Many of you who know me in real life have already heard about this trip because I’ve been planning it since I was still in Hawai’i. After a few months at home, I’m definitely feeling ready to embark on another international trip. Seriously, though, when I scroll through tumblr and see an inspiring travel photo, lately I’ve been having a physical reaction — my chest tightens, my expression unintentionally turns wistful, my gut says, “get thee to an airport!” It’s like the early stages of falling in love when you can’t stop thinking about them and you hope you’re on their mind too, and it’s blissful and distracting and a…
-
-
25 things to do before I turn 25
Today is my 23rd birthday (don’t worry, I wrote this post ahead of time, and I’m off doing something fun with my day) and this seemed like as good a time as any to announce my latest project, which is: 25 things to do before I turn 25 (I know, I’m a baby, and you can’t believe you’ve been taking my travel advice.) I’m a list-maker by nature, and I always enjoy reading other people’s lists of things to do before [insert upcoming birthday here] so I decided to make my own. I’m not a big fan of “bucket lists” because, as I’ve mentioned before, I think people should take…
-
Iceland: Last Look
Iceland was like no where else I’ve ever been. The scenery was otherworldly. When you live in the Northeastern United States, volcanic rocks are kind of exciting and exotic. Volcanoes? Awesome! You might look at lava rocks in eight grade science class. Well, in Iceland, pretty much every rock is a remnant from a volcano. And any trees you see were brought there and planted by people because only shrubs and bushes are native to the country. When Grace and I took a tour of Thingvellir National Park, we saw fissures in the earth where the American and Eurasian tectonic plates are pulling apart at a rate of 2 centimeters…
-
The best thing I did in Iceland
If you have $640 in your savings account, spend 600 on a round trip flight to Reykjavik and 40 on a Northern Lights tour. I’ll wait while you go and book it. I am only half joking. I looked up the price of a flight out of Boston this weekend, and it’s significantly more than $600 to take a jaunt to Iceland on such short notice. However, if you book a month or two in advance as people normally book their vacations, $600 should be enough. Grace and I booked the Northern Lights Mystery tour with Iceland Excursions in association with Gray Line, a company that runs tours in many…
-
What I ate in Reykjavik, and so can you!
If you visit Iceland, you’ll hear about some local delicacies you must try, such as puffin (too cute to eat? think again!), hakarl (fermented shark), and brennevin (strong Icelandic alcohol similar to vodka). Despite these foods being “can’t miss” Icelandic experiences, I didn’t try any of them. Grace did order a stew with lamb in it one evening, and supposedly Icelandic lamb is something one ought to try. I can vouch for the fact that it was tender, and delicious. It may also make you feel slightly guilty because you’re eating a baby animal. Just saying… Regardless, here are some of the interesting places I ate and enjoyed in Reykjavik.…
-
Iceland: First Impressions
My friend Grace and I arrived in Iceland around 11pm. After quickly getting our passports stamped and collecting our baggage, we headed out into the parking lot to meet the bus that would take us to our guesthouse in Reykjavik. This is Grace, by the way. She’s been my travel buddy in Iceland. Don’t be deceived by how sunny it is in that photo, Iceland is freezing. We knew summer had ended here, but, when we walked out of the airport, it felt like winter–a harsh change from just a few days earlier when I’d gone swimming at the beach in Rhode Island. After registering the cold, the second thing…
-
Weekly Travel Inspiration: I’m in Iceland!
At the risk of appearing self-centered, this week’s travel inspiration is a photo I took today in Iceland. It’s of the geyser Strokkur (which means “chum” in Icelandic) erupting. This geyser erupts every 4 to 8 minutes and is located next to Geysir, also known as The Great Geysir, which is the geyser from which all other geysers get their name. Geysir hasn’t erupted in a long time, and as we stood beside it, our guide cheerfully informed us that if it happened to go off while we were standing there, we would all die. I’m not sure if this is actually true considering many people have witnessed its eruption…
-
Weekly Travel Inspiration: Skinny Dipping
I’m just going to come right out and say it; growing up in a seaside town with a goofy group of friends, I’ve done my fair share of skinny dipping. So I was amused while searching for things to do in Iceland when I came across Lonely Planet’s list of top 10 places around the world to go skinny dipping. Apparently, Viti Lake, which is located in a volcanic caldera in Iceland, made the cut. Check out where else Lonely Planet thinks it’s okay for you to forget your bathing suit: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/asia/travel-tips-and-articles/43817#
