Icelandic adventure on wheels

For many years, it has been a dream of mine to visit and explore Iceland, and this year, my dream has finally come true! What has made our trip exceptional is the fact that we ditched the typical hotel style holiday and took to camper van wheels to fulfill our need for a real adventure!

I must admit, there is something quite appealing about camping: it’s the letting go of our creature comforts; it’s the freedom to go anywhere you want to go, and at your own pace. Rent.is Kangaroo Camper van did just that, and so much more!

On our first day we took to the wheel and headed straight for Reykjavik. The picturesque city was rather charming with quaint townhouses overlooking the coastline.  We paid a visit to Hallgrímskirkja Church and walked along the coast and took pictures of the famous sculpture, Sólfar (Sun Voyager). As a city girl arriving straight from the hustle and bustle of London, the fresh Icelandic air was a warm welcome despite the bitter cold winds that prevailed. After taking a visit to the Bónus store to stock up on provisions for the coming days, we braced ourselves and decided to explore Iceland’s Ring Road in a clockwise direction heading North first. I could sense that this was going to be a very unique trip as we have never traveled in a camper van before!

By midday, we took to the Ring Road and continued our journey. The landscape started to unfold before our very eyes, and before we knew it, we were surrounded by breathtaking mountains and valleys.  In more or less two hours, we arrived at the waterfall called Goðafoss. It was our first stop along our Ring Road journey and I must say, what a beautiful sight it is… Iceland is abundant in waterfalls and I can only describe them as oozing out of the rocks of the land with sheer power and majesty. The blue azure of the fresh Icelandic water crashing copiously against the rocks was more than enough to awaken us from the slumber of our early morning flight.

In just under 5 hours, my friend and we had arrived at Varmahlíð town and stopped at a campsite for the night. What we loved about the camper van was the freedom it gave us to cover an extensive amount of mileage whilst our bedroom was conveniently waiting for us at the back of the van. The stress of getting to a certain place within a certain time was the last of our worries because everything we needed was with us 24/7! The sky was still light by 10pm (during May) which made it possible for us to cook outside. We made a new furry friend (the family campsite owner’s dog) and she sat with us (expecting a tasty dinner of course!) as I prepared our first camping meal: Fresh Haddock and potatoes. We got the mini gas stove going and there we have it, we were making progress!

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As idyllic as the camper van is, it doesn’t come without its challenges; the first was cooking outdoors. What an experience that was for novice travellers such as ourselves. Getting a constant fire going in the rain and winds was definitely an ordeal, but the end result was a tasty meal: fresh, hot delicious haddock steaks with potatoes and vegetables whilst overlooking the valley of fields full of Icelandic horses; it was perfect! The camper van really does allow you to immerse yourself in nature, and four walls of a hotel room just doesn’t come close…

After taking a shower in the campsite lodge, I returned back to a warm camper van. Rent.is vans have a clever little heating system to keep you warm at night (what a godsend) and a cooler underneath the bed to keep our food cool and fresh. I thought to myself, “What a blessing this camper van really is.” This was my first camping experience, and I can’t deny, I was pleasantly surprised…

Although it wasn’t too dark at night, we made use of the little side lights positioned just above our heads in the camper van, a small detail that really worked a treat as we made a brief plan of our route for the next morning! My friend and I couldn’t help but notice that although we are naturally short people, there was a lot of legroom left to stretch our feet; it didn’t feel claustrophobic at all. We went to bed feeling content with the amount we had achieved and seen within the first day and to be honest, it was all made possible because of this little camper van. We were even more excited to wake up and see what was in store for us the following day.

We woke up to the sound of crashing water from a nearby brook that meandered the campsite, and the beautiful sunrise invited us back into the outdoors. Today was going to be a great day. We knew that there was more adventure to be had, and it was just the beginning of Day Two!

I could endlessly list my travel diary day by day, but I wanted to share with you just how much you can get done in a short amount of time with a camper van. I’m so glad we ditched the hotel room for a Rent.is camper van because truth be told,  (I’m going to sound bias here) I think we had more of an adventure in the first day alone on wheels that we would have if we stayed in a hotel. Yes, we could have rented a car, but that would only be half the experience. We wanted to be right in the thick of it with nature: driving, cooking, eating and sleeping. That is something only camping can truly offer, and to be honest, what more could one want! It allowed us to be flexible; it gave us the opportunity to take the roads less travelled. Now that’s the real Icelandic adventure right there.

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Happy Camping!  #CamperStories