Girls’ Trip to Iceland: Part One
During my sophomore year of college, a group of friends and I unintentionally formed a coffee drinking trio. We would meet (almost) every Friday at a coffee shop on the edge of campus called Golden Roast. We would stumble in half asleep at the ungodly hour of 7:30 am because what other college student was awake at that hour after going out on Friday Eve. We would grab our black coffees paid for with crumpled dollar bills and would slowly start to wake up with every sip. Sometimes there was a bagel or two if we had extra funds that week. After the aroma of coffee beans and delicious taste of Southern Pecan coffee woke us up, we would then begin to chat about the week.
We were able to keep this Friday coffee tradition alive until college graduation sent us our separate ways. During post graduation we were able to keep a group chat alive in the middle of getting masters degrees and moving to big cities. We would even occasionally get together in person if we found all three of us in Knoxville, TN. Those reunions, of course, included Golden Roast.
During those sparse post college coffee dates we decided that we needed to have a girls trip. It was the perfect idea. After all, one of the members, Elizabeth, had just moved to New York City and was constantly inviting us to visit. We booked the tickets and were set to go. The only problem was we booked the tickets in March of 2020. We obviously didn’t get to explore the Big Apple.
Our second attempt at a trip was when my other friend in the group, Anita, had the opportunity of a lifetime to teach in Italy. We started to plan the trip on FaceTime together and even assembled an itinerary. When it came time to book the tickets there was only one problem: Elizabeth was set to move to another country the exact week we were to take the trip. Fortunately I was still able to see Anita in Italy but our girls’ trip plans were once again foiled.
At this point it didn’t seem like a girls’ trip was in the cards. It has been almost four years since we attempted to travel together. Maybe it was a sign. However, if there is one thing about this group is that we speed past signs. We would give our trip plans one more good ole college try.
The meetings on Facetime began to commence. Dates were set. An itinerary was made. Flights were booked by all parties. I crossed my fingers and toes that there would be no illnesses or travel cancellations. I held my breath as my plane landed in the country Elizabeth was currently living in. When I saw my friends smiling faces as my bus pulled into the Reykjavík bus terminal I breathed a sigh of relief that was soon followed by laughter and hugging. The girls’ trip of a lifetime to Iceland had finally left the group chat.
Throughout the week we were in the beautiful country of fire and ice, we continuously were amazed by the spectacular views. From the power of beautiful waterfalls to the vastness of the black sand beaches, we tried our best not to miss a minute of visually capturing the unique landscape. While we enjoyed being typical tourists and taking way too many photos, we also enjoyed quality time together as friends. We went on walks by the harbor, got pour-overs and pastries at the corner coffee shop, and stayed up entirely too late eating falafel while watching The Mummy. These were the moments that truly made the trip special..
While I know not everyone casually has a best friend who lives in Iceland, I do know several people who have expressed their desire to visit this stunning country. I have personally converted to being in Iceland’s biggest fan club, but I can understand the hesitancy of traveling to a new country before doing your homework. I am by no means an expert on travel in Iceland but I did learn a few tips I would like to share from our fun filled girls’ trip.
10 Things to Know Before Traveling to Iceland
1. The Icelandic language may be difficult, but figuring out directions is not.
You know a language is difficult to learn whenever Duo Lingo doesn’t have it in their app! While we learned very little Icelandic before we landed in the country, fortunately almost every sign was in both Icelandic and English. It was super easy to navigate getting from my Terminal to the bus that took me into Reykjavick. The majority of business signs and menus in restaurants also had both Icelandic and English. I personally never had an issue finding our correct destination.
2. Iceland is an extremely safe place to visit, especially if you are a woman.
After exploring around Iceland for about twenty-four hours I noticed I felt different. I was relaxed. My shoulders had dropped. I realized it was because since I had arrived in the country I had not once worried about turning on a sketchy street or having someone follow me. According to the Global Peace Index, Iceland is one of the safest countries in the world (and the MC Index agrees). I truly felt comfortable traveling and was completely safe walking the streets after dark. If you have ever wanted to take a girls’ trip or a solo trip but don’t know where to start, Iceland is a fantastic country where you will be perfectly safe.
3. Plan to wear layers. You should also plan to take them off or put them back on depending on the weather.
Whenever we looked up the general weather for Iceland in March it stated we would be “flirting with freezing”. I can confirm that is how it felt the entire time we were in the country. It is also important to note the wind and precipitation had a big effect on how many layers we put on in the morning. Overall, we made sure to always have some sort of base layer before layering with our jeans and sweaters. I also made sure to pack thick wool socks to wear with my boots. Occasionally I did find myself taking off my puffy jacket if the wind died down. Know that if you are visiting the country in the Winter or Spring to bring plenty of warm clothes!
4. The hot dogs are worth the hype.
I was told by multiple people to try the hot dog stands in Reykjavik, and those people did not steer me wrong. Their hot dogs are absolutely delicious. One of my travel buddies, Anita, even had a goal of eating a hot dog a day while we were there. Instead of beef, the Icelandic hot dogs are made with tender lamb meat. The bread used for the bun was also very soft and warm. Top these fresh ingredients with homemade ketchup, sweet mustard, and caramelized onions then you are in for a delightful lunch.
5. Some guided tours are worth the money.
We had an in with getting some fantastic guided tours because our friend Elizabeth also happens to work in the tourism industry in Iceland. We were able to book a fabulous tour of the south part of the island through her company. We also took advantage of deals on Viator and did a whale watching tour where we fell in love with some friendly dolphins and stinky minke whales. I ventured out and did a food tour around the city which resulted in some pretty adventurous taste testing. More details of that experience will come soon.
6. Don’t be afraid to stock up on food at the grocery store.
While Iceland may be a beautiful, safe country it is also known for being relatively expensive. For a few of our meals, we ended up making a run to the grocery store to get supplies for breakfast and lunch. I have known of a few friends who have done this because they opted to explore the country by renting a car and it ended up saving them some money on food. That being said, we still had fun having a unique grocery store experience and even tried some new foods that aren’t in the United States.
7. Volcanic eruptions are normal, but it is also normal for said eruptions to impact your travel plans.
Before traveling I had several family members reach out to me expressing concern because there was a volcanic eruption happening in Iceland. While being cautious around an active volcano is very important, the country of Iceland is more than equipt when it comes to tracking eruptions and diverting the general public. The eruption overall did not interrupt my trip, but it was unfortunate that it did cause the famous Blue Lagoon to be shut down. Still, the fact I was able to see the glow of an erupting volcano and lava seeping through its cracks was a giant check off my bucket list.
8 .The geothermal pools are excellent, but they don’t have to be expensive.
The Blue Lagoon might have been closed during my stay, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t other geothermal pool and spa options. I ended up going with my friend Elizabeth to one of the local bathhouses and only had to pay around $8 to relax in the hot tubs. We had joked about doing a polar plunge while at the bathhouse and I proudly boasted about making it 20 seconds in the freezing cold water. I believe I made it about 0.2 seconds before running back to the hot tub. Polar plunges are not for the weak.
9. The northern lights are even more spectacular in person. They won’t be as spectacular if you visit when the sun hardly sets.
Iceland is extremely close to the Arctic Circle which means that it may have very different sunlight than where you live. In the wintertime there are only about five hours of sunlight, but in the summer the sun will barely dip below the horizon. That being said, it may be very difficult to see the northern lights if it never gets dark outside! If you want to see these beautiful colors dancing in the sky it is best to bundle up in the Winter and visit the country sometime between September and April.
10. Don’t be afraid to try something new, even if it seems a bit fishy.
We had the most epic girls’ trip visiting Elizabeth in Iceland. I am so glad I got out of my comfort zone when it came to flying solo and walking around Reyjavick with the intention of just exploring. We made so many incredible memories trying new activities and foods, even if some of them were in the form of fish paste. I would say this was a trip of a lifetime, but I have a feeling this group of friends is only getting started with our adventures.
