Why I Recommend A Visit To Iceland

Many people are surprised when I tell them that my flight to Iceland was less than 6 hours.  Because it's an island that sits in the North Atlantic Ocean, it seems so far away but really, you can get there faster than you can get to Seattle!

The easy flight was just one of many reasons why I'd recommend adding Iceland to your travel wish list.  Here are some more:

Everyone speaks English.  Kids start learning the language at age 8 so it's very easy to communicate there.  It's like you get the excitement and intrigue of a foreign destination without the challenge of a language barrier.

The weather was milder than I expected.  Temps were in the 30s every day but it did not snow.  Heck, New Jersey had a blizzard the week I was in Iceland!   If you go, you will want to dress in layers.  There's a saying that if you don't like the weather in Iceland you should wait 5 minutes.  Because it will change.  That proved to be true with sunshine one minute and rain showers the next.  Plus I'd recommend rain pants, a good hat, mittens, and a scarf that covers part of your face because the wind was very strong at times.  But somehow the cold just didn't feel as cold there.

The people are generally lovely.  Warm and welcoming. Happy to show off their beautiful country.

The knitwear is beautiful.  If you're going to treat yourself to a nice souvenir, I'd suggest a gorgeous Icelandic sweater.  We stopped at several wool shops and the knitted items were well made and gorgeous.

The landscape is very interesting.  Glaciers, snow-capped moutains, black sandy beaches, volcanic stone, geothermal pools, etc.  A highlight was seeing the eruption of one of the fountain geysers.  It goes off every 8-10 minutes.

Reykjavik is a very connected city.  There's wi-fi everywhere so you can stay in touch with home while exploring a very charming and quirky city.

The water is good.  And free!  Don't waste money buying bottled water.  The natural spring water is very clean and refreshing.  Businesses and restaurants have taps available for refilling eco-friendly reusable bottles.

Another thing to consider is that you can visit Iceland on your way to somewhere else in Europe.  This website will tell you more about the promotion run by IcelandAir.  Basically you can stay in Iceland for several nights (like an extended layover) before making your way to another European country...all for the price of visiting that other destination.  Two countries on one ticket!   http://www.icelandair.us/flights/stopover/

Have you ever been to Iceland?  Do you think you might want to visit?