My first day in Iceland started at 7:00 a.m. before the sun even came up, which honestly felt very on-brand for me. I reunited with my friends Grace and Kevin, grabbed our rental car (quick process, but don’t forget to take your own pics/videos when you rent), and drove straight into the cold + wind that I was absolutely not prepared for. If you’re landing early like we did, pack extra layers in your carry-on so you can throw them on immediately. Our first stop was the Blue Lagoon with an 8:00 a.m. reservation (you get a one-hour grace period, and online check-in made everything faster). I’ll show you how the wristband works for lockers + payments, what the complimentary smoothie and silica mask situation is like, and my honest take on the mask (refreshing, but my skin felt a bit tight/dry after). After about an hour and a half—right as more tour buses rolled in—we headed into Reykjavik for a hot dog, a little wandering, and hotel/hostel tours: the Ion City Hotel double room (sparkling wine included!) and my stay at the new Nordic Hostel. It’s a “luxury hostel” vibe with capsule-style privacy, super nice staff, and shockingly comfy pillows… and then we bundled up like little marshmallows to hunt for the aurora and actually saw green.