Kacie here, and some of you may know that my kids and I are trying out the digital nomad life right now. We started our digital nomad journey in Aruba, and I am documenting all of our little adventures over here as well as my instagram @kacietravelplanner.
Now, I have openly told people that I am not highly encouraging or selling travel very hard right now. It just doesn’t seem right to do. However, I do think that if you are going to travel, we want to be sure that we properly advise you on how to do it as safely and respectfully as possible. I have found that some ways of travel are easy right now, such as road trips. Mexico is very straight forward to go in and out of as well since they do not have testing requirements. Other places take a lot more work and effort, and if you are going to go that route, you need to be prepared to do so!
So I wanted to talk about Aruba and how to get there. If you want to see why I chose Aruba as a starting location for our digital nomad journey, you can see that blog post over here, and if you want an update on what I’m doing and why, that’s over here. This blog is the how post-how do you get to Aruba right now?
Now, I want to preface this by saying that this is the process you take as of right now (August 20th!), and it can change at absolutely any time! Seriously—things are always changing! But, since I went through the immigration process here, I wanted to share what it was like and how to do it. If you are seriously considering coming down here, you really have to watch this official site for their country, but I am happy to help with what I know!
First, you need to pick your flights of course! I chose a Saturday nonstop flight on Delta. I was just kind of guessing and hoping that it was more likely to stay and not get cancelled since that’s a popular flying day! Also, that gave me one more day to get my COVID test done than a Sunday (since most labs are not functioning on the weekend). I would suggest either flying Wednesday through Saturday because of that.
This is where there is a divide as an American. If you are from somewhere they consider a “hot” state, you have a different set of requirements than if you are from a cool state. Those states are frequently updated, so if you think you are from a cool state, keep an eye on it in case it changes! For me as a hot state, I had two choices. First, I could get a PCR COVID test no later than 72 hours ahead of travel. OR I could get any kind of COVID test (rapid, antigen, at home, basically kinds they are considering easier to get) and then also get tested upon arrival. If you get the PCR test and you are approved getting through immigration, you are cleared to go and enjoy the country (but you have to follow their COVID rules). If you are tested upon arrival, you have to quarantine in your hotel room until you receive a negative test results.
Now, with this two pronged approach, I wanted to have the PCR test if possible. I like the idea of the more accurate results from the get go, and I wanted the chance to hit the beach if we could. BUT, I also know that in Georgia, getting a PCR test results back that fast is hard. So, here’s what I did. I made an appointment for exactly 72 hours before my flight at the Chastain Surgery Center in Buckhead. They have PCR tests available and they will put a rush on them if you show proof of your flight time. I sent them my air tickets and got tested. They told me they would do their best to have it back to me within 48 hours. Now, this testing location doesn't take insurance, and costs $150, which can add up if you are traveling with plenty of people. Since children under 14 do not require test results to enter Aruba, I only had to pay for myself.
But, since I don’t have the choice of only being tested upon arrival (like a cool state does), I wanted to be absolutely sure that I had a back up plan. I made an appointment for a rapid test where I would also have to be tested upon arrival for Friday afternoon. In Atlanta, I have been using Peachtree Immediate Care for rapid tests. I tell people that they way to get an appointment there is to treat is like it’s a Cinderella’s Royal Table reservation that you get up at 6:00am 180 days before your Disney World Trip and have 2 laptops and 3 browers open just hitting refresh over and over until you get what you want. So for these rapid tests, keep refreshing 24 hours ahead of time. They release one new appointment every four minutes, so you have to be ready to grab them quickly. I also suggest having multiple browsers open to different locations to get these too—gotta be willing to travel to any location to travel!
I ended up receiving my PCR results on Friday morning, so I cancelled my rapid test appointment. Between my testing time and my flight, I literally did nothing and saw no one. I didn’t want to risk exposure before travel, so I quarantined myself even more than normal.
Once you have your test results, you can start the ED card process. It’s on the Aruba Tourism Board’s page, and has five steps. You have to do the ED Card for everyone in your travel party. First, you put in your basic information. Then, you have a health assessment form. After that, you upload your COVID test. This is where it’s important to have the test results ready to go. They should be the actual lab results, and if you are using the PCR test, you need the results to actually say PCR on them. After that, you buy the government COVID insurance. This is not standard travel insurance, and it’s not a choice or an option. It is insurance that covers you up to $75,000 in case you actually catch COVID and must be quarantined or treated. The quarantine locations are all kept private to ensure that people are safe, but I have heard they are reasonable locations. The cost of the insurance depends on your age and how long you want to stay. I insured myself for 60 days and it was about $340. For my boys, I only had to pay $10 per child for the insurance coverage. In the final step, you have to agree to follow the rules of the Aruban government surrounding COVID. I started following the Prime Minister and also some local groups on Facebook just to be sure that I was up to date on all of this. For the most part, they are the same kinds of rules as the stricter states in the US. You must wear a mask indoors, bars are closed, and restaurants must seat you in groups of four or less. All of these rules were easy for me to agree to.
Then, once you get all of that information uploaded, you receive this wonderful green check that means you are cleared to travel to Aruba.
Now, I highly suggest that you print out all of the documentation. I printed the green checks, the COVID test results, the government insurance, and my additional insurance that I purchased to cover normal trip issue (and also back up above that 75k mark as well). I also had my green check marks checked in the Atlanta airport two or three times.
When you arrive in Aruba, be prepared for a long wait. For me, this meant having back up power sources so the boys could play on tablets while we waited. Depending on how many planes land that day and where your plane is in the line, you might have a significant wait like we did. I also suggest hitting the bathroom before descent so you don’t have to run around the airport or lose your place in line! We waited a while, then we were able to get our luggage, and then we waited again. Eventually, you go through the customs line where your bags are checked. Then, you go through the health line. They look very closely at your test results, take your temperature, and decide if you need to be tested again or if you are free to go. We were cleared completely, and were able to hop in our transfer and head to our resort.
I am more than happy to help you through this process if you need the help! It’s complicated, but the Aruba Tourism Board is doing a great job communicating their process to travelers. You just need to be prepared to really be meticulous and ensure you have all your ducks in a row! Again, we are not here to tell you if now is the right time for you to travel, but if you are going to travel, we want to help make sure you do it right!
