I've been talking about visiting Iceland for about four years now. As of last Friday, IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING.
I booked a week-long tour with G Adventures that takes me around the entire country, with stops in places like this and this. I was originally going to do a trekking tour, which means ten days of hiking and backpacking. I like being outdoors, but I was unsure about this.
Imagine my giddiness when I found out that they launched the Best of Iceland tour, which will be the perfect intro to a country I'll likely visit again (to hike or camp or whatever) one day.
This trip is important to me in other ways, too.
Throughout the last few years, at school especially, I would feel very "left behind" in watching my friends' and then-boyfriend's travels over Facebook. I was happy for them, especially because they got to experience such amazing things, but I usually felt like it was some moral failing of mine that I never travelled or "saw the world".
I'm sure there are others who share this feeling. I would get really mean and immature about it when, really, I was just jealous.
So, I decided to change things and start saving.
For the past year or so, I've been slowly putting money away, all for some destination yet to be decided on. I wanted to go somewhere where I could be away from dense populations, and where the landscape felt untouched (for the most part). So, neglecting the oft-chosen western Europe or southeast Asia destinations, I chose Iceland.
I predict it will be a popular destination soon (see: Beyoncé circa Christmas 2014), but it doesn't matter to me. I wanted to travel somewhere where the natural sights were gorgeous, and the country has a rich history.
And did I mention I'll be going all alone? (Besides a tour group of strangers, anyway.)
That's why this trip is so important to me. There's been so much build-up, both emotionally and financially, that I don't really care to share it with anyone else.
I want to make a memory that's my own - essentially, one that I wouldn't associate with a future ex-boyfriend, for example. I feel like that's being selfish, but I believe that you should be selfish with certain things.
This is one of those things that I'm doing just for me. It's crazy to think that it's finally happening.
