It has been almost a year since we returned home from our 15-month trip around the world, and the itch to travel is starting to creep up on us.
We've been on a few small trips, are in the middle planning a close-to-home trip for later this year, but a real international adventure is something we haven't been able to coordinate just yet.
Although it has taken a while, we are happy to report that our first major international trip is now on the horizon. The destination we are eyeing is none other than Iceland- and we have many reasons for why that is.
Iceland is Somewhat Close and Relatively Small
One of the downsides to working full time in addition to travel writing is that our time to actually travel diminishes greatly. Our team members are off on big adventures, and we are at home with only a few weeks per year to explore the world. (Photo "Icelandic Waterfall" by William B)
To compensate for this, we have decided that most of our upcoming trips over the next few years will be smaller ones, likely 7-9 days in duration each to maximize the number of new places we can explore. Unfortunately, that also limits the destination possibilities significantly as we do not intend to fly halfway around the world for just a few days.
What is a perfect destination that can be seen in 7-9 days and doesn't require 3-4 days of travel to get to from the USA? Iceland.
I'm liking where this is going.For us, the perfect plan involves reserving a cheap car rental in Iceland, driving the Ring Road over 5-7 days, and spending a few days exploring the capital city of Reykjavik.
We may end up wanting more time, we always do, but at the very least we can get in and have an incredible adventure in the time that we are able to allocate.
Iceland is Gorgeous
If you've read anything about the sights that can be seen along the Ring Road and Golden Circle in Iceland, this one is a no-brainer. (Photo "Iceland Landscape" by Dirk P)
Gorgeous vistas, waterfalls, and natural geological formations are just a few of the things we love exploring when we travel, and in this hemisphere we're hard-pressed to find any place that seems more stunning than Iceland (okay, one that we haven't already been to and can do justice to in a week, that is).
It took Angie and myself traveling to about 40 countries together (and another 30 on my own) to realize that we're happiest when we're out in nature.
Yes, big cities are nice and we love historical attractions as much as the rest, but put us on the edge of a massive cliff, in front of a waterfall, or alone with a glorious sunset and you'll see us with our biggest smiles.
That is, if we ever put down the camera.
After returning home, moving to a big city, and being stuck inside an office for most of the day, a return to nature is absolutely needed.
Iceland is Relatively Uninhabited
After being on our own (relatively speaking) for quite some time, being at home comes with its own sense of culture shock. On our own we met new people every day, and now we're seeing the same ones over and over again. (Photo "Puffin in Iceland" by gregi)
Being solitary people, we really enjoy being alone when we can, so on the road if we didn't want to meet someone new it didn't take much to head out an have a day of peace and quiet by ourselves.
At home it is much harder. So much so that we frankly can't remember the last time we were absolutely alone for more than 12 hours.
Iceland helps out with this issue as it is one of the least populated countries in the world at 3 people per square kilometer. That means that it will be, at times, just me and Angie and the beautiful nature that the country is known for.
I'm quite okay with that for our first real vacation since coming home.
There are many other reasons for why we're planning Iceland for our next trip, but these are by far the biggest. Now all we have to do is get into serious research mode to ensure we don't miss a sight while we are there. Any recommendations?