No matter how much you try to plan a trip, sometimes Mother Nature has something else in mind…

We’re in Iceland during a record breaking snowstorm

As I wrote about some time back, Ford and I are taking a trip to Iceland, which was intended for us to get away a bit and enjoy the outdoors (and from there, I’m going on a review trip). I already shared thoughts on my outbound Icelandair Saga Premium flight, and soon I’ll share some thoughts on the hotels we’ve stayed at so far.

We’re from Florida, so of course we were expecting it to be cold, by our standards. But we couldn’t have anticipated the kind of weather we’re encountering.

On the day we arrived, it was cold (as expected), but there wasn’t much precipitation. That was perfect, as we had the chance to explore quite a bit (unfortunately we missed two days of clear skies, where Northern Lights seemed to be widely visible).

The next morning we woke up to a substantial amount of snow, which is apparently the first substantial snow that southern Iceland has seen so far this season (and it’s earlier than normal).

It was kind of fun to be in the snow, and we still explored, just driving a bit more carefully than usual.

However, things have only gotten worse from there. We’ve seen nonstop heavy snowfall for around 24 hours now, and it’s anticipated to continue for at least another 24 hours. There’s a severe snow ice warning, and it’s basically not possible to do anything (I mean, short of building a snowman, or visiting the phallological museum).

Residents are being advised to stay home, and this is apparently the most snow that this part of Iceland has ever seen at this point in the year. You know you’re dealing with a serious snowstorm when even many Icelandair flights are canceled, because it’s not like Icelandair doesn’t know how to operate in harsh conditions! I must say, this was definitely not what I was expecting!

Sometimes you just have to roll with the punches

We took this trip with the goal of enjoying the outdoors and spending our days driving around and hiking, but obviously that’s not in the cards for us in the next couple of days.

Ultimately, I’m incredibly grateful that this isn’t a “once in a lifetime” trip for us, in the sense that if this doesn’t work out as planned, we can always return at some point in the future. I know so many people have very limited vacation days and will plan every minute of their vacation to maximize their time, and this would be a huge bummer for them.

So while I of course wish things were different, there’s no point in being upset over something that’s outside of our control. I’m just hopeful that things get a bit better after tomorrow, and that Icelandair isn’t impacted too much in the coming days, or else my entire review trip may be in jeopardy, given the connection that I’m relying on.

Bottom line

Our trip to Iceland isn’t exactly going as planned. 24 hours after landing, it started snowing… and it hasn’t really stopped since. Quite to the contrary, the intensity has gotten worse and worse, to the point that this a record breaking snow storm for the region, and locals are being advised to stay home.

Frustrating as it is, there’s no point in getting upset over this, so we’re just making the most of the indoors! We’ve enjoyed the time that we’ve spent outside, so I guess it’s all the more reason to want to return!