Iceland: Hot Dogs and Cold Nights

Ice, Ice, Baby.

In an effort to escape a west coast heatwave and lured by the insanely cheap flights to Iceland, we packed up our layers and jumped on a plane to the small North Atlantic island. We then spent 7 days touring the stunning country, surviving the “big storm” that threatened to blow us off the road, and living out of a camper van. What makes living out of a van the most genius way to experience Iceland? The mobility, food, and hot baths.

Moving Around

Iceland is one of those few places where talking about the weather is anything but small talk. It’s welcomed, because the information a stranger relays may very well save your life. And if you happen to be driving in Iceland in winter, then you’ll need to know about the 75MPH winds, icy roads and limited daylight. So, we relied on the advice of strangers we met along the way (and Vegagerdin, Iceland’s road safety app) to help us reroute our travels daily. We didn’t have Airbnb/hotel bookings to worry about so were able to complete the “Ring Road,” island’s most popular driving route, without losing time or getting stuck in the North due to the storm.

Foraging for Food

After begrudgingly paying $20 for a cold hot dog, we hit the grocery store and used our camper’s portable kitchen to cook our own Icelandic meals (jk, mostly just scrambled eggs and hot dogs.) That said, you can’t go wrong with soup in Iceland. We ate the best Lobster soup of our lives in Reykavik at Sægreifinn (The Sea Baron).

Hit the Hot Baths 

But skip the crowds at the Blue Lagoon and head to, well literally anywhere and everywhere else. Iceland knows how to spa, so you’re sure to get your fill of hot pots, saunas, and pool time during your stay. We knew we didn’t want to miss The Secret Lagoon and Myvatn Baths, but didn’t expect every small town to have their very own, super exclusive “hot pot.”