pre-iceland post pt. 2 (2)
Halló visitor.
In my last post, I detailed my plans for my Iceland trip, which I am embarking on in about 61/2 hours. This post, I want to share a bit of my mindset around the logistics of solo travel. I have lived my life as a pretty messy person, but lately I've really turned things around. I've started to clean my room and organize my online spaces. Naturally, my newfound organizational prowess extends to my travel.
I figured out what to take by using, of course, chatGPT. As it turns out, you have to take, for lack of a better term, a buttload of stuff when you travel. First-worlders require a vast variety of items every day just to get by, and I am no exception. See all of my things below:
Packed view:
Exploded view:
Obviously, I had to buy a new travel backpack, because I've never backpacked abroad. I also haven't really hiked much in my life, so the hiking boots and clothes are new. But when you start to prepare for travel, you have to buy stuff that you didn't even know you needed. For instance, I had to buy two $26 pairs of wool hiking socks... yikes. (I tried a $6 pair, but they fell apart immediately.) Other new items include the passport cover, the packing cubes, and the power bank (not pictured). Stuff is expensive!
Purchasing and packing items is a relatively simple task, but there are other things to consider. I obviously needed to stay somewhere in Iceland, and Icelandic car rental places don't rent to 19-year-olds. Thus, I'm staying in a camper van. This saves me some money from hotels and allows me to actually explore the country.
I'm gonna have to drive myself, which comes with its own host of issues. Iceland has single-lane bridges (why?) and some odd rules about roundabouts. Additionally, all the "highways", if you can call them that, are one-laners. NGL, I still don't really feel prepared to drive in Iceland.
Pictured: A single-lane bridge. Very strange things, they are.
In Iceland, you can't just park your van and sleep wherever you want. You have to pay for a campsite, which may or may not have basic amenities like showers. So, you kind of have to plan your trip around campsites where you can at least brush your teeth. I've picked out 8 possible campsites that I'll stay at, but if I don't want to stay at those ones, the camper van company provides a helpful map of all the campsites in Iceland.
The cost of food is astronomically high in Iceland. Usually, on vacation, you just eat out whenever you want. Only the most frugal of travelers cook their own food when they're abroad. But in Iceland, visiting a grocery store and preparing your own meals is a necessity. A bowl of soup costs $20 USD in Iceland, which I personally don't feel like spending 3x a day, so I'm bringing CLIF bars from home and I'll visit a grocery store as soon as I land. I will have a few must-have meals, though. The fish and lamb in Iceland are supposedly some of the best in the world, so I don't want to miss them.
Pictured: Friðheimar, a restaurant and greenhouse in Iceland where all of the menu items include their own in-house grown tomatoes. One of the few restaurant meals I plan to eat.
Food, packing, and driving are just a few considerations when traveling. There are many others, including, but not limited to:
- Coffee. I've prepaid to rent a coffee press from the camper-van company for 5 EUR. I'll also have to buy fresh ground coffee from a coffee shop in Reykjavik.
- Medication. Supposedly, Icelandic customs officers want you to provide the original prescriptions for any medications, so I'll have those handy.
- Gas. You have to use a debit card with a PIN to get gas in some gas stations that don't have attendants. You also have to map out and plan for specific gas stations, because getting stranded in Iceland is a pain in the neck.
There are many considerations when you're traveling, but I'm guessing it all becomes worth it when you see the aurora borealis and reach nirvana. Travel probably becomes really fun when you actually get to the sites, past all the logistics and airport hassles. Also, gaining the skill of managing myself in other countries is a big reason why I wanted to solo travel in the first place. So, I'm really looking forward to going to the airport in a few hours.
My next post will be in Iceland. Wish me luck on my journey!
Bless bless,
Ayaan