Boston 2016

When Hubs and I first started planning the trip to Iceland we found it was cheapest to pick a layover spot. At first we considered New York since the Braves would be playing the Mets when we'd be there, but instead we ended up in Boston. I've never been to New York but now I've gotten to visit Boston twice. I love that city. I love the access to public transportation, the food, the sights, and the people are so kind. You'd think I'd be used to that with "Southern hospitality," but Bostonians have proven themselves very hospitable, too. So much for damn Yankees!

The first day in Boston we got in and settled at the Airbnb about 5:30. We had our own personal guide, named Sheila, who is my aunt's longtime friend, came and picked us up. We went to dinner at the Highland Kitchen, which was very good! We then walked along the Long Wharf on the Harbor Walk. It was a gorgeous evening! Sheila told us about the Big Dig how they lowered a highway to be underground and then turned where the highway used to be into park spaces. The flowers were so beautiful! We went and had gelato in the North End.



Our second day we walked around the city before the Red Sox game against the Toronto Blue Jays. We got lunch at Unos outside of the Fenway. We tried to go to the Cask 'n Flagon, but all the bars right outside the park we jammed packed. Unos had some awesome deep dish pizza! The beer was great, too. We had the Green Monsta and other local brews. At the game we sat in the visitor section so we met a lot of Canadians! After the game we went to the Budweiser Right Field Roof Deck and watched the sun set over the field. It was so beautiful. Then the Canadians talked us into going out with them so we went to a bar for a little bit. By the time we left the buses weren't running and the cabs were full so we walked the 2 miles back to the Airbnb. It was a really pretty night and it felt good to walk off the beer. I'll tell you what, those Canadians drank us under the table!



Our third day we got brunch at the Cambridge Brewing Company. That place hit the spot. In fact, after Iceland we went there again for dinner and had some of the best wings ever. Best part, they were only 25¢ a wing!

Boston was as fantastic and perfect as I remembered it from when I was a young teen. I love going back to a place and remembering why I fell in love with it in the first place. Boston has that effect.

Iceland Insight

Before our trip I read many books and blogs about how to prepare for Iceland. Of course you never really know anything until you experience it for yourself. I've compiled a list of the best advice I could come up with to give someone visiting the beautiful country for the first time.

1. Pack layers

I am so glad I took this piece of advice seriously. Layers really are key. Some mornings I needed gloves and a hat but once the clouds cleared I was starting to sweat in a long sleeve t-shirt. The weather is much cooler than where I live, but it really could feel quite warm. One afternoon we walked through lava formations at a place called Dimmborgir. I was in a flannel shirts, jeans, and boots. I thought I was going to sweat to death. The next day we went to a museum and I needed two shirts, jacket, vest, gloves, and a hat.

2. Pack lotion, sunscreen, and lip balm

It was really warm this day. The headband was to keep my hair under control.

I had sunscreen covered and then didn't wear it the day we went on a glacier and got burned. I had raccoon eyes the rest of the trip. Luckily we experienced gorgeous, sunny weather so I have my sunglasses on in all the pictures. I only packed my tinted lip balms and my poor husband had none. He was man enough to put some on to avoid some terribly chapped lips. The air was much drier than I had anticipated so we were both walking around with shiny, pink lips. Our hands were like sandpaper so we started wearing sunscreen as lotion.

3. If renting a car, make sure it's unlimited miles/kilometers

We originally had a 200 km budget for each day. That wasn't enough for the ring road with all the stops and airbnbs. At first our rental company said we couldn't change to unlimited. We, sadly, cancelled our reservation at the airbnb in the Western Fjords. Of course about an hour later the rental company said for a fee, much smaller than paying the overage fee, to get unlimited mileage. We still decided to forgo the Western Fjords since it would have been an additional six and a half hours in the car one way. I was really bummed about it. Where we stayed in Skagastrond we could see across the water to the fjords so that was neat. But missing them gives us another reason to return.

4. Take proper credit card precautions.

Obviously you should alert your bank and credit card companies whenever travel. It's embarrassing and perturbing to have your card declined. I mean,  really it's good because that means someone else can't use your card. I have a few simple steps about card use in Iceland. First, notify the appropriate parties. Second, call your credit card company to add a PIN number. In Iceland they require PIN numbers at gas stations even with a credit card. Third, check your foreign transaction fees. Depending on the company and your card plan, you could have no fee or about a 3% fee. Lastly, most places prefer cards with chips. They take the traditional swipe method, but sometimes they have to use a different machine for that.

5. You may need bug spray.

There are a ton of flies in Iceland. Well, there were for our trip in June. They were swarming us and then the front of our car was basically black with bug guts. Gross.

6. Keep your eyes peeled on the Ring Road.

Not only for the amazing views and the cool pull-off places, but in the summer when the sheep are grazing freely they cross the road. The mama sheep check for cars first but the lambs, and most sheep have twins, don't. We had one walk right in front of us! Luckily, Hubs has great eyes and saw them and slowed down in time.

7. Get a waterproof camera/phone case.

We had a waterproof phone case and used it at the Blue Lagoon for pictures. We thought we would need it for rain or while whale watching but it was sunny and not needed.

Enjoying a Gull beer in the Blue Lagoon.
Hair tip: I kept mine up with conditioner in it and was fine!

8. Have a real map.

I started with the downloaded Google Maps. That worked great as long as we knew our exact beginning and ending location. On the second day of our trip we bought a map and downloaded Lonely Planet for Iceland. The map we bought was great. It even had the roads color-coded for paved, gravel, off road (the F roads), and tunnels. We rented a Chevy Spark so long periods of time on gravel roads weren't too fun and the F roads were definitely off-limits for us. The Lonely Planet helped when in towns and looking for places to eat. It had suggestions and the town maps. I got to download it for free as a trial use of Kindle Unlimited.

Overall, everything about Iceland was as perfect as people made it out to be. Everyone in Iceland was so warm and welcoming; we only had the most positive encounters with locals and other visitors alike. A big plus was that Icelanders' speak wonderful English. Iceland is a beautiful country and, since we can take our dogs with us, I'd love to think we could live there one day. 

Prepping for Iceland

Hubs and I leave for Iceland in a matter of days! I can hardly believe we are really going. It's something I added to my bucket list but honestly I never thought I'd get there. I love my husband for helping make this happen.

This trip is one I have prepped for more than any others. We are not going through a tour group as we did in Peru; nor are we going through a travel program as we did in Dominican Republic or as I did in Ecuador. All of the planning has been on us. So how did we tackle it? I narrowed it down months of planning to 6 seemingly simple steps.

1. Researched.

Do your research. Read. Read books, blogs, skim through pictures, whatever helps you learn the most. I read Insight Guides' Iceland. I read about Iceland for about a year or two before we even booked the flight. I mean, who wouldn't want to learn about Vikings and all that geothermal activity? I'm a nerd, I know. I even went on Twitter and asked questions. I was surprised I got so many answers! Even better was that those answers were from Icelanders so I figure they know what they are talking about. I also spent a lot of time on Pinterest reader what other bloggers, authors, and photographers had to say/show. Also, I've been on Google Translate trying to learn the correct pronunciation of different cities.

2. Booked the flights.

Flights are really low right now as a way to draw in tourism for Iceland. Their tourism has definitely been booming recently. As with anything, there are pros and cons to this for Iceland.

3. Rented a car.

We wanted to see as much of this gorgeous country as we could and be free to be spontaneous. We got a compact car. Hubs handled this aspect since he'll be my personal chauffeur.

4. Booked places to stay.

We used Airbnb in an effort to save money and experience a more authentic Iceland. We have even been invited to share meals with the host families. This planning step went hand-in-hand with the next step. We needed an idea of where we'd be in order to know where to stay.

5. Plan the itinerary.

This is where my "teachery" personality thrives. It was like extreme lesson planning for my husband and me. However, I am not as detailed orientated as you may think. I tend to jot down big ideas and then allow the pieces fall into place as they may. Hubs laughed when I came home with a printed out map plan of our trip. Did you know you can make and save maps in Google Maps? That has been a life saver! I can view the trip as a whole and as individual days with all the stops marked along the way.

Here is the map outline of our 8 days in Iceland on Google Maps. We tried to visit as many different regions as we could. This is still up for editing and finalizing, but you can have a sneak peak of our trip overview!

6. Packed.

I have read, and read, and read what to pack for the weather in Iceland. Where I am it's already in the 90s. However, while we are there the weather is expected to range from the 50s to 40s and it could rain at any moment. Fortunately, there is a lot of advice out there from travelers and Icelanders alike. Mostly I read to bring: knit hat, rain coat, hiking boots/rain boots, rain pants, gloves, wool socks, sunglasses, and swimsuit. Here is what I plan on including in my suitcase. Now bear in mind, we will be spending three days in Boston so I had to add in some clothing for slightly warmer weather.

I'll be sure to write after the trip about what I would change for next time and what I would do again. As with everything, especially lesson plans, hindsight is 20/20. 

If you have any important tips you want to share, please feel free to let me know! Leave a comment below, e-mail me, or direct message me on Twitter or Instagram.