Finding Happiness in the 2nd Happiest Nation on Earth
Reading time: 4 min, 45 seconds
In Icelandic, ‘happ’ means a stroke of luck. When considering its treacherous weather and geographic location that begs natural disaster, it’s a wonder how Icelanders score number two on the World Happiness Report. ‘Happ’ being literally incorporated into the word ‘happiness’ offers a simple explanation - their pure optimism.
Across the pond from Iceland, COVID had me in a mental health rut. I’m a frequent traveler, a lover of human connection, and an enthusiast for cultural learning who is rarely ever sitting in one place.
Cue the pandemic in 2020, and my usually moving body had no other choice but to stay put. I spent what felt like a lifetime just trying to mentally survive. Everything that normally brings me joy was put under lock and key while I did my part in trying to keep our world safe from the horrors of an internationally spreading virus.
I’m generally a very positive soul and have always been the friend to put an optimistic spin on a given situation. However, during the pandemic my mind grew exhausted from trying to see the light in a period of time that was adding new ambiguity daily.
Eventually I was fully vaccinated, and the world started safely opening up again. As a once frequent traveler, it took longer than expected to build up the necessary courage to hop on a long international flight. Although I dreamt about passing through security, drinking an overpriced Starbucks at the gate, and crawling into a window seat for 7+ hours, I was still afraid of it all the same.
I ruminated over tickets to Mexico, Guatemala, and Peru all year but found several pandemic excuses to not hit the ‘book ticket’ button.
However, the fall of 2021 arrived and I saw prices drop on roundtrip flights to Iceland.
I knew in my heart that I couldn’t pass it up.
Instantly there was a lot was riding on this trip. I hadn’t traveled internationally since moving back from China in 2019, and I’d NEVER been to Iceland. I tried to properly manage my expectations, but the thought that kept creeping back into my mind was…
‘could this be the cure?!’
Could Iceland be exactly what I need to bring me back to life?
To awaken the optimist and adventurer inside me?
It was impossible to dismiss these thoughts completely, but I tried my best to keep an open mind and not put too much pressure on the possibility of finding myself again in this adventure.
A fellow recently unemployed friend and I landed in Iceland at 7am local time and immediately hit the ground running. We picked up our rental car from VIP rentals and headed towards the famed ‘Ring Road’ that acts as the main highway connecting the island. Our planned route would be taking us clock-wise around the country.
Lava fields and mountains on Snaefellsnes Peninsula.
To say the trip got off to a rocky start would be an understatement. The first portion of our adventure was spent tired, hangry, and tense amidst the unforgiving weather of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. We drove for hours and only left the warmth of the car in short, brave moments until we were quickly overcome with misery by the ruthless 40 mph winds and pelting rain.
I was already worried.
Was this the Iceland experience we’d have for the next 10 days?!
Left: The one open restaurant for lunch on the eastern side of the peninsula; Center: somewhere on Snaefellsnes; Right: Too much wind.
I had heard that Icelandic weather in September could be rough, but I was expecting to handle it gracefully, powered by the ammo of excitement to simply be traveling again. I expected my senses to be so overwhelmed with the novelty of a new country that the weather would cease to bother me.
This was an aggressive presumption, especially considering my adventure “muscle” hadn’t been flexed in quite some time. You see how my own optimist brain was already cranking?!
Of course it was going to take time to ease back into travel.
After our jet-lagged bodies had a full night’s rest, we ran into extreme road conditions while making our way to our next location. We learned the hard way that one of the most important resources while traveling through Iceland is the national road conditions website.
What was meant to be a 5 hour drive up north turned into a full day affair. Navigating ice and snow in our summer tire-equipped Peugeot until a plow eventually (and very coincidentally) led us to safety.
Left: road 59; Right: Ring Road i.e. Route 1.
Despite the ice and snow on the road, the wind was less intense on our second day and the sun came out to say hello on the later half of the drive.
We were even able to leave the car for more than 30 seconds at a time and enjoy the never-ending nature views we’d been promised.
Left: Stoplights in Akureyri; Right: Godafoss waterfall at golden hour.
Regardless of the positive change in weather, my emotions resisted mirroring the light.
Things still felt off.
We awoke on day 3 of the trip to find our tiny red Peugeot buried under too much snow to even think about setting off for the day like planned. An overnight blizzard wiped out the main highway in between where we were, Akureyri, and where we were heading, Seydisfjordur.
Akureyri covered in snow.
We were stuck.
Just as I had been for the past 19 months.
Talk about a healthy dose of irony.
Our itinerary was completely thrown out the window while we instead spent the day café hopping around the Northern Icelandic city that had been painted white overnight. And perhaps this slowing down was everything I needed. I started to realize that up until this point I had been forcing a positive outlook and good energy that was ultimately draining. I wasn’t allowing for myself to get acclimated to this new time zone and old habit of travel.
As I sat in my final café stop of the day, sipping on a life-changing chai tea, and interacting with the kindest barista…
I felt a shift.
Left: Chai tea latte and city view; Center: Outside of Kaffi Ilmur; Right: Complimentary blankets to get cozy in the café.
My heart was warmed by the spiced tea, the café environment, the view overlooking a snowy city from the top floor, and the gentle and open nature of the local staff of Kaffi Ilmur.
My racing and anxious mind relaxed completely into the present moment. I reunited with a happy and contented version of myself who I had desperately been calling to return since moving back to the U.S.
Day by day I began recognizing myself again. The frolicking feeling of being in an open, sunny valley surrounded by sheep, mountains, and a foreign land called my heart and soul back into the shell of my body.
Left: Öxi Region in the northwest; Right: Dyrhólaey.
I sank into road-side hot springs.
Stand-alone hot springs tub off the West Coast.
Basked in the giant mist of waterfalls larger and more powerful than I’d ever seen.
Left: Skógafoss; Center-left: Skaftafell; Center-right: Seljalandsfoss; Right: Seljalandsfoss.
Let the cold wind wake my sleeping face and body.
Left: top of Eldfell volcano; Right: Vestmannaeyjar islands.
Laughed uncontrollably at the humor of the world around me.
Left: Gljúfrabúi; Center: Skógafoss; Right: Vestmannaeyjabaer islands.
Ventured deep into centuries old glacier lagoons.
Fjallsárlón glacier lagoon.
And felt the fullness of adventure wrap me up and welcome me home.
Fagradalsfjall volcano.
I experienced a joy and excitement that had been sitting dormant for too long. One that invited the world in yet again. One that allowed myself to get curious with my surroundings and open my heart to conversations with strangers.
One that exploded just as vibrantly as Iceland’s historic volcanoes.
Right: Icelandic horse farm; Center: Iceland’s flag at sunset; Right: The Blue Lagoon.
Iceland, the world’s second happiest nation, touched me in a deep and contagious way.
Its jolting happiness pulsed endlessly through my body.
I humbly found peace once again, and a light heart that was reflected in Iceland’s mountains, rainbows, coastline, volcanoes, and happy people.
Mountains alongside the Ring Road in North Iceland.
Iceland is a small country with no military, a 99% literacy rate, natural resources in great abundance, and a strong sense of community. These characteristics and more give it’s population such a high happiness rating.
You can bet that I’m already imagining my next trip back, and working on keeping this happiness close to my heart wherever life takes me next.
