I never considered traveling to Iceland in my lifetime. Not because of the cold weather, simply because I didn’t think there was anything to see (boy was I wrong). I was actually day trading while traveling throughout Iceland. They call it the land of fire and ice because it sits right on the convergence of the North American and European tectonic plates (see a picture of the Mid Atlantic Ridge here).
This causes an immense amount geothermal activity. There are gorgeous mountains, glaciers, volcanoes, and waterfalls as well as plenty of nightlife. The people are extremely friendly and everyone speaks English. I am pretty good with languages, if you search on YouTube someone speaking Icelandic you will see why I was more than relieved when I found out everyone spoke English.
Do you remember that volcano that exploded in Iceland that stranded millions of travelers because of the volcanic ash? Well, I just happened to be standing on that volcano (actually a glacier) in December. I know what you’re thinking, why would I travel to Iceland in December? IT’S FREEZING, but there are less tourists and cheaper airfare. And why would I stand on a volcanic glacier? I have a bad habit on climbing on things I’m not supposed to. My excuse is habits are hard to break.
Iceland is huge and not densely populated which makes it hard to do things on your own. While there are many Iceland Sightseeing activities many times you have to take one of the many Iceland Tours to see everything. You don’t have to worry about internet speeds since Iceland is a modern western country. Although they have had significant economic problems within the last decade the internet is consistently fast. They also have modern 3g infrastructure (which has advanced since I was there) to provide excellent wireless mobile broadband. Being part of Europe apartments and hotels can cost you a pretty penny so take your time doing your research for lodging.
You can see reviews on Tripadvisor to find a good tour company. We made reservations with Go travel Iceland since they have the highest reviews. Make sure your driver is Gummi, part owner of the company, he goes out of his way to make sure your stay is more than pleasant and even takes you to locations that the other travel companies don’t. Quick side note: The battery on my camera died (I now carry 3 on every trip) and I started taking pictures with my cell phone. Gummi noticed the situation and took my battery did a MacGyver trick with tape and a car charger and returned my battery at the townhouse (fully charged) where I was staying later that night.
It was my first experience couch surfing and I really lucked out. I had my own bedroom (and bed) with my own cable DSL internet connection. Ásgeir, my couch surfing host, was extremely gracious and even took us out to party and showed us around the city.
I’m fascinated how you are able to travel the world by what you do… ^_^ i’m a couchsurfer and would love to go to Iceland too.. i will have this article as a reference ^_^
Awesome!
Do post pics if you can! you’re living my dream!