Your Cart is Empty
Hey, OTBT wanderers!
Ever dreamed of vacationing in Iceland? With its beautiful lagoons, scenic waterfalls and relaxing hot springs, this Nordic island country is an Off the Beaten Track wanderer’s dream come true!
To find out more about the breathtaking beauty of Iceland, we caught up with wanderlusting travel blogger and OTBT influencer Jasmine Alley. She recently returned from an epic nine-day journey through Iceland, and here’s what she had to say about her awesome experience!
My love for travel really blossomed in college when I spent a month in Pushkin, Russia. It was a brand new culture with unique beauty everywhere. That beauty made me realize that this was just the tip of the iceberg, and that there was so much more to see out there!
I've been to so many! The most notable for me have been Singapore, Rwanda, and Russia. I choose those three because I made deep friendships in each of those countries that I will never forget. Honestly, the people are a large part of what makes a country my favorite!
My husband and I spent 9 days driving around the Ring Road, which is the main highway that circles all around the country. I'm a huge planner, so I had a full itinerary planned out ahead of time. We drove around 3 hours each day, but it didn't feel like a lot of driving because we were constantly stopping to see beautiful things! (I actually wrote a blog post with the exact itinerary if anyone is headed to Iceland soon!)
The blue lagoon is one of Iceland's most notable activities, and though it is quite "touristy," it is still very much worth visiting! It is an otherworldly experience with hot electric blue waters and steam rising into the sky. It was by far one of my favorite Icelandic experiences! The other activity that was so fun was riding Icelandic horses! They are just the cutest things with their shaggy manes and sweet natures.
The food is, in a word, expensive! It was about 30-40 USD per plate for a normal dinner entree. But cost aside, the food was great. We loved how the fish and lamb were locally sourced and fresh; Icelandic cod and mutton are a must when visiting Iceland. And if you go to Reykjavik, you definitely should visit Old Iceland, a phenomenal restaurant where I actually had a top-five meal of my life. (Yes, it was that good!)
My favorite part was the waterfalls everywhere. At one point while we were driving inland, I counted the number of waterfalls I could see around me while standing in one spot and got 18 waterfalls! It was insane- but that's just the way this gorgeous country is!
My travel style is practical until it's time to take a photo (though I try to keep my practical pieces pretty, too!). But when it's picture time, I change to a dress or skirt so that my photos have a whimsical vibe that I love. My practical side still is in play though- what you can't see in my dress photos is that I have nude thermal leggings and a thermal top on underneath to stay warm!
Also, I pretty much live in hats- I think they are the cutest accessory!
I adored exploring Iceland in my OTBT Fernweh boots! They were my hiking, waterfall chasing, rainy day, horseback riding, stream-jumping shoe- so versatile and gorgeous! They stayed on whether I was hiking or in a photo shoot because they are both practical and cute!
Do it! And if you're driving around the Ring Road, don't just stop at the notable places listed online- there is so much beauty everywhere! So stop often and take photos every step of the way!
Want to read more about Jasmine Alley’s other amazing adventures around the world? Be sure to check out her blog at jasminealley.com, and follow her on Instagram for more of her breathtaking travel photography!
All the photography in this article is credited to Jasmine Alley and shared with her permission.
Comments will be approved before showing up.
