Frankly, I don’t even know where to begin, but I owe it to the people considering this program to objectively evaluate my Green Program experience in Iceland. First, I will say that Iceland is gorgeous and I saw some unforgettable things. The caveat to that statement is I could have seen those things by just taking a vacation there. The housing, food, and lack of transparency must be lamented in detail.
We stayed at three places during the program: a guesthouse, campsite (tents), and Midgard, which is essentially a hotel. I appreciated the hospitality offered by the operators of the guesthouse, but I shared a room and bathroom with four guys that were quite small. Now, to the campsite, where unfortunately something occurred that was absolutely disgraceful. Upon our arrival at the campsite, we were greeted by heavy rain (this is nobody’s fault, just setting the stage). Compounding our discomfort, we soon discovered that the sixteen people in our group would be staying in two (yes, two) tents. These tents are not designed to hold that many people. This is not the extent of the problem, though. Besides this cramped environment, rain began to fall into our tent from the top. Our guides attempted to remedy this, but ultimately could not. So, what did they do next? Well, they retreated to a warm, dry trailer. That is downright wrong any way you look at it. Refusing to accept this, my friends and I rented a nearby cabin. We had to spend additional money to stay warm because a faulty, overcrowded tent simply was not good enough, and the guides knew it. To my astonishment, one of the guides characterized the group’s stay at the campsite as “glamping,” one of the most tone-deaf and asinine things I have ever heard in my life. Under no circumstances should it have been acceptable for them to provide that level of accommodations for us given the amount of money we paid. It was negligent at best and immoral at worst. Staying at Midgard was pleasant, but this represented only a fraction of the trip and did not make up for the prior issues.
Another major source of frustration was the quality of food provided to us throughout the trip. While we did eat the occasional Icelandic dish, the majority of our meals were inundated with subpar offerings. In lieu of traditional foods, gourmet meals such as sandwiches, hot dogs, granola bars, and yogurt ruled the day. Perhaps most importantly, though, it is my duty to warn you prospective Greenies to finish everything on your plate, or you will be ridiculed. Yes, this actually happened. I did not eat all of my salad one evening, and this was brought to the group’s attention. A table of fellow students proceeded to lecture me about the grave crime of not eating everything after I admitted I was the one who committed this heinous act. Now, if this sounds utterly unreasonable, that’s because it is.
Lastly, a lack of transparency and preparedness permeated this experience. A trip itinerary was not provided to us in advance. Instead, our guides would inform us of the next day’s activities during dinner each night. This is something that The Green Program claimed was for our own benefit. For one, this is borderline condescending as we are all adults. More than anything, though, this assertion reeked of a lack of preparation.
Spare your $4500. Go on vacation to Iceland, but avoid The Green Program.
