Trying NOT To Get Shot In Iceland: A Travel Short Story

One of our goals while in Iceland was simple: find a hot spring.

Not the famous, bus-loaded, spa-with-a-gift-shop kind like the Blue Lagoon. We wanted the kind locals whisper about. The “turn down a gravel road, park in a random wide spot, hop a fence, and hope for the best” kind.

So, several hours outside of Reykjavik - the capital city, at our tiny rural hotel (well known for its Trolls), we asked the front desk if there were any hot springs nearby.

She smiled like we’d passed a test and said, “Well… locals go to one. Long gravel road. Park at a wide spot. Hop a fence. Follow a trail.”

No address. No sign. No liability waiver. Perfect!

As we walked back to our room, Catherine didn’t miss a beat. She looked at me and said, “Let’s go. What are the chances we get shot in Iceland?”

Statistically speaking, Iceland is one of the safest countries in the world. But there is something mildly nerve racking about planning to find a place not on a map and hop a fence and hope for the best in a foreign country.

So, naturally, we went.

The “road” was more of a suggestion scratched into the earth. We parked in what we hoped was the correct wide spot, climbed the fence trying to look casual (in case anyone was watching from… somewhere), and followed a faint trail not knowing how far.

No other people around. Just us wondering if this was how documentaries about poor decisions begin.

Then we saw it— a perfectly warm, volcano fed, natural hot spring tucked into the Icelandic countryside. We slipped into the water, laughed, and officially added, "what are the chances we get shot" to Catherine’s Top 5 Travel Phrases Hall of Fame.

Because sometimes adventure is as easy as hopping the fence (with a little guidance from the locals).