Affordable Globetrotting: 07/18/18

Skógafoss waterfall.
Skógá River, South Iceland.

Iceland had never been on my list of “Places I would Like to Visit”. That is, until I found out that it wasn’t made up of only ice, but instead, made up of some of the most beautiful natural scenery on earth. Our minds were made up to go there when we saw a cheap flight deal that would cost us $274 round-trip. We knew it was going to be a different kind of trip in the sense that we would be sleeping, eating, and traveling alone (in the middle of nowhere) in a campervan we would rent on AirBnb, but we were excited for this new type of adventure in our travels. We could handle being on our own, in a foreign country, on a country road, away from civilization, with no phone reception of any sort, right? We sure did “handle” it, but let’s just say I’m pretty lucky to be writing this blog post about our experience in Iceland right now.

Am I exaggerating a bit? Maybe a little…but, seriously only a little.

Renting a campervan is extremely popular when visiting Iceland. In fact, it’s so common that AirBnb has many options for renting one while visiting. Due to all the must-see nature sights around the island, and the minimal options for hotels and Bed and Breakfasts away from Reykjavik on your travels to these sights, it makes sense that you would need to camp out along the way during your travels. And that’s part of the Icelandic experience: being away from big city life, and in nature to enjoy all that it has to offer. So, yes, it does make sense that AirBnB has an abundance of campervans to rent. A bonus is that when you feel the need to pull over and sleep in your rented campervan, you can choose to do so almost anywhere! Imagine this: waking up to the sight and sound of a waterfall…I mean, you couldn’t be more away from civilization and with nature than that!

Campervan from AirBnB.
Reykjavik, Iceland.

Here I go getting off subject again…

Our AirBnB host seemed like a nice gentleman. He assured us that we were in good hands with his campervan, and even went as far to ease our mind that the last person who used the van was a woman traveling with her young daughter in the middle of winter. She even supposedly commented that the van was the “perfect fit” for her and her daughter. At the time, this put my mind as ease. He seemed like a trustworthy type. AirBnB listed him with a high rating, so he had to be good.

We had more of an advantage than the last renter: we were two grown-ups, traveling in the summer with almost endless daylight. We would be fine. Or so we thought.

He gave us the key, we loaded our bags, and hopped in the monster campervan. It was a rough start, driving this massive van through the narrow, steep, and hilly neighborhood streets of Reykjavik. It being a manual and all made it even more difficult to do so. A little stressful at first, but we made it through the neighborhood, onto the city road, and through the city onto the country road of Highway 1. All was smooth sailing on Highway 1 so far.

Dilemma #1- Tire Problems

It wasn’t until our first gas stop when we encountered our first (and by far biggest) dilemma. While filling up, Daren discovered that the front two tires of our “awesome ride” were worn down as worn down could be. Metal threads and metal exposed to the very core of each tire were clearly visible, and from feet away. Now, I’m not one to know a lot about cars and such, but I knew this wasn’t good....better yet I knew this was extremely bad and dangerous. We were about 350 kilometers (about 220 miles) away from Reykjavik, in the middle of nowhere, with the next closest town being nowhere near. Even if we wanted to find somewhere to get the tires changed, it wouldn’t be for a very long time. I stared at these tires as all of these thoughts ran through my head. I suddenly felt a rush of panic and stress.

Solution to Dilemma #1- Luckily Highway 1 away from the city of Reykjavik is more like a two-lane road with a low speed limit and rarely any cars in sight. Had it been a typical highway with bigger and busier roads, we would have had to come up with a different solution other than driving slow and praying neither of the tires would pop. We did our best to stay positive as we carefully pushed forward with our journey. We knew it was very unlikely that we would come across a shop that could replace the tires, so instead, we came up with a back-up plan just in case one or both tires crapped out on us. Staying positive, praying, and the comfort of having a back-up plan, along with being careful and alert eased our mind for the remainder of our trip. Luckily, our tires lasted and made it on all of our travels.

Catching Dinner Off Reykjavik Port.
Reykjavik, Iceland.

Dilemma #2- Cooking Dinner

There was no need to check our cooking and eating supplies. We knew there were plenty…one of the reasons we booked the campervan in the first place was because our host on AirBnB commented that the van had a “full supply” of cooking and eating supplies that came with the deal.

So it came to our “surprise” when we stopped to cook our fish dinner that we caught, filleted, and packed in ice the day we left Reykjavik that we had only 1 pot, 2 glasses, 2 forks, 2 spoons, and 2 knives that were supplied to us with the van. Ok, I have to give our host a little more credit. He also gave us a butane tank and attachment for cooking…. But it had one minute of cook life in it before it ran out of butane. So nevermind. That doesn’t count. Silly me for giving him more credit than he deserves.

A peanut butter sandwich had to do that first night.

Solution to Dilemma #2- We used leftover coffee cups from cafés alongside Highway 1, along with paper towels and aluminum foil (thank goodness we made a grocery stop for food and some other items before leaving Reykjavik) to use for our cooking and eating supplies.

Fish, Potatoes, Onions, Supplies from "Bonus" Supermarket.
Off Highway 1, South Iceland.

To cook our caught fish with potatoes and onion, we had to come up with a solution. Surprisingly, (not surprisingly) not a single gas station along the way had a replacement for the French 1970s butane tank our host so thoughtfully had for us to use on our week long trip.

The second night, Daren got creative. We were SOL for any source of butane or propane fire, so his Boy Scout skills came into action. He used a coffee cup to cook the pot of fish and potatoes. Yes, you read right. He punched a hole on the side of the cup, and placed anything that could be lit on the inside (sticks, newspaper, etc.). He lit the inside with the lighter we fortunately had on hand and made a fire. I had so many questions when observing him. How did the cup not catch fire? What made the fire last? How could the pot of food sit on this flimsy cup? How in the world did this tiny fire cook this pot of food? I was amazed by the whole process…and with my husband’s skills. We ate our fish dinner that night. And it was delicious. I don’t know if it was my hunger, the fresh Icelandic fish, or the hell and hard work put into making it, but it was the best tasting fish I have ever had. Let’s just say I call Daren McGyver now. Maybe I should look into becoming a Girl Scout.

We eventually found a cooking candle at one of the gas stations on the way and used it from that point on in our trip. I liked Daren’s way better.

Dilemma #3-Bed Issues

I was almost certain as I climbed up onto the man-made, wood bunkbed-like set up in the van that the sheets were not washed after the previous renters (or maybe even after any renters). Oh well, I didn’t expect to be clean much this trip anyway…

As I laid on the bed, I made one slight movement and the mattress caved through to the bottom of the van, onto everything stored underneath. We found that the mattress was propped poorly onto thin boards that were binded together with cloth and staples, and of course not nailed into the frame of the bed. Surprise, surprise. Another sh*t encounter with campervan. I didn’t get hurt luckily. Even luckier, Daren wasn’t on the bed to crash down with me. A collapsed van, and definitely popped tires would have been the outcome without a doubt.

At this point, I was about to break. I was fed up with this van, exhausted (physically and definitely mentally from being stressed out), and angry that we haven’t had the chance to thoroughly enjoy our trip in Iceland because of all the dilemmas we’ve come across since day one on the road. So to add to Dilemma #3, I’ll add a Dilemma #4: mental breakdown.

Solution to Dilemmas #3 and #4- In the midst of cussing up a storm after I collapsed our bed and reached the highest point where enough was enough, Daren laughs at me and our situation. After all that we had been through, he couldn’t help but laugh. I paused (post F word), and started laughing too. I rolled my eyes, took a deep breath, and stared at the mattress hanging from the bed frame. We pulled out everything from the van, including the mattress and arranged it to where we could move the mattress back in, and slept with the mattress on the base of the van. Come to find out, this way was easier, more comfortable, more spacious, and obviously more safe. We went to sleep, and woke up to a new day with the sight and sound of a waterfall. It was going to be a great day and dilemma-free rest of our trip. Even if it wasn’t dilemma-free, we vowed to stay positive and find yet another solution.

We encountered a lot of dilemmas in Iceland, but we always stayed positive and came out with a solution. Most importantly, we came out with amazing stories, unforgettable views, and an incredible journeys of a lifetime.

Svartifoss waterfall.
Skaftafell in Vatnajökull National Park.

Afterthoughts

I know what you’re thinking…In fact, you’re right. It was our fault for not inspecting the van thoroughly before driving off with it. We should have pushed our excitement aside and not worried so much about our time frame in getting to point B and searched the van to ensure all was good, present, and in fair condition. But we didn’t. We trusted too much and we were blind…and that was our mistake. Silly us for thinking our Iceland trip would be perfect. We knew well before that it’s impossible to have any perfect trip. We obviously knew this from our own, prior experiences! Have you read, “Find a Solution to Your Dilemma While Traveling…” Parts 1, 2, and 3?

Of course it’s impossible to have the perfect trip. And that’s ok. Because that’s part of traveling. You’re going to experience some crappy situations (and people), but again, that’s ok. You learn from these situations and become smarter and more experienced because of them. You learn many lessons for your next trips. Believe me when I say, though, that you will have far more positive situations and experiences than the negative ones. These are what make traveling so incredible… and worth experiencing the hard ones.

So trust me, don’t even try to plan or anticipate the perfect trip. It’s foolish to even think it’s possible. As the iconic Anthony Bourdain once said, “I learned a long time ago that trying to micromanage the perfect vacation is always a disaster. That leads to terrible times.” You’ll only be disappointed and stressed if something doesn’t go your way. Not everything will go your way, no matter how hard you try. And you’ll miss out on the best experiences if you are dwelling on the perfect trip.

Sometimes you make poor decisions along the way. And, again, that’s ok too. It’s part of the traveling experience. If you appreciate what travel has to offer, you will handle and learn from whatever comes your way, good or bad. Regardless, it’s a win-win.

Whatever it is that comes your way, always remember to stay positive. You’ll find a solution.

Safe Travels,

Veronica

“Travel isn’t always pretty. Is isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s OK. The journey changes you; it should change you…You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.”-Anthony Bourdain

Rest in Peace, my idol. You will be missed. (June, 2018).

Iceland