He wanted an adventure. Thanks to his confused GPS, he got one.
BEFORE NOEL SANTILLAN became famous for getting lost in Iceland, he was just another guy from New Jersey looking for adventure, armed with the modern traveler’s two essentials: a dream and, more important, a GPS unit.
On a frigid, pitch-black February morning in 2016, the 28-year-old marketing manager was driving away from Keflavík International Airport in a rented Nissan hatchback toward a hotel in Reykjavík, about 40 minutes away. He was excited that his one-week journey was beginning but groggy from the five-hour redeye flight. As a pink sun rose over the ocean and illuminated the snow-covered lava rocks along the shore, Santillan dutifully followed the commands of the GPS that came with the car, a calm female voice directing him to an address on Laugarvegur Road— a left here, a right there.
But after stopping on a desolate gravel road next to a sign for a gas station, Santillan got the feeling that the voice might be steering him wrong. He’d already been driving for nearly an hour, yet the ETA on the GPS put his arrival time at around 5:20 p.m., eight hours later. He reentered his destination and got the same result. Though he sensed that something was off, he decided to trust the machine.
The farther he drove, the fewer cars he saw. The roads became icier. Sleeplessness fogged his brain, and his empty stomach churned. The only stations he could find on the radio were airing strange talk shows in Icelandic. He hadn’t set up his phone for international use, so that was no help. At around 2 p.m., as his tires skidded along a narrow mountain road that skirted a steep cliff, he knew that the device had failed him.
This story is from the April 2018 edition of Reader's Digest International.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 2018 edition of Reader's Digest International.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Let's Work
How do refugees integrate into European society? For the lucky ones, it starts with a job.
50 Seconds To Live
Unconscious and plummeting to earth, the novice skydiver had just…
The Power Of Touch
It’s vital for our health, wellness and happiness, say the world’s leading neuroscientists.
History Carved In Stone
Created by man, built for eternity.
Café Society
In Paris, I discover, people-watching is raised to an art form.
The World's Dumbest Criminals
Crime never pays —especially if it’s planned badly.
At Home Together
Young and old living side by side is improving the lives of everyone.
Final Beat Of A Golden Heart
We have no regrets about the decision we took in 1994.
The Secret Lives Of Passwords
We despise them—yet we imbue them with our hopes, dreams, and dearest memories.
7 Doctor Approved Natural Remedies
A plant fix over a prescription drug? Some doctors swear by it.