Why You Should Consider an Adventure Honeymoon (video included!)
With honeymoon highlight reel at the end!
We went on our honeymoon exactly 4 years ago. I’ve always wanted to share our experiences, but I hadn’t been able to make the time until now. This article is written with the intention of both celebrating our marriage, and sharing our somewhat unique experiences.
For our honeymoon in 2016, Josh and I didn’t choose an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean. We decided not to spend 12 days on the beach listening to the ocean waves while receiving couples massages. No, we didn’t dine on crab legs and champagne at an Instagram-able 5-star restaurant.
Instead, we chose to rent a tiny camping van and circumnavigate the tiny Nordic country of Iceland.
When we discussed our plans with friends prior to departing, we were met with blank stares and confusion. “Camping around Iceland? For your honeymoon? Isn’t it covered in ice?”
Yes, well, why on earth would we choose to honeymoon in a country that’s known for ice.* Not to mention unforgiving volcanic landscape and an average June temp of 48F? Especially right after the flurry that is planning and executing a wedding?
*It should be noted that Greenland is covered in ice; Iceland is actually much more green.
Our reply: Why not?
It was June 24 2016 when we arrived in a foggy Reykjavik.
It was raining just slightly and was a balmy 52 degrees F. After shuttling from the airport, we rented a Snail vehicle, our little home as we slowly made our way around this special country.
The van freed us from the obligation check-in and check-out times at hotels and farm-stays: we could roam as late and as far as we pleased! Since we didn’t pass many places to eat, we ate prepacked dehydrated meals we cooked over a small gas powered stove. The 24 hour daylight afforded us unlimited opportunities to nurture our new marriage with fun experiences.
Since it often took 1-2 hours to drive to each new destination, Josh and I had plenty of time to immerse ourselves in the beauty and majesty of Icelandic nature. We made room for spontaneous pull-overs to check out vistas, Icelandic horses, hot springs, waterfalls, abandoned farmhouses, or to say hello to the sheep - they were quite literally everywhere!
Even though we didn’t choose to relax together at a tropical resort, we were still able to slow down and be present with one another.
Camping each night was a deliberate choice that we made; anyone can stay at a hotel and generally have a predictable experience every time. We slept under the Icelandic sky to bring us closer to nature and to have an amazing story to tell our children one day.
As with any type of honeymoon, we collected many special memories on our journey.
My mind holds specific snapshots frozen in time, moments that brought Josh and I even closer together. Some of these included eating fermented whaleshark at Bjarnarhöfn Shark Museum on Snæfellsnes, exploring an abandoned herring factory in Djúpavík (featured in a 2010 film by Sigur Rós), losing ourselves in the rushing water of Dettifoss (the second most powerful waterfall in Europe), and braving strong winds to photograph the sweetest little puffins we’ve ever seen.
Sometimes our experiences didn’t seem so great at the time.
Admittedly, things didn’t always go according to plan. For example, early in our journey, while we were searching for somewhere to camp, our van became stuck in a volcanic sand trap.
We were really tired, hungry, we were starting to get short with each other, and then we got literally stuck in what we thought was an impossible situation. Miraculously, we were not only able to trial-and-error our way out of that hole, but we also endured another grueling hour of hunting for a camping spot. It was almost 11pm when we were finally able to park and cook dinner.
In hindsight we are able to recall that evening with pride. We overcame several obstacles together. We saw how we both handled the stressful situation, and the result made us even more connected as a couple by increasing the respect we have for one another. Conquering tricky situations paves the way for potential opportunities to become better people, and becoming better people together is the best gift of all.
We’re proud of our atypical honeymoon, but it wasn’t easy. It took a considerable amount of planning, countless hours of driving on questionable roads, and some physically demanding hikes. And it was colder and more rainy than we had expected. At times, I really did wish I was at the beach nursing a piña colada and a good book.
Sometimes the best experiences come from working through hard times. Together, Josh and I built our experience from scratch. We certainly could have purchased an itinerary or tour experience from a travel company, but we chose to do the work ourselves in order to receive a greater reward.
Married life is not a long period of relaxation and curated positive moments. Marriage is a complex road of interpersonal interactions and a mixture of all sorts of experiences.
Marriages also take plenty of work! With our honeymoon, Josh and I wanted to celebrate our marriage, to satisfy our longing for adventure and exploration, and to commemorate the beginning of our new “forever” chapter. We marked the start of our marriage with a honeymoon that more closely mirrored the zigzag, up and down, character-building aspects of life.
Can’t typical honeymoons accomplish the same goals?
Of course “typical” honeymoons can also be filled with important, life-affirming experiences. For us, it felt right to choose the road less traveled. This decision led to the creation certain parts of our personal identities, as well as our identity as a couple.
What do you think?
I’d love to know your thoughts about choosing a honeymoon. For all you recently engaged lovebirds - what are you choosing to do to mark the beginning of your married life together? And the married folks - what type of honeymoon did you go on?
Please feel free to leave a comment below, or send a quick email to ali.everthrive@gmail.com. I can’t wait to connect with you!
Thank you spending some of your day with me.
With gratitude,
Ali
