Riding in Cars with Boys

Iceland surpassed our expectations in so many ways. We arrived with the idea of seeing some natural beauty, the Northern Lights and Reykjavik nightlife. We not only accomplished those goals, but also learned a lot about who we are and how we travel. First of all, Iceland is EXPENSIVE. Gas is about $10+ per gallon, food in a restaurant is a lot, food in the grocery store is a lot, tours are $70-$100 dollars a day, and getting to and from the airport alone cost $40. To help make this crazy place more affordable we went searching via couchsurfing for some new friends to share a rental car so we could see the highlights of the island as well as discover places off the tourist track. And we could do that for several days for the price of one tour. My online post was answered and after meeting in person, Francois from France, Manuel from Italy, Julia from Germany and the two American girls were new friends searching for Icelandic adventure. The first day covered the most popular route known as the “Golden Circle.” On our way home, Manuel, the navigator suggested a new route. When we hit the curvy, steep, gravel road with few vehicles, the two stressed, backseat drivers (that’s us) began questioning the navigation. I didn’t want to seem like a crazy person so I tried to trust Manuel, but I’m the kind of person who can go with the flow as long as I know where the flow is going. Ultimately, that crazy road led us to incredible views. In the days that followed, wrong turns brought us to perfect rainbows, driving past where I thought we were going led us to the most peaceful spot on the shore of an iceberg filled lake, bumpy one lane road offered us some of the most incredible views of the Icelandic landscape, and staying out later than planned gave us our first glimpse of the Northern Lights dancing across the sky.

 I frequently had to remind myself to trust Manuel and Francois and to be okay with not being in control of the car or the course of our travels because when I let go I got to experience something incredible, something that I would have never been able to find myself. In Iceland we learned that we never get lost, we just find new unexpected adventures.