We quit our jobs to see the world, but it’s not ALL fun and games… we actually got to work in Iceland! 
Before we left on the trip we were planning to go to several Scandinavian countries like Denmark, possibly Sweden and Norway. Seeing the Northern Lights? Yes Please!
But Iceland was always in the back of our minds- an enchanting, secluded place we both dreamed of going to, and the more we researched flight patterns and options, the more we realized that the land of fire and ice was much too appealing to pass up. We had to go, even if that meant scratching a 
few countries off the itinerary to get to Iceland. After mapping out tens of different options and flight patterns, we decided we’d get to Iceland through Scotland. There was one budget flight (Easy Jet) into Reykjavik each week, so we knew that was our plane.
We didn’t want to fly all the way to this island for a few quick days and leave. If we were going to go, we were going for long enough that we could really see the country and all of its intensity. Feel like a part of it. Climb a glacier. See a reindeer. Eat some whale. And we were determined to see the Northern Lights.
But, as Josh mentioned in our previous post, Iceland is not cheap. And though we aren’t on a shoestring budget, we are extremely mindful of our expenses because they mean continuing on the trip… so we had to come up with a strategy. How can we stay in Iceland long enough to afford it, see all its wonder and beauty, and not break the bank?
By working, of course!
So we worked. We tried out our first ever work exchange program, called Workaway (workaway.com). The concept is amazing, and if you have the right hosts, the experience can be even better than traveling alone. Basically, you work for 4-5 hours a day (typically 5 days a week) for your host, then in return you get meals and accommodations, and the rest is free time. Josh and I had heard of several work exchange programs before leaving for our trip, (WWOOFing, Workaway, Help Exchange, etc.) but weren’t sure of their validity. Do people actually use these programs? Are they safe? Is the work going to be awful? Will we get any free time? No one we knew had ever tried these sites before, and they seemed to be a fairly uncommon practice for US travelers. We left for our trip determined to try at least one of them out where it made sense.
During the first couple months on our RTW trip we met travelers of all ages and types, and discovered that many of them have used work exchange programs as a means to make travel more affordable, and to learn more about the culture and places they were going to. Some exclusively used this as their way of travel for a gap year (or two). The more we learned, the more we realized that this was an awesome opportunity for us to learn more, and to experience travel differently.
Iceland was the perfect place for it.
We reviewed many different opportunities and ended up submitting a request to work at an Outdoor Scout’s Center, on a lake near Thingvellir National Park. The hosts were extremely responsive and we had a good feeling that they would be the type of people we’d want to work for, so we signed up to work for a week at the center.
As Josh mentioned in his post, we spent a couple days in Reykjavik and the area nearby, then we drove through the mountains and into the country for our first Workaway adventure! Will they like us? What kind of work will we do? Are we going to freeze our butts off?
We arrived with an immediate warm welcome from our hosts, and got a tour to learn the lay of the land. They showed us where everything was at, and explained the history of the camp, and about Scouts in Iceland. The camp is now owned by the Icelandic Scout and Guides Association, and hosts many large scouting events, as well as outdoor activities and group events throughout the year. It is busiest is the summer months, but has a wide variety of different things going on all the time, so we were able to help with different small groups events, as well as help with different cleaning and prep needed to host the groups.
It was fun being a part of a team again- even if a small team, and for a short time. There was another volunteer staying at the Scout’s Center as well, who we worked with most of the time. She was from Spain, taking a travel break before getting her medical degree, and traveling for a year as well. She was staying at the Centre for several weeks and was primarily using Workaway for her travels. We also met an au pair who was working at the Centre for a year, from Germany. We really enjoyed being able to meet other travelers as well as locals who were born as raised in the area.
We worked on many different tasks each day, but did a lot of prep work and cleaning for the various groups so our hosts could spend time working on the things they needed to get done, and we had a great time. Doing things like laundry, cooking, cleaning, spackling and painting were a nice change of pace for us, and we were happy to be able to contribute to a good program for good people.
We did have some free time to ourselves too, which was a lot of fun. We learned how to shoot a bow and arrow, we went kayaking in the ice cold lake with some freezing rain, went hiking and walking in the incredible nature surrounding us, and we even saw some Northern Lights! (Unfortunately they weren’t quite bright enough that my camera could capture them properly- so you won’t see any pictures from us…dangit!)
Hveragerði Hot spring
One morning before work we went to a nearby mountain with our volunteer friend, and hiked to a hot river spring to swim in the warm river. It was one of those priceless Iceland moments we’ll always remember. The area was geothermal, so there were many hot springs and bubbling pots of steam coming up from all around the mountain. We hiked for about an hour to an incredible picturesque river, snow falling all around us and trying to stay warm, passing the bubbling water and trying not to slip.
Eventually we got t
o a place where two rivers meet- one cold river, and one hot, geothermal river. Because the two run into each other, there is an area where it is perfectly warm to take a dip. So we stripped off our 5-6 layers of clothes down to our bathing suits (and winter hats), and jumped into the crystal clear, steaming mountain water. It was priceless! We hung out in the river for almost an hour, and when the time came to get out, we were definitely dreading it…it was so cold out there! Finally we each ran out (one at a time) and quickly dressed as fast as we could, trying not to get too muddy or too cold. It was definitely not graceful, but we made it out, and back to our warm car! It was such an awesome experience, and because we weren’t in Iceland during the busy tourist time of year, it really wasn’t crowded at all.
Day Off
On our day off work, our hosts decided to show us around a bit. It was such a great day! All of us piled into the van together and we drove around, checking out craters, waterfalls, geysers, and glaciers. We had lunch at an adorable farm to table restaurant, and ended the drive with a stop at a local pool to dip in the hot baths. Perfection. Our hosts also introduced us to some Icelandic specialties including Skyr, whale (prepared two different ways), and some local spirits, including a malt beverage that Josh loved. It was tasty!
Our hosts were so fun to be with, great at communicating, and really kind to us. We feel like we saw a different side of Iceland because of our workaway experience. We made some new friends, learned some new skills, and were able to see Iceland without breaking the bank. In addition, it felt rewarding to be able to roll up our sleeves and do a little work to help out others. Overall, we had an amazing week and would have gladly stayed at the center even longer…but we had a road trip awaiting us along Iceland’s infamous Ring Road, where we would meet Europe’s largest glacier head on.
Leave a Reply