The Only Way to Go....

Four months from today I will be in Iceland!  I can hardly wait!

I am still in the process of planning where to go during my 8+ day trip (more on that in a future post), but I have definitely nailed done how I will travel around the island: campervan.  What's a campervan, you ask?  Well, as the name implies, it is a van that has been converted to a camper.  They are quite popular in Europe and Iceland, and they come in a wide variety of designs and sizes (and in turn, costs).

I have booked a 2-person campervan from CampEasy called the "Easy Small".  Below are a few photos to show you what it looks like.  It has a bench that folds down into a bed and is equipped with an electric cooler, a small gas stove, a sink (with running water!) and a main cabin heater (for those "cool" Icelandic nights).  It is fully equipped with cooking/eating utensils, linens, duvets, pillows and other items.

One of the features I felt was critical was having the cooking/eating area inside.  Some smaller campervans are designed such that you have to set up a table & chair outside and then pull out the stove, cooler, etc. from drawers in the back of the van.  While this doesn't sound like such a bad idea, I couldn't imagine trying to do this in a driving rain or strong winds (not!).  Plus, having the inside seating area will be a good place to set up the laptop and edit photos, watch a movie, or whatever.

So why a campervan versus simply renting a car and staying in hotels/hostels?  Well, several reasons:

• First and foremost, it provides greater mobility and flexibility.  By having everything I need right there in the van, all I will have to do is start it up and go!  No checking into the hotel, packing/unpacking the bags, etc.  Campgrounds in Iceland (with essential facilities, like showers) are plentiful and inexpensive, which means I can be relatively close to photo locations and come & go whenever I want.  This is valuable considering the long shooting days in late May (the sun rises around 3:30 am, sets around 11 pm, and never really gets dark).
• Secondly, it will be less expensive.  While economical options certainly do exist (like hostels, "couch surfing", and eating gas station hot dogs everyday), staying in hotels and eating in restaurants in Iceland is very expensive.  In the end, I expect to save a couple hundred bucks!
• Finally, it's adventurous and should be a lot of fun!

Okay, fine, but what about food?  No problemo.  There are grocery stores in every city/large town, and the gas stations are supposedly very well equipped with grocery type items.  Heck, there's even a Costco in Reykjavik!  No, I won't be cooking & eating gourmet meals, but that's not what this trip is all about (although, I do plan to have at least one famous, Icelandic hot dog along the way!).

Next blog: Planning what to shoot, including how and when!

It’s Never too Late for Your Dream to Come True

About 36 years ago, I was looking into the possibility of a trip to Iceland.  I had bought the only travel book I could find (Amazon was not yet).  It cost me $22.  The book was tiny, had no photos and wasn’t that detailed, despite the fact it came in an impressive cardboard sleeve (see photo).  I’m not sure why Iceland intrigued me so much at the time, other than it was a place to which people ususally didn’t go and was spectacularly beautiful (which meant there were lots of great photo opportunities).  Soon thereafter I met Mary Jo.  Life happened (in a good way, to be sure), and the book was literally shelved.

I would think about Iceland from time to time over the years that followed but didn’t consider planning a trip, for obvious reasons.  In the last few years, however. I would get excited when anyone mentioned they (or someone they knew) had just visited Iceland or was planning a trip there.  I started to say, "It's on my bucket list!".  Now, it’s a reality....I'M FINALLY GOING TO ICELAND!

Why now?  Well, first because I am now retired and have the opportunity to take this once in a lifetime trip (THANKS Mary Jo!!!!).  Second, while I have been interested in photography all of my adult life (actually since I was about 16), I have become more passionate about my hobby in the last 10 years and in particular the last year or so since moving to digital (I know, what took me so long?).  Thirdly, and most disturbingly, tourism in Iceland has increased exponentially over the past couple decades.  The number of tourists by the end of 2017 was projected to be over 2 million, nearly seven times the population of the small island.  Not only does this mean that there are simply lots and lots of people around (including other photographers)...sometimes in the way of that crucial shot you want to take...but also that the delicate Icelandic environment is being negatively affected by the often (though not always) innocent tourists.  As a result, slowly but surely access to some scenic areas is being restricted, and there are more and more laws being enacted that limit where (and when) you can go, where you can camp, etc.  Some of the increased tourism is simply due to greater interest as a result of the internet and social media, as well as greater access to Iceland (airfare fares are cheap!), but it is also to a large extent due to a fanatic obsession with the series Game of Thrones...yes, you heard me!  So, as a result, I want to get there before it gets any worse!!

There we go, my first blog entry!  Before I actually get to Iceland -- at the end of May, by the way -- I will provide some more details about the planning of the trip and what I want to do, including how I intend to get around (can you say "campervan"?).  Then when I actually arrive, I will try very hard to post daily updates...with photos!  Iceland has a great wireless network, and I am planning to have a wireless router with me so I will be able to go on line after each day's photographic adventure.  But, no promises as you never know what each day will bring.

Until then, bestu óskir (Icelandic for "best wishes").