The plane lands in Larnaca. Or Paphos.

You wait for the seatbelt sign to turn off – because you’re good like that; the air stewards don’t need to flap at you to sit down. As soon as allowed, you wrestle into the aisle, excavate your bags, shuffle into line.

And then you wait…

Eventually, the doors open. And, even though you haven’t moved (pinned in as you are by a sticky child, a black-clad grandma and her large bag of …) you know you’re really here.

In Cyprus at last.

As the scent of the island rolls down the aisle, it brings the promise of summer. Of freedom. Of long, lazy evenings. There’s salt from the sea; herbs from the hills. ‘Oregano,’ you muse. ‘Basil. And, is that wishful thinking, or can I smell souvla?’

It’s a waft that whispers ‘Welcome home. Welcome to Cyprus’. And, whether you were born on the island or arriving for the very first time, it’s a wonderful welcome indeed: orange blossom in spring, eucalyptus after rain, olive wood smoke in winter, sunscreen and sea salt on the coast.

It smells free. Warm. Alive.

Modern life elsewhere increasingly feels climate-controlled and scent-neutral: sealed offices, filtered air, artificial fragrances designed to smell vaguely clean rather than real.

But Cyprus still leaks into the air. Herbs warming in the sun. Hot dust rising after the rain. Even the seasons announce themselves through scent.

The science suggests these smells affect us far more than we realise.

Unlike sight or sound, scent has a direct route to the brain’s limbic system – the area strongly linked to emotion, stress, behaviour and memory. In other words, smells begin influencing us emotionally before we have consciously processed them.

Which helps explain why certain Cyprus scents feel calming, uplifting or clarifying.

Lavender, for example, has repeatedly been linked to reduced stress and anxiety levels in scientific studies. Researchers believe compounds within lavender may help calm nervous system activity and lower the body’s stress response.

Rosemary – which grows wild across much of Cyprus – appears to have the opposite effect. Studies suggest its aroma may improve alertness, memory quality and cognitive performance.

And citrus scents, including orange and lemon, are widely associated with elevated mood and reduced tension.

Scientists have long known that scent is uniquely tied to memory. A particular smell can pull us backwards through time faster than almost anything else: suddenly you’re six again; back in yiayia’s kitchen or sitting in traffic with the windows down on a hot August evening.

It’s a big part of the reason that Cyprus feels so emotionally immediate. This is an island that does not just surround us visually. It reaches us through the air itself.

Long after holidays fade and photographs are forgotten, you’ll remember the scent of Cyprus: hot skin after the beach, warm evening air, sea salt drifting through an open window.

And before you’ve even stepped off the plane, the island has engaged one of the oldest and most emotional parts of the brain.

Breathe it in. You’re home.