Vagabonding Field Report: Around Iceland

Cost/day:

About $80 per day (hostel, portion of car rental, food/drinks).

What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen lately?

There are animals roaming free everywhere. Sheep hopping from rock to rock, horses walking out in front of your car, birds dive-bombing you when you’re walking. Of course, the entire landscape of Iceland is strange and other-worldly. You feel like you are planet hopping as you go from town to town.

Describe a typical day:

My friends and I would wake up at our hostel, pack, eat a quick breakfast if it was included (hotdogs for cheap if not), then pile into our rental car. We would pick a town that was a few hours away and stop at every sight along the way, which included black sand beaches, volcanoes, waterfalls, geysers, hot springs, and glaciers. We’d take photos and be in awe. After sunset we check into the new hostel, cook some dinner, grab a beer, and play a game of cards or edit some photos. Each day felt packed and exhausting, in a good way.

Describe an interesting conversation you had with a local:

We spent some time hitchhiking and were picked up by the most amazing people. One guy was the head of surgery at the local hospital. He was clearly very intelligent and fully embraced the Icelandic folklore about elves, trolls, and spirits in the mountains, and told us the history behind just about every mountain we drove by.

What do you like about where you are? Dislike?

I like just about everything. Iceland is beautiful and unlike anywhere I’ve ever been. There are more rainbows here than I’ve seen anywhere else. The people are friendly and it feels very safe, every hostel we stayed in was nice and modern, and the air was fresh and clean. Somehow I simultaneously felt isolated yet deeply connected to my surroundings. If there is a magical place in the world, it is Iceland. I suppose my dislikes would be the cold weather and the fact that things are on the expensive side here.

Describe a challenge you faced:

I suppose for me, the biggest “challenge” was staying warm. I had on layers of “warm enough” clothing, but in some places the snow was coming down and the wind was so strong you felt like you might get picked up and tossed a few yards. We walked to the top of a snow-covered crater and I couldn’t feel my body by the time we made it up.

What new lesson did you learn?

I experienced a new sense of adventure in Iceland. Whether it was hitch-hiking with doctors or the search and rescue training team, exploring caves off the beaten path, or watching the northern lights from a hot tub, Iceland never failed to amaze and inspire.

Where next?

Next I’m off to Hawaii! You can find more of my travels on my blog!