Before I graduated college, my international trips had been limited to Bangladesh to visit family and a short vacation to Bangkok. Since moving to Washington, I’ve had the opportunity to travel to Tokyo, Paris, London, Toronto, Victoria, and Vancouver. Now I’m sitting in Stockholm and thinking back on my last (and probably best) trip: a weeklong vacation to Iceland with Emily. Iceland had been on our radar for a while, and in September, after several weeks of planning, we spent a week driving around the country. It would be impossible to detail every part of our journey, so here are just some of the experiences that I will never forget.

Svartifoss

As I do with most parts of my life, I made a spreadsheet for us to plan our options and prioritize our time. Svartifoss was the first attraction that got a “must-visit” from both of us. It was one of many, many waterfalls on our list, and while the waterfall itself isn’t particularly special (by Iceland’s standards), the surroundings caught my attention.

The hexagonal basalt columns next to the waterfall was the most appealing part to me. Something about the sharp corners and overall geometry of the backdrop amazed me, especially knowing that it was all formed from cooling lava. And we saw similar formations in other parts of Iceland.

There were also lots of accessible rocks in the stream that were fun to climb onto.

We hyped up Svartifoss big time while planning the trip, and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

Seljalandsfoss

Seljalandsfoss is a much taller waterfall than Svartifoss, but just like Svartifoss, it provided something unique beyond a large or strong flow of water. There is a path that goes all the way around the waterfall, so you can actually walk behind it. The 360-degree view was awesome, and the path stayed surprisingly close to the fall.

I’m not going to lie… it made me very nervous to walk that path. I don’t even like taking the plastic packaging film off my phone, let alone carrying expensive camera equipment behind a waterfall that kicks up a never-ending mist. Fortunately it all worked out. I managed to set my paranoia aside long enough to enjoy the view, and we kept all of our things dry.

Hot springs

I had heard great things about the hot springs in Iceland. Sitting back and soaking in a pool naturally heated by the earth sounded super relaxing. But the more I read about places like Blue Lagoon and Secret Lagoon, the less eager I got. They seemed more commercialized and touristy than what I was looking for. Built-in bars, electronic wristbands, $80 entrance fees, bookings required weeks in advance… they sounded closer to spas or resorts.

Instead, we found two smaller and more remote natural hot springs to explore. The first was a river in Reykjadalur valley, which we reached after a 45 minute hike through a beautiful area with mountains, canyons, boiling mud pools, and clouds of steam rising out of the ground.

But hiking was not the hard part. The real challenge was changing from our layered winter gear down to a swimsuit in the bitter cold air. No, there was no heated changing room. Just us on top of a mountain with an insufficient wooden changing wall. The 100 degree river flowing a few feet away was motivating enough though, and the coldness made it even more rewarding when we climbed into the water.

We sat and lounged for a long time, letting the river push hot water into us while we played with rocks and took in our surroundings. It was the perfect way to relax and enjoy the breathtaking scenery around us.

The other hot spring, called Landbrotalaug, was much harder to find. Aside from a few blog posts, most sites didn’t list it, and we had to navigate to it based on lat/long coordinates. When we got to the area, I was concerned we wouldn’t find it. It seemed like we were in the middle of nowhere, with no clear path or signs pointing to it. However, after crossing a river on some small stones and treading through tall grass, we found our hot spring.

A stark contrast to Blue Lagoon, Landbrotalaug was not much more than a hole in the ground with some rocks around it. It couldn’t have fit more than 3 or 4 people comfortably, so we were lucky that there was no one in sight. The water was much hotter than the river in Reykjadalur, which I expected to struggle with, but once again the outside temperature motivated me to get in quickly. It was exactly what I was looking for from a hot spring in Iceland. The small size, hidden location, and surrounding beauty made it an incredibly serene experience.

Northern lights

We considered going to Iceland in June, but with close to 24 hours of daylight, we would have had no chance of seeing the northern lights. September is supposedly the very beginning of northern lights season, so we would have felt lucky to see them even once. But Iceland greeted us with the dancing lights on 3 of our 7 nights, each time better than the last.

Of course we had no control over the lights or clouds, but I think our decision to go with the campervan helped us a lot here. We checked maps of cloud cover and aurora forecasts daily and targeted campsites that would give us the best chance each night.

I hoped to see the northern lights, but it wasn’t what I was most excited for compared to our other activities. So I was surprised when, after the week was over, I considered the northern lights one of my favorite sights of the trip. I just loved the shade of green against the black sky, and the way the lights formed into lines and streaked across the sky in seemingly unpredictable ways.

It was also fun to try to photograph the northern lights. We are far from expert photographers, but Emily spent a lot of time before the trip learning how to actually use our camera, including the proper settings for capturing the northern lights. Our first attempts were not promising.

But they got progressively better.

And once Emily tweaked the focus… well…

We kept the camera clicking when we could, but we were careful not to spend the whole time looking through a viewfinder. Iceland’s beauty tempted me to spend time taking pictures, but I never wanted to miss moments because I was trying to get the perfect photo. Pictures are great, but the memories will be the most valuable.

Sheep

One of the first things I noticed as we began our journey around the Ring Road was the sheer number of sheep. At first spotting a flock of sheep seemed like a special occurrence. We stalked them, got as close as we could without disturbing them, and took full advantage of our telephoto lens for sheep photoshoots.

It didn’t take long before we realized they are literally everywhere. In fields, on mountains, next to (and sometimes in the middle of) the highway. But that didn’t stop us from admiring their carefree nature and choosing trip favorites.

In hindsight, we shouldn’t have been surprised. We later learned that there are twice as many sheep in Iceland as there are people!

Öxi Pass

We came home from Iceland with so many positive memories. This was not one of them.

We followed Route 1 for most of our drive, but as we approached the East Fjords on Wednesday night, our navigation took us onto Road 939 (aka Öxi Pass) to cut through the interior rather than winding along the coast. We should have heeded our first warning: a driver who turned around and rolled down his window to tell us there was no way he was going up the hill ahead. It looked steep, but he was in a small car, so we figured we would be okay.

Steep uphill climbs were only the beginning. Soon we were driving not only in the dark, but through some kind of cloud, dust, or a horrendous combination of both. The result? Air that blended with the gravel road and visibility of just a few feet in front of our van. The only way we could make out the road was by wooden sticks that marked either side, which were infrequent enough that we could only see one set at a time. Had there been a place to turn around, we would have immediately, but it was too late.

For 30 minutes, we navigated the sticks. Emily driving, me calling out each “left stick” and “right stick” I could find, and both of us bracing ourselves at every hairpin turn and “blindhaed” (blind hill). The main road didn’t reappear until after 10 miles of the most distressing driving experience we could imagine. Needless to say, taking a picture was the last thing on my mind. Thinking back, it’s probably for the better.

Driving off the road

Öxi Pass convinced me to stay on Route 1 as much as possible for the remainder of the trip, but we had to stray from it occasionally to reach our destinations. This was especially true during our day on Snæfellsnes, a peninsula on the western side of Iceland that Route 1 skips. While I wasn’t a fan of Iceland’s narrow gravel roads, I had gotten more comfortable as the week went on. I’m a fairly passive driver in general, so when a car approaches on a narrow gravel road, I move to the side.

Sometimes too far to the side.

I can still remember the drop in my stomach as our van slowly slid off the edge, and the horror I felt when we got out of the van and stepped back to see this:

In my head, I knew it hadn’t slid that far, but in the moment, all I could imagine was our rental van tipping and rolling down the hill. The only thing supporting the back right wheel was a small, untrustworthy rock that looked ready to crumble.

I called our rental company which contacted a towing service for us. We were returning from Öndverðarnes, the westernmost point of the peninsula. Describing our location was a difficult task, and I had to resort to texting coordinates and pictures of maps. His reaction when he realized how far we were from any real city was not comforting.

Standing in the cold was not fun, and we didn’t dare get in the van or even open the doors to grab warm layers. The ETA for the tow truck was in an hour, but fortunately it showed up in just 30 minutes. (Judging by the size of the truck, it could have beelined there and crushed anything in its way.) My first time needing a tow could have been worse, but I definitely learned from the nerve-racking (and expensive) mistake.

Living in a van

Before we planned our trip, I knew I wanted to drive around the country ourselves rather than staying near Reykjavik or taking day tours. But we still had a big decision to make. Should we rent a car and stay in hotels, Airbnbs, and hostels? Or should we rent a campervan and sleep at campsites?

Ultimately we chose the campervan for one big reason: flexibility. With the unpredictable weather and conditions in Iceland, we didn’t even know if we would drive clockwise or counterclockwise around the Ring Road, let alone where we would sleep. Rather than booking accommodation weeks in advance, we mapped out dozens of campsites around the country and waited until each evening to decide where to stay. We never had to worry about rushing through an activity to make it to our next hotel.

Considering that I had never camped before, sleeping in a van at campsites for 7 nights was both exciting and scary. I liked the idea of having a mobile home of sorts to explore around in, and it definitely caters to my minimalist tendencies. But I did worry about not having a proper bed or shower after exhausting days of adventuring.

The first couple of nights eased my fears. The sleeping space was tighter than I’m used to but still large enough to sleep comfortably. The campsites we stayed at were well-equipped and had great facilities. We cooked almost all of our meals in the van, which I loved… and not just because restaurants in Iceland are expensive! Skyr yogurt with granola and berries made for perfect breakfasts. Lunches alternated between sandwiches and ramen cups. And we took full advantage of our one-burner tabletop stove to cook dinners like tortellini with sausage and chicken and potatoes.

The flexibility of the van also meant we could stop almost anywhere for dinner with a view.

I heard that road trips in close quarters with your significant other are supposed to “test your relationship”. If that’s true, then I must say, in the least humble way possible, that Emily and I passed with flying colors. We share similar interests and values when traveling. We worked together to get stuff done and overcome any literal or metaphorical roadblocks. I think the closest we got to a fight was when I tried to cheat in the road-trip-spanning bet we had going (I won anyway). If anything, living in a van together for 7 days reaffirmed what I already knew: we rock.

Disconnecting

Over the last year, I had been feeling increasingly stressed due to wedding planning, work, a troublesome dog, and everyday things that life throws at you. This weeklong trip was more than an opportunity to travel. It was an opportunity to get away. That’s why we made the decision to turn off all notifications on our phones. No texts. No work emails. No social media updates.

I was a little worried. What if something happens at work, or the stock market crashes, or my fantasy football team sucks? I won’t know! But I decided that it can all wait until I get back.

Disconnecting turned out to be a great decision. It felt extremely refreshing to abandon the constant overload of information in our lives today, and to just focus on seeing new sights and experiencing a new country. We still bought a local SIM card for emergencies (for example, to call for a tow after driving off the road). But otherwise, we stayed offline for the entire trip. Even our navigation and music was offline since we downloaded maps and playlists before arriving. It was exactly the escape I needed from my daily stressors. Since returning, I’ve been more conscious of how much time I spend absorbing useless information versus doing things that matter to me.

Overall beauty

In total, we drove 1340 miles from Reykjavik, around the Golden Circle, across southern Iceland through Vik, past the East Fjords through Egilsstaðir, across northern Iceland through Akureyri, all the way west to Snæfellsnes, and back down to Reykjavik. Usually I try to minimize driving time on road trips. Who wants to spend the whole time sitting in the car?

But in Iceland, driving didn’t feel like a means to get from one point to the next. Every part of the country is gorgeous in different ways. The landscape varied dramatically across the country. From mountains and valleys to lava fields to coastlines, every bend in the road revealed a new scene.

At times, I wondered if I was amidst the pinnacle of beauty that our world has to offer. I’m sure there are other countries that are just as stunning, but it’s hard to imagine.

There were so many other experiences I hope to never forget: erupting geysers, friendly Icelandic horses, giant glaciers, the ever-present smell of sulfur, and many amazing waterfalls and hikes. I’ve always thought I would use my limited travel opportunities to see different places, but Iceland may have convinced me that some places are worth visiting twice.