Road Trip Iceland: A Custom Map

Iceland is the best country in the world for a road trip. The variety of the scenery is unparalleled; one road circles the entire country and darts through some of the most incredible landscapes you will ever see.

My friends and I travelled there in May 2013 and circled the Ring Road over the course of eight days. When we returned, I wanted to document our adventures with an artifact of some kind. My initial thought was to find a map of the country and annotate it to show our route. There were a number of options, but nothing felt quite right visually; either the map had too much extraneous information or it just wasn’t cool enough.

I decided to draw my own map of Iceland, on a massive canvas, and include the photos, stories, and logistics of our journey. The focus was the route, but I also included illustrations and notes to call out memorable moments of the trip. It was a time-consuming way to sum up our adventure, but there was no other way to capture the experience on a single page. The framed version measures 44"x70" and is shown above.

In addition to conjuring nostalgia when I pass it in my hallway, I hope the map will encourage friends to take a similar journey. It is the most amazing country–full of an staggering array of sights and remarkably well suited for a photo-centric road trip.

I have a long list of suggestions as well, so if anyone is considering a trip, let me know and I’ll send you the list along with the map. Photos from my trip are on my portfolio.