I still remember when I first got the email from one of my husband’s cousins about his grandmother’s upcoming birthday: “Nanny loves to travel. What if we give her a trip to Iceland for her birthday? And as many of us can go with her as possible!” The flurry of responses showed that we were all excited: that cousin’s sister, her mother, her uncle, and my husband and I all eventually signed up: a total of seven of us, including Nanny, were in.
At Nanny’s 75th birthday party, a true blowout bash with karaoke and tons of decorations, we wrapped an enormous box full of balloons and a little sign that said, “You’re going to Iceland!” To anyone considering giving a big trip as a gift, it’s worth making the delivery dramatic, because we really loved seeing the thrill on her face when she figured out what the box of balloons was about. The whole family felt represented in it: while only six of us were actually going to Iceland with her, other family members contributed to the costs of Nanny’s trip because they saw what a beautiful memory this could be.
Courtesy of Laura Leavitt
Planning was almost as fun as the trip itself
Planning the trip was half the fun, and I watched as everyone perused the online resources with gusto. We identified a great house close to Reykjavík to stay for the first half of the trip while we explored the Golden Circle and the city, and then we found an incredible light-filled rental in the middle of a bunch of sheep pastures, facing a glacier, for our foray further inland. One cousin was most excited about an isolated hike to an outdoor swimming pool fed by a hot spring, while others were thrilled to see glaciers and waterfalls. I was nerdily delighted at getting to see an enormous geothermal power plant and tour the facility.
From the beginning, the seven of us traveled together remarkably well. We all wanted to prioritize togetherness, good food, and seeing the sights, but also figured out ways to travel at their own rhythms, which I think is essential when seven people who don’t typically live together come together for four days of adventures. We rented two cars so that groups could go in different directions or at different speeds when they wanted, and while we tended to reconvene at a restaurant together most nights, the days were sometimes spent in groups of different sizes and combinations of people, rather than one big group.
Courtesy of Laura Leavitt
We made so many lasting memories together
Surprising things that ended up being treasured memories included moments like when my husband and I, being the early birds, woke up and scouted out a different local pastry shop each day to bring back breakfast for the crew. I also thought that visiting the Kerið Crater, a stunning volcanic crater lake, and Seljalandsfoss, an enormous waterfall we could walk behind, were incredibly beautiful: nothing we did required miles and miles of hiking or huge changes in elevation, but there were scrambles and grottos to explore here and there for the most adventurous among us.
One of the nice things about taking a trip with family you really enjoy and want to spend time with is that even in-between times, like the drive between stops on the Golden Circle, are a chance to connect and grow closer. The two sisters (my husband’s cousins) on the trip got to reconnect after living in different cities for years. I got to bond with my husband’s cousins, aunt, uncle, and grandmother better. Best of all, Nanny felt totally surrounded by people who loved her and wanted her to have a great time.
Courtesy of Laura Leavitt
Now, we all still reference the trip often, even though it was nine years ago. Nanny has one of those digital picture frames in her living room, and when we’re over for weekly family dinners or craft nights, we’ll catch a glimpse of pictures of the stunning Icelandic landscapes and our smiling faces. We all daydream about incredible fish dishes we ate or the strong flavor of the local liquor Brennivín, which we tried the night we spent playing cards till late.
The dollars we spent to visit Iceland were well spent for the trip and experiences, but I think we all enjoyed it even more because we were cultivating incredible memories for Nanny, in particular — someone who had been kind to each of us in so many ways over the years.
