I don’t remember how long I’ve had this backpack for; I just remember it was a gift from my dad. Dad and I always went on Father/Daughter camping trips, road trips, hiking trips….you name it. He is a good gift-giver, and always gets the best of the best. This backpack was no exception. It has traveled thousands of miles with me. I’ve taken it on every single plane ride I’ve ever been on since receiving it. It was my college backpack that I used to and from campus every single day. I used to get tons of comments from other students asking if all those buckles were “really necessary” for just a couple of books….and then I’d show them the contents of my bag – which included about 7 books at any given time (I was an English major) – and they’d be impressed, and agree that it probably was necessary and to tighten those straps up a bit. The trusty red backpack has been to 4 different Hawaiian islands, New York City, Washington DC, and the Bahamas. It was THE backpack when I traveled around Europe for 4 weeks. It’s seen the Eiffel Tower, been on a Sound of Music tour, weighed me down in the rain of Auschwitz concentration camp, soaked up the smells of Italy, and got jostled on countless train and bus trips. It really has become an icon of my travels.

And I am so excited to share with you all that it will be accompanying me to someplace brand new this fall! Adam and I will be celebrating our six year anniversary in September and we decided to be SUPER adventurous. Actually, it was all me. If it was up to Adam, we would have spent a few days on a cruise to a beach and not thought about anything but what we were going to eat for our next meal and how much sunblock we should put on our white bodies. But, since he loves me, he went along with my crazy plans and now we are going to…..

ICELAND!!!

What? I know, right?! A lot of people have asked, “Is this somewhere you’ve always wanted to go?” and honestly, it’s definitely not! I was just cruising around the internet late one night when I stumbled upon a link to some insanely cheap tickets to Iceland. The more I looked into it, the crazier it sounded…and the more I wanted to go! The tickets to Iceland were cheaper than most tickets I could have bought to a US destination. Somehow I tricked Adam into agreeing to it and now we are both pumped!!

So now we need your help!! Have you ever been to Iceland? Do you know someone who has and LOVED their time there? Send them my way! We are in the midst of trying to make our travel plans. The only thing we (think) we want to do, is to rent a sleeper van and drive/camp along the island instead of staying at hotels! Do you know any good travel blogs that have featured Iceland destinations?

One more question….I’m considering buying, or at least renting, a lens for this trip. What is your absolute favorite lens to travel with and why?? Can’t wait to share this adventure with you!