Sun, wind & sea – Aruba is the place to be

A relaxed introduction to traveling for three

Golden sand, turquoise sea and sunshine galore - this is what the Caribbean feels like

Go with the wind - we try our hand at windsurfing

We're on the road again. After a break of around 10 months, we continue our journey on the Panamericana, now the three of us. Our son Diego was the reason for the unplanned long break. Now he is 6 months old and we continue to travel. We are excited to see what the new way of traveling feels like. On the first part of our trip we spent a lot of time in the wilderness, went trekking and observed animals. Things will definitely be different now, but hopefully it will still be great. At the moment we still have a lot of question marks in our heads. What will everyday life feel like in the camper with a baby? Are we constantly stressed? What else can we actually experience? And does that feel fulfilling to us?

Our camper is still in Uruguay - where we parked it in UY Storage's long-term parking lot in mid-June 2023. After one year at the latest, our car has to leave the country so that no import duties are incurred. Before we get there, we decide to make a short stop in the Caribbean. Not only so that the flight isn't too long for Diego, but also to visit my former work colleague Yurij and his family. He turned his back on Germany around the same time as us and now lives on this island in the southern Caribbean, off Venezuela. An ideal start to traveling for three of us. Here we have the comfort of a holiday apartment. This way we can fully focus on relaxing and experiencing. And thanks to Jurij and his family, we have locals who give us valuable insider tips and go on one or two excursions with us.

A casual stroll on the beach

Aruba definitely thrives on its beaches. Golden sand and turquoise sea everywhere you look. Every single beach is beautiful. However, the island is not entirely unknown - it is particularly popular as a holiday destination with Dutch and Americans. The island attracts around 1.5 million tourists every year - with only around 100,000 inhabitants. Accordingly, many hotels and holiday resorts “adorn” the coast. We are still pleasantly surprised at how the crowds are getting somewhat lost. The standard tourist is very reluctant to leave his all-inclusive area :-)

The temperatures here are around 30 degrees, as they are almost all year round. Even at night it hardly cools down. Good thing Aruba is known for its winds. The climate feels quite pleasant. For good reason, Aruba is “the” wind and kitesurfing spot in the Caribbean. The wind blows quite consistently here and the conditions are optimal. What could be better than trying out one of the two water sports? Yuri is a windsurfer. The choice is made quickly! We both take lessons with Jeroen, a Dutchman who grew up here and is a luminary in his field. Lo and behold, after just an hour we are cruising along the beach on the board. Of course it doesn't just have to be one time and we borrow equipment from time to time. The winds are treacherous, however; There is usually an offshore wind that pushes you straight out to sea. My conclusion: Windsurfing is not that difficult, just going in the desired direction is all it takes. And so I go on the so-called “walk of shame” more than once and swim or push my equipment back to the beach. Unfortunately, my performance is not enough to take part in the annual HI-WINDS, the largest water sports festival in the Caribbean, which starts the day before our departure. Windsurfing is always fun and we are always open to new challenges.

Of course we don't want to miss the only national park on the island. For this we choose an overcast day so as not to torture ourselves too much. Arikok National Park is located on Aruba's wild coast, where we hike along rugged cliffs. The landscape is characterized by volcanic origins and is very barren. But that's exactly what has its charm, in contrast to the turquoise blue Caribbean side.

Of course, the crystal blue, clear water also invites you to snorkel. And so we don't just explore the reefs off Boca Catalina and Mangel Halto Beach. Unfortunately we don't see any sea turtles, but we do see lots of colorful and exotic fish. For Diego it is his first contact with the sea. He's not particularly enthusiastic, so he prefers his bathtub on the veranda. But he liked the sand :-)

We are definitely deeply relaxed when we leave the island. We would have liked to have stayed longer. Jurij, Nora and Kayleb made it easy for us to feel comfortable. We will not only miss the sociable evenings with them, but also the relaxed life and the pleasant temperatures. Everyday life in the camper will definitely be a lot busier and the climate will be cooler. That's why now it's high time to try it out.

We will miss the time on the beach for sure