Iceland

If you were to ask me what my favorite country is, I would probably reply “New Zealand.” That being said…Iceland is a VERY strong competitor, and depending on my mood on a given day, may even be my answer to the question. They often call Iceland the New Zealand of the north. (I am they). It is truly an adventurer’s paradise, one that includes a vast array of different landscapes and – in particular – waterfalls (OMG, the waterfalls – truly, you have to see them to believe them. TLC had it wrong – chase away, my friend).

Believe me: if you’re scared of water, take this to heart: Iceland is not the place for you. Seemingly around EVERY turn, the waterfalls literally dot the scenery as far as the eye can see – it’s incredible. No joke: by the end of your trip, you’ll have essentially become a waterfall snob. “Wait, you mean that it’s not at least 200 feet high and doesn’t include either Icelandic horses or a Phoenix laying eggs at the top? MEH…probably not worth the effort to stop.”

Easily the best way to explore the island is by campervan – it provides the most flexibility, with designated campsites being plentiful, AND it allows you to choose to linger in any location that really captures you. I opted for a Toyota-looking truck with the back side replaced with a combination bed, table, sink and mini fridge – it was PERFECT, and without a doubt the easiest way to get around, park, and rock crawl through F-roads (the local designation for the most difficult and restricted backcountry pathways).

With little to no planning done prior, my intent was to drive said vehicle until about noon each day, then locate the next campsite to stop, eat dinner, and shower (although to be honest, with it being a solo trip, I didn’t care quite as much about the shower part as I did about getting in a good meal at the end of each day). While traveling across the countryside, you’ll notice the discount supermarkets almost immediately. Called “Bonus,” they were easily the best place to find goods to help fill in the gaps between restaurants…and even better, they were instantly identifiable, thanks to their trademark pink pig against yellow background. Definitely a lifesaver (another nice thing about Iceland: most everywhere you’ll visit takes credit cards – even the most remote campsites. I took out about $200 in cash to start and had $200 in cash at the end).

Travel-wise, I set out in a clockwise direction, heading straight out of Reykjavik around the ring road. Initially, I found that I stopped for pretty much everything, since the entire country is nothing less than overwhelmingly beautiful. At the end of each day, I would spend time in my one-star Ritz Toyota accommodations, reviewing the thousands of pictures I took with a glass of wine in hand, while also planning out the next day’s travels…it was GLORIOUS. (Also, fun fact – my travel tip #8 actually came from this trip. The Icelandic language is incredibly hard to understand, let alone read. With long names for just about everything imaginable, I began to take screenshots of my location at all times, to help jog the memory after the fact. It was a HUGE timesaver).

My trip happened to be over the summer months, and at that time of year, the sun stays out for the majority of the day, only dipping below the horizon for a few hours late at night. The benefit of this – at least for me – was that it allowed me to be able to explore much more than I would have otherwise. The downside, of course, came at about 8 to 9 p.m. each day, when I started to crash and realized just how hard – and long – I had pushed myself hiking. As cool as the extra sunlight is, it really does start to mess with your body’s internal clock, not seeing dusk at normal times, and I found that I actually began to need to set alarms around dinner, just to force myself to not get burnt out too early on in the trip.

I closed out my trip with a visit to the Blue Lagoon, which is a total must do and even worth a long layover if you are headed to Europe. The nice thing about the Blue Lagoon is that it’s easily accessible from the airport, allowing you to coordinate with many tour agencies. The Lagoon itself features several large turquoise pools (with mud facials available – kind of fun). To actually stay would cost around $1,000 U.S. on site – a little too fancy for my tastes, but hey: to each their own.

Fun side story: I ended up visiting Iceland in 2021, just as the country was reopening. I typically only fly United, since they tend to everywhere (plus, having 1K status, it doesn’t hurt that the flights themselves are quite enjoyable, thanks to the random upgrades, lounges, and – especially – the bonus miles for future travel, which serve to help to offset the absurd cost of tickets and horrific meal service. United, seriously: if you are reading this, go take a ride on any European flagship carrier – It’s beyond embarrassing that ZERO U.S. carriers made the Top 20 list for airlines).

Having been delayed out of Denver due to thunderstorms, I arrived in Chicago just as the connecting flight was supposed to take off. After an additional 20 minute-taxi, I began attempting to see if there was another flight that I might take instead the next day, when at that moment, the main door opened and a rep asked for two customers by name…of which I – to my complete surprise – was one. They quickly ushered us up the front, down the immediate stairs, and into a private car that promptly whisked us straight across the taxiway, past 30-some United employees – all of whom were dancing – and various strangely dressed security, before depositing us onto a completely full flight, which immediately took off as soon as soon as we boarded. The whole thing happened in a matter of minutes – it was incredibly fast (although, judging by the looks on passengers I passed by on the way to my seat, it probably felt a lot longer for them – they did NOT look happy). When I finally did find my seat, I found a full complement of United gifts – including pajamas – waiting for me.

Flash forward to Iceland: upon landing we were greeted by several fire trucks on the taxiway, all spewing water cannons onto our plane. Come to find out, our flight just happened to be the inaugural flight of United to Iceland… which the two of us had inadvertently delayed takeoff by 45 minutes. What can I say: I hadn’t thought to check the flights out the day before, so the whole thing just worked out that way. It was quite the experience.

DABLs Decision:
I would highly recommend Iceland to pretty anyone, including adventurers or casual travelers. The ring road proves readily accessible thrills, most of which are typically only 5-10 minutes off the well-traveled road, and by downloading the Hot Springs app, you’ll be able to find even cooler sights – including the various relaxing warm spring waters that are spread throughout the country – even easier. Overall, I came away from Iceland with a sense that, in a lot of ways, it’s almost “Northern New Zealand,” with all of the sights and benefits that come with it. I would 100% visit again, and plan to at some point (I’ve had several friends visit during the winter, just see the Northern Lights, which are apparently extremely visible there).