There's a volcano on the western tip of Iceland where, according to one of the greatest adventure stories ever written, the journey to the centre of the earth begins.
Jules Verne knew what he was doing.
Because Iceland isn't just a travel destination — it's a feeling, a pull, something that gets under your skin and doesn't let go, even when you're back home, even when months have passed, even when you've already been four times.
For Monika Pronczuk, though, Iceland isn't just a destination she covers on her travel blog, Plan Pack Explore. It's the one place she can't stop going back to. She first planned a family trip there in 2022 — badly, by her own admission, against a backdrop of cancelled flights, sick kids, and a volcano that erupted days before she landed. Four trips later, she still hasn't run out of places to show her family, or herself.
In this episode, we go from the touristy Golden Circle to the honor-system campsites of the highlands, from troll legends written into the landscape to the one moment that actually rattled her. If a place needs to earn its "adventure" credentials, Iceland does it in the first five minutes off the plane.
In This Episode, We Explore:
- Folklore as daily life — trolls, hidden people, and the Yule Lads aren't tourist material in Iceland; they shape where roads get built and how locals talk about the landscape.
- Going off the well-trodden path — a warm river you can bathe in after a 45-minute hike, Iceland's oldest swimming pool tucked into an empty valley, and a working farm with a resident reindeer named Tova.
- Driving into the highlands — beginner-friendly F-roads, camper van life, and why renting a car (not a tour bus) is Monika's top recommendation.
- The one time it got scary — not the remote wilderness, but a yellow wind warning five minutes from a hotel, and what it taught her about trusting the locals.
Episode Timestamps:
- 03:52 – Planning Backwards: A Cancelled Trip, a Volcano, and a Leap of Faith
- 07:34 – Trolls, Hidden People, and Roads Built Around Legends
- 11:04 – The First-Timer's Route: Golden Circle, Secret Lagoon, South Coast
- 15:03 – Camper Van Life and the Honor-System Campsites
- 18:02 – Off the Guidebook Path: A Warm River and a Farm Called Home
- 20:53 – Into the Highlands: Beginner F-Roads and Epic, Empty Landscapes
- 22:38 – The Only Time It Got Scary (and It Wasn't the Wilderness)
- 29:33 – The Twelve-Volume Mystery Series That Started It All
Links Referenced in This Episode:
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When a priceless Picasso disappears in Paris, legendary thief Bernard Moreau is the prime suspect. But as two unlikely allies—Eden Black and Adriana Villa—hunt him down, the chase turns deadly. It’s a race through the shadowed streets of Paris, where every twist is as unpredictable as the city itself.
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Mentioned in this episode:
Join us on the trail of the Knight's Templar
www.lukerichardsonauthor.com/templartour
For the first time ever, we're inviting you to join us on one of our adventures. And what better place to start than one of my favourite destinations… Portugal. But we’re not just going for the beaches and the wine, we’re following in the footsteps of one of history's most enigmatic organisations... the Knights Templar.
We're going on the trail of the Templars in Portugal!
Over five days and four nights, we'll guide you from the winding streets of Lisbon to the hilltop castle of Almourol, the sacred halls of Tomar's Convent of Christ, and the enchanting esoteric grottoes of Quinta da Regaleira—the very place that inspired my book The Templar Enigma.
www.lukerichardsonauthor.com/templartour
