provide some proof that you have the ability to pay for your hotel and living expenses while on the island.
Though the Aruba entry requirements may seem a bit intrusive it is important to understand that they are in place to help insure that Aruba remains the tropical paradise that it is. The island officials do not want to see their beautiful nation become overrun with vagrants and other undesirables and they want to make sure that visitors to their island home are safe from any outside danger. Now, if you have your passport, your reservation and your flight information, you’d best hurry and catch that flight! Have a great stay!
Have you ever gone on vacation in the Caribbean? If you have, chances are you enjoyed the beautiful beaches, the pristine water and the mild temperatures. You may even have ventured into the cities and towns and met some of the lovely people. And then you got on a boat or a plane and left, to go back to the real world. The funny thing is, all of those lovely people that you met, are still there. That is their “real world”. Islands in the Caribbean, like Aruba, have thousands of full time residents. They have hospitals and dentists. There are police officers and fire fighters. There are post offices and even schools in Aruba.
It may be hard to imagine, but the people that live on beautiful islands, like Aruba do all of the same kinds of things as you do. Except maybe shovel snow. They get up, go to work, get married, have kids and send their kids off to school. Those kids will go through 12 or more years of schooling and then start thinking about going to college. Many of them will go on to study at one of the colleges in Aruba. If they are university bound they may turn to the University of Aruba or the IPA or Teacher Training School as it is known. They may even decide to go to one of the two medical schools in Aruba.
It seems funny to think of people actually attending college or university or any other kind of school in paradise, but the fact is that there are some fine schools in Aruba. The University of Aruba offers a wide range of advanced degree programs. Although small and a fairly young school, it has a lot to offer both Aruban students and students traveling from other islands and countries to come and study. With comprehensive degree programs ranging from law studies to MBA programs, there is something for virtually anyone.
Though total enrollment is not very high at any of the schools in Aruba, the students don’t see that as a problem. The smaller class sizes that this allows them to have makes for great opportunities to have open discussions and ample opportunity to really get to know their professors. Both of the medical schools in Oranjestad, the island nation’s capital, offer medical programs that are equivalent to a US medical degree and must pass the United States Medical Licensure Examinations in order to get their degree. This means that upon completion of the program they will be able to practice medicine in the United States. Or in paradise, it’s up to them.
Aruba is a small island nation in the South Caribbean Sea. Famous for its beautiful beaches and delightful weather, this tropical gem has been an independent part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands since the late 1980’s. Prior to gaining its independence, Aruba has had a long history of being under Spanish, then British and then Dutch control. The culture of the island reflects these influences and today, as an independent nation, Aruba practices a Parliamentary form of government and holds elections every four years. Aruba has a multi-party form of government with two or three popular parties.
The island of Aruba is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Aruba’s government consists of a 21 member parliament known as the Staten and an 8 member cabinet. Aruba has a governor that is appointed by the monarch for a six year term, with a Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister that are elected by the Staten every four years. The members of the parliament are chosen through direct popular vote at the elections which are also held every four years. Like the Dutch government that it is linked to, Aruba’s political system includes 3 branches, the executive, legislative and judicial branches.
Aruba’s constitution was adopted in 1986, when Aruba gained its status apart, although the first version was presented to the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1947. The first election was held in 1985 and Aruba became fully independent on January 1, 1986. In the last several decades there have been 6 elections, and nowadays the parliament is dominated by two parties – the People’s Electoral Movement and the Aruban People’s Party. There are a number of other parties that are active in Aruba, but at any given time they only hold one or two seats on the Staten at best.
The executive and legislative branches operate entirely separately from the judicial branch of government with all of the justices being appointed by the monarch. The legislative and executive branches are the only branches that hold elections. Although elections in Aruba are a fairly recent development in Aruba, the small island nation has handled the shift to being an independent nation very well and continues to thrive and flourish under its own rule. The next gubernatorial election is slated for the year 2010 and the next parliamentary election will be later in 2009. It will be very interesting to see the results.
When a family is thinking about booking a trip for everyone to take part in, they may have some certain requirements. These requirements may include a child friendly environment that is packed with activities and services that are geared for kids. There are many things to consider when booking a country and a trip for children.
Some resorts and vacation packages offer special rates for kids. These rates may feature a half price or reduced fee for kids under twelve, or kids under twelve are sometimes free. There are also promotions where when one child pays for their spot, the second child is free. These deals can make the idea of booking with them, more attractive to a family.
Many resorts also have child camps and babysitting services. A childcare camp may run half day during the week or full day spots. Parents can pick either the all day sessions or the half day ones that run until noon. These camps allow parents to enjoy their holiday while knowing that the kids are also involved in fun activities and sports.
Camps will provide opportunities in the pools, the ocean and allow the kids to take part in many organized games and sports. Team leaders will engage in the sports with the kids to help make them more fun and interesting.
Child friendly foods can help families have an easier time with meal time. The restaurants will offer an area where kid type foods are offered. Items such as pizza, chicken nuggets and burgers can ensure that kids enjoy their food and eat along with the parents. Instead of parents having to encourage their kids to eat adult type foods, they can enjoy and relax with the flexible meal options.
When kids are allowed on a resort, it will mean that many families will have their kids along with them. That will allow families to meet and for children to have extra kids to play with. When children can meet up with other kids it can make the pool or ocean experiences more fun and social able.
Picking top spots for families could include places such as; Florida, Dominican and Aruba. These places may have resorts and packages that cater to kids and families. While Florida has Disney World and beach style resorts, other countries will offer many camp programs and child motivated activities and accessories to take advantage of. The right destination may take some time to pick out. Parents can look online and view certain resorts by their pictures and photo gallery.
For many people planning a vacation, weather is a huge consideration. Whatever the weather is where they are, the chances are they are seeking out a totally different forecast than what they have at home. If they are looking to go skiing, they are going to search for a locale that has snow. If they want a fall foliage tour, they will seek out somewhere with crisp, cool autumn weather. If they want to bask on the shores of a beautiful beach, they should choose Aruba. Known for its wonderful climate and beautiful beaches, Aruba has become a popular choice for vacationers young and old.
Nestled in the southern Caribbean Sea, in the chain of islands known as the Lesser Antilles, Arubaenjoys some of the most pleasant weather in the world. Aruba is known as much for its arid climate as it is for its beautiful beaches. With an average yearly temperature in the lower 80’s, it is never too hot and never too cool to lie on the beach while the gentle Trade Winds blow by. With an average yearly rainfall of less than 20 inches a year, there is very little risk of having your vacation plans rained out.
Unlike many of the other Caribbean islands, Aruba has very little chance of suffering the foul weather brought on by hurricanes. Aruba is located far below the hurricane belt, so when other Caribbean islands are worrying about hurricane season, Aruba is enjoying yet another warm, sunny day, perfect for enjoying the beach. Arubans are used to truly living in paradise, and vacationers are almost guaranteed a perfect forecast for their vacation, no matter what time of year it is. The average median temperature only changes by about 3 degrees between summer and winter, so it is always the perfect time of year for a visit.
Few places in this world can compete with the weather that is enjoyed by Aruba. It is said that the local news papers don’t even bother publishing a weather forecast because it always calls for a warm and sunny day. If you are looking for somewhere to spend your vacation that you won’t have to worry about what Mother Nature might have in store, then Aruba may just be the perfect place. No matter what you are hoping to do, the temperature is just right and the sun is bound to be shining.