Northern California

Back in February we went to Northern California for my Father-in-Law's wedding! It was fun to see family and play in the snow! When we landed at the airport, my brother-in-law James was posting on Instagram about how much it was snowing and I was freaking out! You guys know by now that I swear I have a snow curse and I was so sad that I was missing it by a few hours. Luckily, when we pulled up there was still a little snow left so I counted it as a win. But then it ended up snowing a day later, and it snowed SO much!!

My sister-in-law, Renee, lives up in the mountains and they have a lot of land so it was fun to walk around their property and enjoy the beautiful snow.

^ Of course we had to stop at In-N-Out with Jesse & Lydia when we first arrived in California :)

^ I always love spending time with their dog, Foxy. I miss Harley so much when we leave so it's nice to have another dog around.

We spent Friday and Saturday getting ready for the wedding!

Having your father-in-law get remarried is filled with a lot of emotions for everyone. But Cathy (his new wife) is so wonderful and sweet! She has been such a great addition to the family!

After the wedding, we spent time hanging out with family and going on hikes.

^ We had some heated game nights haha

We drove further up the mountain to see more snow and went sledding. I've never been in so much snow before, I was in heaven!! It was so gorgeous!

^ My snow angel lol

I love these girls so much!! Being an aunt is the best!

After this day, everyone else left to go home so Kenneth and I went to Lake Tahoe for our last day. I'll share that in another post!

Overall, it was fun to see family again and spend lots of time in the snow.

xo, Lo

Tips for Traveling Iceland

We learned a lot of helpful tips while planning for Iceland and while visiting. I wanted to write them all down so that I could pass them on to friends and family that one day visit and for my own records. So below are the best tips I would recommend knowing if you plan on visiting!

If you want, I recommend pulling up Asgeir on YouTube and listening to his music while you read this post. He's from Iceland & we heard his songs on the radio during our trip. This was the song that we heard all the time. I fell in love with his music and still love listening to him, especially his songs that are in Icelandic.

1. Housing

There are 3 main choices for where to stay in Iceland. Camping, camper vans and an actual house/hotel/airbnb. We knew it would be too cold for camping in a tent. I had a friend that visited in August, and they camped, and she said it was still so cold that they ended up booking a last minute airbnb while there. So we debated between getting a camper van or going the hotel route.

We loved the idea of a camper van because you can drive wherever you want and don't have to stick to a set schedule in order to check in to your next place. We also liked the idea of grabbing groceries and cooking our own meals. But we needed a camper van that could drive on F roads (I'll get more into that in the rental car section). When it comes down to it all, camper vans aren't cheap. In fact, when we did the calculations, it was going to end up being about the same price to get a camper van for 1 week as it was to get a rental car + hotels for a week. Crazy huh?! You have to keep in mind that because Iceland's tourism has picked up so much, you can't just park on the side of a road anymore and you need to park at a park and those still cost money. We also knew that we would save some money with the free breakfast's that were offered at the hotels. After weighing the pros and cons, we decided to go with the hotel route (mainly because we liked the idea of having a hot shower every night haha). 

Hotel vs Airbnb vs Guesthouse

We stayed at all 3 during our stay and there are pros and cons to them all.

Hotel: Typically they are nicer, you have your own bathroom and more amenities like a TV, wifi, toiletries, etc. The big pro to hotels is having free breakfast (depending on the hotel you stay at). Food is not cheap in Iceland. If you go to a restaurant and get a typical breakfast meal, it can go for $30 easily. We ate huge breakfasts and filled up so we didn't really have to eat until dinner. We would also grab the extra fruit or bread to go and ate that later on. 

Airbnb: We noticed that a lot of 'guesthouses' would rent through airbnb but also have their own websites. So I'm referring to just the typical airbnb that you would find in the US. We liked these because you could find them in the most remote locations and you have a better chance of finding something cheap. Also, I feel like a lot of airbnb's are pretty cute and I like being able to find something unique. Finally, I like that a lot of airbnb's give you an entire cabin or house to yourself and it's nice to have the privacy. 

Guesthouse: Pretty much a combination of an airbnb and a hotel. Normally there would be a shared living room, kitchen and bathroom and then we would have our own room. We loved these because we could cook meals in the kitchen and that's a great way to save money. 

So to each their own, but those were the main differences we found. Finally, I'll say that because tourism has risen so much in Iceland in the last few years, you have to book your accommodation early because places will fill up. We booked about 3 months early and I know we would have gotten cheaper options had we booked earlier. 

2. Food

I know I've said this a million times, but food is expensive. If you're trying to save money on this, buy from a grocery store. Bonus is a really popular grocery store. Also, similar to the US, try to not buy grocery like items at the gas station because they're a lot more expensive. However, almost all gas stations serve hot dogs and those are definitely worth getting! We ate a hot dog almost every day there and they're really good and pretty cheap. There are american fast food joints likes Subway and KFC. I don't know why but I was surprised to see so many. Finally... there is a Costco! I was shocked to see that and I was so bummed no one had told me about it! I didn't bring my Costco card and I'm not sure if you can still go in a foreign country, but next time around, we will for sure try to hit that up!

3. Safety

It's really important to note that the weather can be really dangerous. You're in the middle of nowhere at times and when we would be hiking alone, I kept thinking how easy it would be to get lost and not get help because it's so isolated. I sent my itinerary to my mom and told her I would check in every few days. I just think it's smart that someone has a rough idea of where you'll be. You can also register your trip with Iceland and say what hotels and cities you plan on checking in to. It's really easy and doesn't take very long... click on this link: https://safetravel.is  You can also check for alerts and warnings in the area and it's a good idea to check it out multiple times throughout your trip. It'll tell you everything like road closures, avalanche & volcano warnings, wind storms, blizzards, etc. 112 is equivalent to America's 911. You can download an app that will let you call incase of an emergency. 

4. Language

Everyone speaks English. No joke, everyone. Which is super convenient, but also I wished I would have had a chance to learn some phrases in Icelandic. 

5. Clothing

Layers are your friend! The weather changes so much throughout the day, having layers is the way to go. Also, waterproof clothes is super helpful. It's cold, dress for it. I bought fleece lined leggings off of amazon for $10 and it was the absolute best purchase ever, they kept me so warm! Finally, hiking boots are so helpful. We were planning on just roughing it in our tennis shoes and then 2 weeks before our trip we decided to buy hiking shoes and I can't imagine our trip without them. Even if you aren't hiking up mountains, you're walking on sand, gravel and rocks and those shoes saved our feet. 

6. GPS

Our rental car was brand new and came with a GPS and it was awful. I'm so glad we didn't pay extra to rent a GPS and that it just came with because I would have been mad to spend money on that. You are wayyyy better off downloading the free app MAPS.ME. You can download the country of Iceland and then use it as a normal GPS throughout your trip. It worked so great! 

7. Weather

You have to be flexible when it comes to weather. We really did get so lucky while we were there and I'm really grateful for that! We went during the off season, the last week of April/first week of May. Be prepared for all the elements and if there is a warning about driving somewhere, take it seriously.  

8. Money

Everyone takes credit cards. We use the Capital One Venture card and it doesn't have foreign transaction fees so we used it the entire time and it was easy & great. We converted a little bit of money and used about a dollar when we wanted to buy food to feed some horses and when we payed a toll. The rest of the time we used our credit card. 

9. Traffic 

It's important to learn the traffic laws. Our rental car agency went over this with us and they had a set of rules in the car to remember. Off the top of my head, I remember that you can't turn on red lights. Also, there were certain signs that were important to know such as a sign that meant 'one lane bridge ahead'. Finally, there are traffic cameras that track if you're speeding and take a picture of your license plate. A few times during our drive we saw this random sign that we didn't understand. It wasn't until the end of our trip that we realized it was telling us that a traffic camera was coming up. The picture looks like a vintage camera. I really don't know how we didn't end up with a speeding ticket but I'm so grateful! Also, I heard their speeding tickets are really expensive. So be aware of those.

10. Gas

It's important to tell if your car takes regular gas or diesel. We got a car that took diesel and at first we were worried we would have a tough time finding it because diesel isn't always at every gas station in America. It's at every single gas station so you don't have to worry about that. However, if you plan on using your credit card to get gas, you need a pin number. We didn't have a pin number for our credit card so the easy solution was to buy gas cards. Basically it's a gift card to a gas station. I would recommend buying gas cards to a popular gas station that you'll see more so you don't end up buying multiple gas cards for multiple gas stations and then at the end of your trip have left over money on them. 

11. Rental Car

Rental cars can get pretty pricey so keep that in mind when booking a trip. You also need to check and see if you want to visit places that require you to drive on F roads. I now understand why they call them F roads... because while you're driving on them, you're thinking what the f haha. But really. Basically it means you need 4 wheel drive. It's going to be a lot more expensive to get a car that has 4 wheel drive but it's definitely worth it. If you're caught on an F road in a car that doesn't have 4 wheel drive, you can get a ticket and more importantly, you've got a high chance of getting stuck. It's also important to get some basic insurance. I always skip getting rental car insurance because it's a total rip off and my credit card covers a good amount of insurance. But in Iceland it's almost required to get a basic insurance that covers sand, gravel and wind damage. It's going to happen, it's almost unavoidable because of the weather conditions, so factor that in. Our car rental included a basic insurance coverage for that stuff in the price, others don't include it so just shop around. We got our rental car at http://www.carsiceland.com

12. Ask around
If you're heading to Iceland, ask around for tips. I joined a Facebook group called Iceland Q&A, it has a lot of locals in it as well as people that have traveled to Iceland. I found a lot of really helpful information in that group. That's how I found out what GPS app to use and where the puffins like to visit and that they were even there. When I looked on Google and other travel websites, they said they wouldn't be there for another few weeks. Also, talk to people that are traveling. We loved getting to hear tips from other travelers while there and more often than not, they'll share places to visit that are less known.

13. Explore
My final tip is to allow yourself time to explore. There are so many amazing and majestic sites to see. And definitely don't miss those. But some of my favorite memories from the trip are the times we went off on our own and found hidden treasures. 

There ya have it folks! All the tips I found helpful to share.
I'm honestly so proud of myself for documenting our entire trip. Kenneth has only been begging me to do so for the last 10 months haha. Here are quick links to all the days:

Day 1
Day 2 Part 1 & Part 2
Day 3 Part 1 & Part 2
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7 & 8

xo, Lo

Iceland || Day 7 & 8

Our final days in Iceland! I can't believe I've actually made it through all of these! Almost a year later but I'm calling it a win haha. 

I have to say that we lucked out with great weather during our trip. Everyone told me to be prepared for the unexpected weather. Within one day it could be sunny, then rain, then snow, then be in a sand storm then really foggy. I made an itinerary for each day, but tried to make it as flexible as possible incase weather was a problem. We had great weather our entire trip except for our last day. We knew that it was supposed to rain, so we visited Arnarstapi the evening before, which gave us time to relax in the morning before heading out to Urridafoss.

^ Urridafoss

If you remember, we had to switch our plans around on the first day because of GPS problems. So we finished seeing part of the famous Golden Circle. We started with Urridafoss. I have to say, it was quite the let down because after all the other incredible waterfalls we had seen, this wasn't anything too special. Plus, it was packed with tourists. Most people that visit Iceland, only visit the southern side and go to the famous Golden Circle stops. So there were tour buses here and we had to pay for parking for the waterfall (the only waterfall we had to pay for). It was also raining the entire time so it wasn't our favorite experience.

Then we continued to Kerid Crater. Again, we had to pay for this and it was raining. I only have this iPhone shot of it and I couldn't even fit the entire crater in the photo. This place is huge and way cool! But I couldn't fully enjoy it because of the rain/wind. 

To anyone that visits Iceland, I always recommend that they do the Golden Circle the first day. Because the sites are cool and coming from America, you're used to crowds and having a more tourist vibe. But after exploring the entire island on our own, these sites felt like a bit of a letdown. I fully believe that had we seen them our first day, we would have been stoked. 

We continued driving and the rain turned to heavy snow. We got snow a few times during our trip, but it was always short lived and nothing too heavy. I was pretty excited to finally see it snow hard and so we pulled over to let me dance around in it.

Our plan was to head to Reykjadalur Hot Spring. It's a stream/river of hot water! We originally had planned to do this our first day but had to switch plans. At the time that we were going to go, it was raining and Kenneth had hurt his knee from hiking earlier on in the trip. We decided to skip it because he wasn't up for the hour hike to the river and it was raining. This place, and another waterfall we had planned to see our first day but couldn't because of the direction mishap, are my two big regrets from Iceland. I was really sad to not visit this place. But Kenneth says that means we just have to go back. I know we definitely will because there's still so much more to see and explore in Iceland, but a year later and I'm still a little sad about it. So if you're in Iceland, add this to your list because it looks awesome!

That meant we had a lot more time to go explore the capital, Reykjavik. It was weird to be in a big city after being on our own for so long. We stopped at Hallgrimskirkja Church. It's so beautiful, inside and out! We paid the few dollars to go on the elevator to the very top and I can't recommend that enough. The view was so beautiful!

We continued the day walking around the city, exploring the different shops along the way.

^ Probably my favorite picture of Kenneth from the trip haha. That flying cat cracks me up.

^ I don't know how I've gotten through all these posts without mentioning Iceland hot dogs!? People told me about the hot dogs and recommended getting them at the gas stations and initially I thought hot dogs at a gas station sounds sketch haha. But they lived up to the hype because they're so good!! They put mayo, mustard, ketchup, crunchy onions and fresh onions on their hot dogs and it's seriously so delicious. We ate hot dogs almost every day! They're cheap and yummy and I can't recommend them enough. And they don't taste like American hot dogs. I was told it's because they have lamb in them? I don't know but they were great!

^ This place in Reykjavik is known for having the best hot dogs in Iceland and they were definitely good, but we didn't feel like they were extraordinary. 

Walking around these streets really made me feel like I was in Europe and made me anxious to take a trip out there 

After exploring some, we finally checked in to our Airbnb. We splurged a little for our last night and stayed at the cutest place! When I say splurge, I mean a splurge for us haha. That's probably normal for most people but we try to stay at the cheapest places possible so this was a nice treat.

They had the cutest living area! I want that pink fridge so badly!

After hanging out for a bit, we ventured back into the city to grab some ice cream at Isbud Vesturbaejar. This place was so good. We got nutella, some chocolate coconut dessert and something else mixed in to it and it was the best ice cream ever. I still dream about it haha. It definitely tastes different than American ice cream, but it's still so good!!

We came back to our airbnb and relaxed. On the roof they had a cute little spa area filled with a sauna and a hot tub. 

^ You can see the top of Hallgrimskirkja church. 

After hiking a lot and venturing around the island for a week, it was way nice to relax. We spent the evening relaxing at our airbnb, feeling so grateful for the wonderful days we'd had in Iceland.

Day 8

We woke up the next morning and checked out of our airbnb. We headed to our final stop, the Blue Lagoon! The lagoon is right next to the airport and I recommend either going first thing in Iceland, or last thing in Iceland. I definitely see how it would be nice to go first thing after being on a red eye, but I'm glad we went at the end. We did a lot during our trip. A lot of people told me I was packing in too much during our trip and that I wouldn't be able to see and do it all. I'm SO glad I didn't listen to those people. We felt tired at the end of our trip, but it was the best type of tired! 

^ This picture cracks me up!! We look so scary with these masks on haha! The Blue lagoon is pricey, but it's so iconic, we had to go! It's set up for tourists and as a spa so you can order drinks at the bar in the lagoon and relax inside, get a massage, the full works. We got the bare minimum package and it was still a pretty penny. 

To any girls that plan on going, I've got tips for you! I heard that the water will damage your hair, and it's 100% true. There are 2 types of girls at the blue lagoon. The one's that either get their head completely soaked and the ones that leave it up in a bun and avoid the water at all costs. I figured I wanted to go all in and enjoy it, and while I'm glad I did, I wouldn't do it again. All the tips I read said to leave conditioner in your hair and reapply throughout your stay. I did that. The tips said to bring a hair mask to help your hair afterwards. I did that. Still, my hair was so gross and damaged. It felt gross for the next 2 weeks. I cannot imagine if I had done this at the beginning of our trip, I would have been so annoyed. So take that into account and proceed with caution haha. 

The silica mud mask feels great on your skin!

We got to the lagoon when it first opened and it was nice to be one of the first ones there. It definitely filled up when we were leaving and I'm grateful for the time we had when it was just us.

Another thing I'll say is to be prepared that this is a huge tourist spot. Probably the number one tourist spot in Iceland. There were people from all over the world. And unfortunately that included annoying groups of American guys on spring break... you can interpret that however you want haha. The lagoon is so big that you can explore lots of different areas. Definitely move around because certain areas are a lot hotter than others.

Also, once you change out of your swimsuit, you're not allowed to enter the lagoon again. I wanted to walk out and take pictures with my actual camera but I wasn't allowed. I took these up in the cafeteria area. 

The locker rooms are way nice at the lagoon. Everyone gets a wrist band that acts as a wallet and a key for your locker. They have showers, shampoo & conditioner, hair dryers, and little toiletries like q-tips and tissues. We showered off and then headed to the airport. It was nice to feel so relaxed and clean before our flight.

Of course we had to grab one last hot dog while we were at the airport! 

Our plane was a little delayed because it started snowing while we were boarding and they had to de-ice the plane. Otherwise the flight was great! The picture on the right is of Greenland!

We took off and landed in Washington DC and spent a day with my sister before flying back to Florida.

Ah so sad that this trip had to come to an end. It was hands down, our favorite trip we've ever taken! I think we hype Iceland up too much to other people because we just loved it so much. But we can't help it! I just want everyone to visit Iceland so we can chat about how great it is together haha. I'll never forget this trip and I can't wait for the day we can go back!

xo, Lo