My partner and I are snorkeling aficionados. We have been on many vacations where snorkeling was our main goal. We have been to destinations such as Ambergris Caye, Belize, Ilha Grande in Brazil, Palawan in the Philippines, and the Maldives.
All of these destinations are beautiful and we still want to go to Indonesia and Hawaii. However, we are craving a unique experience. Sure, these tropical places are out of this world, but my partner and I are adventurous and are always seeking unique destinations.
I went online browsing through options and I came across a destination that I never thought was an option. It was Iceland. I immediately texted my partner to see what he thought. He texted back, “R u crazy?” I told him to check out the website to see that I have not lost my mind.
We have never been to a cold destination for a vacation. In fact, we don’t experience too much cold weather as we live in Santa Barbara, California. I’m lucky to be able to work remotely from home for my online business and my partner, Steven, has a good job working in tech sales. Steven and I are partners now for 25 years and our anniversary is coming up. I thought what better way to celebrate than doing what we love in a completely different climate!
I was so excited that I began exploring the sites and package deals available. I started doing some research and I found out some fascinating fact about snorkeling in Iceland. Apparently, Iceland is the only place in the world that you can dive or snorkel and touch two continents at the same time!
In fact, the Sifra Rift is known for the clearest water and amazing clear underwater visibility. The Sifra rift is part of the Thingvallavatn Lake which is the largest natural lake in Iceland. The best part is that you don’t need a diving license to go snorkeling in Iceland. So you can freely explore and experience one of the most beautiful places to visit in the world!
Steven was now just as excited as I was to take this amazing journey together! I contacted our travel agent and they looked up some good deals for us. First, our agent, Sally, looked up some good deals for a flight. Flights ranged from $560.00 to about $1,153.00 roundtrip. Not bad.
The flight itself from Los Angeles, California to Reykjavik, Iceland is about 9 hours and 8 minutes. Sure it’s a bit longer than going to some tropic destinations, but way less time than going to Australia or Japan. Sally managed to find us a great deal that included a fabulous hotel that was near shops and interesting sites.
Sally did mention to us that transportation may be an issue. The taxi service there is Hreyfill and the fare is charged by a taximeter. The price can be anywhere from $126USD to about $159USD. “Yikes! That’s expensive!”, Steven said. I agreed. “What about UBER or LYFT?” I replied.
I found out that there are no Uber or Lyft services in Iceland. Out here when I need to go to Santa Barbara or Venice Beach, I take Uber all the time!
There were other options, like renting a car. This would save us time and money. We found a site for a rental car company in Iceland that had great reviews and decided to give them a try, www.lotuscarrental.is/rent-a-car-in-iceland. Sally, our travel agent, recommended the best way to get to our hotel and to any snorkeling tour would be by renting a car. Also by renting a car, this would give us time to stop at some amazing sites such as the Skogafoss Waterfall, the Golden Circle, and so many more sights listed on the brochure.
Steven is the designated driver out of us two. He likes to drive, so I will leave it up to him which sites he wants to go to. Maybe we will go to them all! We are ambitious adventurers after all.
I also came across an article in the NY Times as my business involves keeping up with news from coast to coast. I just happened to come across this article. It was a sign that this was the place to go!
Steven and I booked our flight and we were very excited to celebrate our union of 25 years in such a magnificent place. This will make our union even more special. I am so glad that I have an amazing friend and partner like Steven to explore these fascinating destinations together.