Yep, we did it. We went to Iceland. What started out as a joke actually became reality within a month and a half. Everyone asked us how we did so cheap, so here you go!
Matt, Angela, Jason and myself all paid $1,000 each for EVERYTHING (flight, 4x4 car rental, food, gas, housing, taxes, and $250 each left over for whatever else we wanted). Sounds too good to be true? Yeah, I'm still in awe of how we did it! First thing is first we went during off season, (March), which is way cheaper than summer. We flew through a budget airline, we cooked our own meals, we stayed outside the city at an Airbnb, and we (mostly Jason) really researched. If you want the exact companies we used, feel free to comment and I'll give ya the hook up. DAY ONE: We landed at 5am so we had the whole day ahead of us. We got our rental car and went straight to our home, (yeah we had a whole house to ourself, pretty rad). We kinda just chilled because we were so jet lagged. We explored the neighbored, went grocery shopping, and simply immersed ourselves into the culture. Later in the evening we went to the local HOT POOLS. This is pretty much a tub of water that is OUTSIDE and heated by the volcanoes. Before you enter the tubs you need to bathe in the locker room, (Iceland peeps are all about cleanliness). In Iceland nudity is normal, you shower together, naked. There is no covering up, no stalls, you're all out and free. If you rinse off with your bathing suit on you're an alien. Any who, the HOT POOLS WERE SO RELAXING. There were 3 "tubs" with different temperatures, and man you never wanted to get out. All the locals were there, kids and adults, so obviously it was the spot to be. DAY TWO: We went downtown to Reykjavik. There were so many cute shops, cool art museums, book stores, coffee shops. Art work is all over the city and it was really clean. Everyone dressed so hip and stylish. We went to the top of Hallgrímskirkja and overlooked the whole city. THE VIEW WAS STUNNING. Hot Dogs in Iceland are a staple, so we had to experience the famous hot dog stand as well. DAY THREE: One of my favorite days. We drove to Kerid Crater and hiked around the whole thing, it was amazing. After that we drove to a greenhouse to eat lunch. Yep, a tomato greenhouse called Friðheimar. This place is absolutely amazing. The farm has abundant supplies of geothermal water, which provide heat to the greenhouses, they have Bees to pollinate all the plants, they have a climate controlled computer stem that the owners can change from wherever they are, AND they also use solar power for electricity. They have 3 different meals to choose from: pizza, tomato soup and homemade bread, and ravioli. Matt, Jason, and Angela had the soup and I had the ravioli. THIS WAS THE BEST MEAL I'VE EVER HAD. So freaking fresh. We may have dropped $100 on our meal, but it was worth it. After that boss a$$ meal we went to the Great Geysir which erupts every few minutes. FREAKING AWESOME!!!! To bookend that fantastic day we circled back to the local hot pools to let our day sink in. DAY FOUR: MY OTHER FAVORITE DAY. We drove to the Secret Lagoon, which is comparable to the Blue Lagoon but less expensive and less crowded. I honestly can't even begin to describe how amazing it is. Look it up, fall in love, and then just go. After that we drove to the moss fields. As we were driving we saw waterfalls, rainbows, and so much beauty. It's a lava field that has this REALLY OLD moss on it (you're not allowed to step on it, Justin Bieber pretty much got the boot for stepping on the moss). After that we got coffee in Vik, ( a cute little town), and all decided to go to the DC3 Plane Wreck. We walked almost 7 miles in total to see this bad boy. IT WAS WORTH EVERY STEP. IT was so interesting and amazing to see a piece of history in person. After that we started on our drive home when all of a sudden J spotted the northern lights. We pulled over and watched them for awhile. When we got back to our home, we could see them from the WINDOW of our room. It was actually amazing we saw the northern lights since is was so cloudy. DAY FIVE: We went back to downtown Reykjavik, just chilled, and relaxed in the culture. We got ice cream. Iceland's ice cream is the bomb. DAY SIX: Head home (commence crying) ADVISE TO THOSE GOING TO ICELAND *cook your meals *use a credit/debt card that doesn't have forgien transaction fees * bring a water bottle, Iceland water FRESH off the glaciers *shop at bonus *tipping isn't required *Iceland is super safe, even cops don't carry guns *If you're 21 or older try Einstok beer, its the best beer ever **Get it from the duty free store at the airport *If you go in the hot spring, drink A lOT of water ( almost passed out) *don't step on the moss *wind can get pretty serious, sometimes the wind is so strong it can take off a car door *layers, layers, layers *travel outside the city (you won't want to miss it) *everyone speaks English but it wouldn't hurt to learn basic words in Icelandic *rent a car, take your time. *respect the environment **weather is unpredictable *there is almost the same amount of people in Pittsburgh as the WHOLE island of Iceland *Iceland is green, Greenland is ice (yeah, I know) *research before you go, but don't over plan *dont forget a phone charger adapter Iceland is amazing, from the culture to the beautiful scenery, it will not disappoint. We are already planning on going back. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me or comment below! xoxo
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Author: Alexa Connerdaily coffee drinker, mother to plants, follower of Jesus. Archives
April 2019
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