We said no vacations in 2018. I want to put that on record.
And then our friends introduced us to Scott’s Cheap Flights, and that was the end of that plan.
Before Iceland even entered the picture, 2018 had already become a lot. We road-tripped through Colorado and Arches National Park on the way to Phoenix for spring break. I found cheap flights to NYC while we were in Arizona and took Logan on a one-on-one trip — he’d been asking to go see the Ninja Turtles since he was three, so we made it happen. Then in late summer, Matt and I took our very first adults-only trip to Belgium, Paris, and Amsterdam. It was our first and only couple’s trip. We loved it. But honestly? We missed the boys the whole time. By the time we landed home the guilt had fully set in.
So when Iceland popped up for under $400, I didn’t even hesitate. We booked it for all four of us. October 2018 — the whole family, Iceland. No regrets.
We’d heard Iceland was expensive, and it can be — but we made it work. We flew Icelandair, direct flight, and I will say this: international airlines do something that US airlines really don’t, and that’s take care of kids on flights. The boys got little activity bags and it made such a difference. More of that, please.
We stayed in an Airbnb for $700 for the entire week. It was incredible. There was some chatter at the time about Airbnb regulations and whether it would even stick around — taxes, hotels losing business, all of that. Spoiler: I’ve since become a full hotel person. The convenience, the breakfast, the not-having-to-think-about-it. But at the time, the Airbnb was perfect and honestly made Iceland one of our most affordable trips ever. Because once you’re there, so much of it is just free. You drive around and the scenery does all the work.
We came for the northern lights. We downloaded the aurora app and spent one night watching it like it was going to perform on demand. It was basically like watching paint dry. The app said conditions were perfect — and nothing. We eventually gave up and headed back.
The next day we hiked Reykjadalur — a geothermal valley about 45 minutes from Reykjavík where you hike to a natural hot river and actually get in. It’s free, it’s stunning, and it’s the kind of thing that doesn’t feel real until you’re sitting in warm water in the middle of Iceland. The scenery on the way up is something else — steam rising from the hills, bubbling mud pots, colors everywhere. If you’re planning to go, it’s still open and still free to visit, though there’s now a small parking fee and a café at the trailhead. Worth every step.
And then on the drive back from the hike, Logan said, “the sky is crashing.”
Matt pulled over immediately. We all got out of the car. And there it was — the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life. The sky was dancing. All that time staring at an app the night before, and it happened the moment we stopped looking for it. Just when we least expected it, after one of the best days of the trip. I truly believe that was fate.
Iceland ended up being one of our most affordable and most unforgettable trips. The country is just free — waterfalls, drives, landscapes that look like another planet. You show up and it does the rest.
What happened after we got home from all of these 2018 trips is something I’ve shared before — you can read our full story here. But I’ll say this: I’m so grateful we kept saying yes that year. Those memories mean everything to us.
