How travel makes me feel…lol. Photo: Nasilele Photography taken in Brooklyn
I LOOOOVE to travel. It doesn’t even have to be some far away exotic location for me to have an amazing time—I have found adventure through staycations here in NYC, driving six hours up to the Adirondacks to hike and water bike, and going to Memphis on a solo eating tour among many places I’ve visited. Travel doesn’t always have to be some tremendous expenditure with magazine editorial pics posted to the Gram—all you really need is a good imagination and to be open to try new things. Ok yeah, having some money is also necessary but you definitely don’t have to be balling to “ball” on your travels.
This blog has granted me many opportunities to travel not only with the places I’m invited to explore but also in giving me a flexible schedule in which to do so (and even then I still had to work while I traveled). My last corporate job gave me such a miniscule amount of vacation time—I worked there for three years and only had 15 days which included sick days, vacation days, and personal days. AND they had this rule that employees who worked in locations that dealt with cash had to take 10 of those days consecutively for vacation. (I was a Business Banker—I didn’t really deal with cash. I mostly managed the portfolios of the bank’s business clients but since I worked in a branch I was exposed to cash). I got special permission to split up my vacation days because my immediate family moved to Georgia and I would go down there for both Thanksgiving and Christmas so I got five days for each holiday. But that only left me with 5 days for sick and personal days for the rest of the year :x
Photo: Nasilele Photography taken in Brooklyn
I didn’t travel as much back then as I’m able to do now, but I also didn’t have as much imagination then as I do now…lol. Back then I’d go on short weekend trips and of course go to Trinidad since my family is from there but that was about it. I was also in my 20s back then so doing things locally with friends was more common for me then than it is now. Now I make the joke that the only time I “go out” is when I travel…lol.
See my past travel recaps, guides, and more here
So I asked you guys on my social media to leave any questions you had about my trip to Iceland or travel in general. You all asked some really good questions! So here comes the answers—make sure you check out my other posts in my Iceland series here and all my other travel posts here.
What to pack
Suitcase is Nanette Lepore from Burlington (they always have cute luggage for great prices); book bag is 3.1 Phillip Lim for Target
This is going to greatly depend on the time of year you go to Iceland and how long you’ll be staying. I went at the end of March after spring had sprung so the temps were not much off from what we were getting in NYC. I was able to just pack the same type of clothes I was wearing in NYC and carried some items to layer underneath my clothes. I never wore the layers underneath because I can get hot-cold often—meaning it’s cold out but then when I start moving around I get hot and sweaty. I also brought my tall Adirondack Ugg boots in my checked luggage. I didn’t want to wear them on the flight because those boots keep me SUPER toasty and I didn’t want to sweating just walking through the airport before we even got on the plane…lol. I wound up wearing them one night when it got pretty cold and really wished I’d worn them the day we went on the tour of southern Iceland. But those boots keep me super warm to where I don’t need layers under my jeans. Most of the time I just wore my combat boots and was fine. If I had the shorter version of my Ugg boots, I would have only needed just that one pair but I wasn’t about to buy them just for this trip…lol. I wear the tall ones very often during winter here in NYC.
My combat boots I wore for like 95% of the trip
This was pretty much my aesthetic for Iceland. My inspo was Puffy and Nas in the “Hate Me Now” video from the late 90s…lol
I was only in Iceland for 3.5 days so I didn’t pack a lot of clothes. I did need to check a bag because I had my laptop with me and some other equipment that couldn’t all fit in carry-on.
Here’s what I packed clothes-wise:
* Black skinny jeans (which I wore to travel)
* Camo jogger pants
* A sweatshirt (which I wore to travel)
* A 3/4 sleeve fitted tee
* A fitted t-shirt (which I wore to travel)
* A cute sweater
* A cute going out top (which I never wore…lol)
* Bathing suit (for Blue Lagoon)
* Pajamas
* Mad socks and underwear (I have an irrational fear of running out of socks and underwear when I’m away…lol)
* A few pairs of tights to layer under my clothes (which I never wore)
* Faux fur coat (I would actually recommend wearing a slim puffy coat or anything that’s water resistant that has a hood. I only wore this coat because my all-weather coat fits a little too snug right now…lol)
* Fur trapper hat (this was perfect for keeping my head and ears warm but it wasn’t always cold enough for it—it was perfect for the south Iceland tour)
* Wool hat (wore this to travel)
* Earmuffs (wore them on the day we traveled to the Blue Lagoon since I had my braids up in a top knot)
* Blanket scarf (wore this to travel—also amazing to help protect me from plane germs when I fell asleep on the flight)
One of my MUST-HAVES for travel is the Flight 001 SpacePak (pictured above). You can fit up to 2 weeks of clothes in that bag AND it can fit in your carry-on bag if necessary.
It got VERY windy in parts of Iceland so make sure whatever you’re wearing is properly fastened. I had to tie down my wool hat with my scarf when we got to the glaciers.
I did an Instastory on the beauty items I packed which you can check out in the video below! There’s music on this one so be warned. It’s also in portrait mode since it was from my IG story. P.S. Follow me on IG! I do a “Today’s Beauty Win” series on my IG stories where I talk about products I’m loving and/or are at amazing prices.
Iceland Beauty Bag from Danielle Gray on Vimeo.
Since things can get pretty expensive in Iceland, I say make sure you have all your essentials unless you don’t mind forking over premium money to buy things when you get there.
Are there many Black folks in Iceland?
There aren’t very many folks in Iceland period—there’s something like 300K people who live there. But I came in contact with TONS of African American tourists and some people who looked like they were from parts of Africa. I actually saw more Black people around Iceland (whether they were tourists or residents) than I do sometimes in parts of Manhattan. I would also say Black people probably visit Iceland enough for me to not get stares from the locals (you know that stare—like “Wooooow, I’ve never seen a Black person in person before,” it can get annoying to me sometimes). I never felt uncomfortable but I spent a majority if not all of my time in tourist areas—who knows what my experience would have been like if I ran into some rural areas on my own.
Just don’t expect to find any twist out creams or dark foundation in any of the shops there, but otherwise you’re good.
What are the people like?
I would say in general the people I came in contact with in Iceland were very friendly but most of the people I came in contact with were also in the hospitality industry where it’s pretty much in the job description to be nice. But I definitely felt that everyone was friendlier and more accommodating in comparison to some of the people I come across in the hospitality industry here in NYC and when I travel around the US.
Bare in mind though that I live in NYC though. While I find my immediate Queens neighborhood to be somewhat friendly and I run into really friendly people outside of my neighborhood, NYC can be pretty hectic and fast-paced. So someone from a small town in the U.S. might find the Icelandic people to be just “regular.” It all depends on perspective.
Someone also asked about the men. I always make the joke that I get hit on WAY MORE when I travel than when I’m in NYC. WAY MORE. I had two guys hit on me on this trip, but they were tourists who weren’t from the U.S. Not tooting my own horn (however, beep beep…lol) but I’m sure if we spent time at any Icelandic bars or clubs, some locals would have probably hit on me, too. But this isn’t some grand accomplishment for me though.
Any language barriers?
Nobody asked this but I figured I’d add this to the post. While Icelandic is spoken a lot and is on a lot of the signage in Iceland, a majority of the people I came across spoke English. There was only one instance when I went to ask one of the housekeepers at our hotel apartment for some towels and she didn’t understand me.
In fact I haven’t had many language barriers in the places I’ve traveled. Most places I’ve been to also speak English. I went to Warsaw, Poland on a press trip a few years ago and was worried that I’d be stuck if I ventured away from our group, but everyone I came in contact with there spoke immaculate English. Which makes you side-eye people here in the U.S. who get mad when other languages are taught in schools.
How was the food?
I allow myself to be adventurous with food but only when I have good access to a bathroom just in case things literally go south…lol. I tried a little bit of traditional Swedish food when I was in Stockholm (although you may not find a ton of traditional restaurants in Stockholm), but I didn’t try any traditional Icelandic foods in Iceland. Not that I didn’t want to—just didn’t really come across any. Most of my time was spent on tours and we ate where the tour bus stopped for breaks. I mostly ate burgers/sandwiches and fries aside from the night when we had Indian food. I didn’t eat anything that didn’t taste good—everything tasted fresh and was really delicious. Food in Iceland is VERY expensive though because a lot of it has to be imported. I spent $20-30 on single meals for basic food. One morning I got a croissant, two ginger ales (I had an upset stomach from two cappuccinos I had the day before), and a brownie and it came up to $20USD. It was really good but sheesh. Make sure you factor in the cost of food when planning your trip. We had a kitchen in our hotel apartment but since so much of our time was spent on tours, we were leaving before the grocery store opened and got back after it had already closed. And who knows what the prices were like at the grocery store because we never got to go in. Next time I go to Iceland I’m going to bring some sort of oatmeal packets so I can at least have a quick breakfast before heading out. And hopefully make time to get groceries to make dinner—that way only thing I need to buy while out is lunch and snacks.
How did I find a place to stay
This trip I was lucky to jump in on a trip that was somewhat already planned. Lara picked out Room with a View after looking at other options because it offered enough space for the four of us traveling, was located in downtown Reykjavik and walking distance to places to eat and some sights, and if you look at the tour of our hotel apartment in my other post, it was FABULOUS.
Finding a place to stay though is something the internet has made much easier. I don’t always plan where I stay for all of my trips because some of my trips are press trips already planned out for me, but when I make my own travel arrangements, I start with what I plan on doing on the trip first. That helps me decide which location the hotel needs to be in and what sort of amenities I’ll need. I used to book some questionable hotels in the past because I wanted to keep costs down plus I wasn’t going to be in the hotel much of the trip anyway, but as I’ve gotten older there are certain things I just don’t want to do anymore…lol. For one, when I travel I need my own room for my own sanity. In Iceland we shared a hotel apartment and the beds were out in the open but we weren’t there long and the space was HUGE and there were so many places to go so we didn’t bump heads. But usually I will need my own room. I can’t do 3-5 people to a room like I would do in my early 20s. Shoot, I can barely share a room with one other person but in the few times I have, it worked out because of the people I shared with AND we weren’t there long.
Budget will also determine where you stay. If I were to go on a solo trip where I do some exploring but also may be in my hotel room pretty often, I’d splurge a little more on the hotel room if I’m not going to be spending a ton on everything else. It all depends on the trip and your comfort level. When I went to London by myself, I stayed in a nice hotel but in an area that was a little further (Chelsea) out from where I wanted to venture out to. I got a good hotel at a less expensive price but I had to either take a cab or get on the tube to travel (I did the tube more than cabs to save money). As a New Yorker I totally didn’t mind doing that. I was able to keep more money in my pocket to shop. It turned out that Lara was also in London at the same time but arriving later than me so I only stayed in my hotel for two days before I wound up being able to stay at Lara’s friend’s flat in Marylebone where I had my own room. Which brings me to another point: network! This is another great thing about social media—you might have friends who have friends who don’t mind you staying at their place. This isn’t for everyone of course, but so many people do it and it’s how they’re able to afford to travel to so many places.
There’s also the couch surf community but I don’t know much about it other than it exists.
Also some countries offer really good accommodations for very little money. I got a great deal on my hotel in Sweden because we went in July when most of the country is on vacation. I had to fork over extra money when it came to food so it somewhat evened out…lol. Another great thing is that July is when a lot of European shops have sales so I got some cute clothes and accessories for really cheap in Stockholm.
Take the time to google around and read reviews, look at videos, and check social media for potential places to stay. One of the most important things to keep in mind is your own lifestyle. I can be very flexible in some aspects when I travel: like I’ll go on almost any excursion or try any far out adventure activity as long as I’m not hungry and don’t have to go to the bathroom…lol. I can also be flexible about where I stay but there are certain things that are non-negotiables for me. Like I will pay whatever the cost is to have more legroom on a flight that’s more than 2 hours. My back and knees can’t deal. I will also not stay in any sketchy areas—my blood pressure can’t deal.
How much would you bring for shopping money?
The person who asked this said she knows this can vary by person, locations, and needs but is looking for a roundabout figure. She also mentioned Europe specifically.
So for me, the more I travel, the less I spend on shopping. But I’m spending less on shopping in general so that could also be a huge factor for me. Plus I tend to travel to places where I’m doing more activities (like climbing mountains, snorkeling etc.) and shopping isn’t really a priority for me OR the place isn’t really known for shopping. BUT there are certain cities where I’m like I can’t NOT go shopping. I’ve bought some of my most prized wardrobe pieces from places I’ve traveled to (i.e. Stockholm, Warsaw, Düsseldorf, London, Berlin, etc). I also cannot go to certain places and not see what their local beauty products are talmbout and bring some back.
To be honest though I never really budget for shopping. I claim that I don’t need to buy anything and then wound up seeing things I want…lol. But I would say I cannot see myself spending more than $250 on shopping on any trip. Most trips I don’t buy a single thing though (of course aside from food and local travel). I also stopped bringing souvenirs home a while back so I don’t spend on that either. I tell friends and family that me coming back home is their souvenir…lol.
Another thing to keep in mind is that sometimes even if you see something you LOVE when traveling that sometimes it’s not worth buying because of exchange rates. But you could also luck out and get stuff that isn’t sold in the U.S. or in my case with a moto jacket I bought in Düsseldorf that I also saw previously in NYC, you can get it on sale cheaper than it is here.
But if I’m going on a trip to a location where I specifically came to shop, I’d give myself a bigger budget. Maybe $300-500 but depends on if I need anything. Right now I have all the wardrobe basics I need although I would like a really cool pair of sneakers.
How far in advance did you book the trip? How far in advance does one need to book entry to the Blue Lagoon?
I latched onto an already somewhat planned trip so I got in only a month in advance (they had only booked like 4 days before me so it wasn’t too far in advance…lol).
It’s hard for me to plan trips too far in advance because of what I do for a living (I can be called to do work last minute sometimes—and things can be random like the time I got hired to do the Empire after show for CoverGirl last year in Chicago). But I usually try to buy plane tickets at least 10 days in advance because the rule of thumb is that they’re cheaper then. This isn’t true of every location—some places you really have to start stalking flight prices months in advance. Make sure you check out tools like Google Flights which allows you to see average flight prices over a stretch of time (I *think* a year). There’s like a whole movement and culture in the flight pricing game so make sure you google around if you want to get up on that. Also certain locations will dictate how often in advance you need to book because of availability, season, etc. You can travel to some places in their “off-season” if you want to save money. For instance July is a month where most of Stockholm was on vacay so it was cheaper to get there and stay there (although the food was super expensive) but it wasn’t completely deserted so we were able to still get around quite nicely.
I would try to book the Blue Lagoon when you book your hotel—but don’t treat that as gospel. While the Blue Lagoon doesn’t give time limits inside the waters, they use a reserve system to ensure there’s enough room. But entire busloads of tourists get dropped off at the Blue Lagoon at times so there can be a lot of people there. I don’t think you need to worry about not getting in though. You might have to wait longer for things like the check-in lines, the Blue Lagoon store, and the restaurants.
How was driving in Iceland?
I talked about renting cars and more in this post, but I really enjoyed driving in Iceland and I recommend doing it when you’re there (assuming you have a valid driver’s license where you’re from). They drive on the same side of the road as we do in the U.S. so I didn’t get anxious about bearing left and getting confused. There are A LOT of roundabouts in Iceland. A LOT. I’m not used to them so I was really nervous that I’d cause an accident or something. Didn’t help that we also saw a tour bus and a car sideswipe each other in a roundabout. I was more careful driving in Reykjavik where there were more cars plus I didn’t want to break out my New Yorker driving skills there and alert any authorities (though come to think of it I didn’t see a single cop when I was there). When we got to the more remote areas I hit the gas like nobody’s business. Driving allows you to venture off to see some amazing landscapes and get amazing pictures. Just be VERY careful about off-roading and heed all of the warnings your car rental company gives you. Last thing you want is to get your rental car stuck in some rough terrain or for the car doors to blow off in high wind (yup, apparently that’s a big enough thing for there to be warning stickers on the car doors).
What’s the flight time?
We flew out of Newark and it was about 6 hours going and 5 hours and change coming back. If you’re flying on a flight that will land in Iceland when it’s still dark, try to get a window seat on the left side of the plane so you can TRY to see the Northern Lights (learn why you might not see them here). That was my ONE opportunity to get a glimpse of them on my flight coming in but I didn’t get up to look at them in time and I was sitting in the aisle seat. Sit on the right side if you’re coming back through darkness.
During the summer in Iceland you won’t have as much of a chance to see the Northern Lights because the sun only sets for a few hours hence the term Midnight Sun.
Besides England, can you suggest a good place to travel in Europe with my 11 yr old during the fall of this year?
I haven’t visited a ton of Europe yet (I’ve only been to England, France, Belgium, Sweden, Germany, Poland, and now Iceland) but I would TOTALLY recommend Belgium of course depending on what your 11 yr old is into. Belgium is the home of the Smurfs, tons of cartoon artists, and castles. There are so many cool things to see there that your child might have already learned about in history class—that’s one thing I really look forward to when I have kids because it’s one thing to read about stuff, another to actually see and touch it. I wrote about my trip to various cities in Belgium here and also posted videos on my Youtube channel.
But if Belgium isn’t piquing your interest, see what your child is learning about in school and factor in their personal interests and let that be your guide to where you travel. I would also say Poland (see info on my trip here) because it wasn’t expensive (at least it wasn’t when I went), there’s tons of history and culture, and you can get around without knowing the language. It’s been some time since I’ve been there so make sure there isn’t any type of reasons to not visit right now (which can happen with any country).
So those were all the questions I got about Iceland! There were more, but I answered them through my other Iceland posts so make sure you check those out as well. If you have any additional questions about Iceland or travel in general, leave them below!