Greetings from a damp parking lot

Questions, please.

Hello hello,

Life has a way of rewriting travel plans. Instead of exploring night markets in Taiwan and eating until I explode, I’m sitting in a cold camper van, nibbling on some cheese and crackers in the middle of a damp parking lot in Iceland. Okay, technically it’s the Reykjavik Campground, but that feels a little too generous for the functional gravel road I’m currently parked on. It’s not all bad though, the rain is pitter pattering away on the roof and I have a small bottle of brennivín that I picked up from the duty free shop, giving the van the illusion of cozy. Plus, today was never going to be about beauty or grace - the day after a red eye is always about survival. It’s Iceland, beautiful vistas will come.

While I’m dirt-bagging my way around Iceland, I thought it would be a good time to try out something new. Please ask me some questions about all things travel, photography, food/drink, etc. Do you have some summer travel coming up and want some packing/gear advice? Are you curious about picking a camera? How to plan a trip? Maybe you want to know where to eat/drink in a specific city? Something personal? I'm curious to see what's on your mind and try to help out if I can!

Everyone is welcome, both paid and free subscribers. Feel free to send as many questions as you have. You can send me questions anywhere - DMs, comments, reply to this email, wherever. I'll round 'em all up and send out some answers. I have plenty of time in a camper van ahead of me, so I should be able to get to them all in the next ~ week. I'm excited to see what you come up with!

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The theme of my travels this year seems to be “the same, but different.” I've been to Iceland before, but it's going to be vastly different this time around. Back in 2021, Iceland was one of the first to relax its COVID restrictions, so once I was vaccinated I was gone, baby. I was one of only a handful of tourists on the island, so I got to experience a weird, intimate side of Iceland that will probably never be seen again. I’m talking less than 10 people at the Blue Lagoon. I also got to see a volcano erupt, which was pretty damn amazing.

So it’ll be a different experience, but this time I’m here with new perspective, more photography chops, and a couple grey hairs. If all goes according to plan, I'll be at the edge of the world, chatting with the chef at truly one of the most incredible restaurants I've been to. More to come later, but it's the kind of meal that will live in your dreams. I'll also be playing with some new camera gear and will inevitably bombard you with a million photos from Iceland. Apologies in advance.

Lastly, a reminder that I’ll be closing the submissions for Spring 2025 pictures soon, so if you haven’t sent one in yet and would like to participate, there’s about a week left.

Cheers,

Skylar