These were the early morning scenes outside Dublin Airport as thousands of holidaymakers wheeled suitcases through Terminal 1 on the first day back for international travel.
At midnight, the EU Digital Covid Certificate was activated which allows people to travel for non-essential reasons for the first time in over a year.
Flight desks at Ryanair and Aer Lingus were happy to welcome back so many people, with sun seekers heading off to tourist hotspots such as Barcelona, Marbella, Lisbon and Greece.
Inside the airport itself may have seemed different to many, with social distancing rules perplex screens in place.
Face masks had to be worn at all times, while dining inside the airport was table service only - a key change from pre-Covid times.
Despite extra measures, everything appeared to run smoothly, with security checks only slowed down by minutes.
Dublin pals Alessandro Bologna (22) and Gavin Acres (23), were delighted to be getting off a lads holiday to Barcelona - their first trip in over a year.
Also travelling was Simone Black, who was also being brought to Barcelona to celebrate her 26th birthday with boyfriend Darren Long (29) and friends Emma Barry (29) and Matt McGuirk (33).
Dublin native Emma revealed that they have a big boat trip planned for Monday night, where the celebrations will be in full swing.
Elsewhere, Alex Szapkowska (35) was travelling home to Poland with son Kasper (11) and sister-in-law Marika (37) to see their family for the first time since the pandemic began.
After travelling from Longford in the early hours of the morning, the trio can’t wait for a long overdue reunion with their loved ones.
Those with the EU Digital Covid Cert will be allowed fly to the majority of EU countries but will have to follow the various restrictions in each.
Spain tends to be Ireland's most popular tourist spot and is likely to see an influx of tourists from Monday on - however, the country is one of the worst hit countries in the EU after the Delta surge.
Most things do remain open in the country, but curfews and gathering limits mean it's far from the holiday experience you once enjoyed.
According to the EU's official Covid travel website, there are a few big restrictions you need to know about when visiting Spain.
