All Things Iceland

Happy New Year!!  I hope you all had a fun start to the 2023. I thought it would be fun to share a wrap of 2022 with some major news stories from Iceland and some of my favorite episodes that I published last year. There were certainly a lot of ups and downs throughout the year, but such is life. Local Icelandic Companies The sponsors of this episode are Go Car Rental Iceland and Cintamani ....

I’m excited to announce the opportunity for you to win a trip to Iceland. I teamed up with Go Car Rental Iceland to bring a little bit more extra magic to this holiday season. Below are all the details for the giveaway. The Winner of a Trip to Iceland will Receive: A 4×4 SUV rental for 7-days from Go Car Rental Iceland A $700 flight voucher An authentic Icelandic lopapeysa (sweater) for...

Winter in Iceland can range from a somewhat calm wnter wonderland to blizzard like conditions that force you to stay off the road. Even though the temperatures here are milder than what most peple assume (an average of around 0 degrees celsius in Reykjavik), packing appropriately for winter in Iceland is crucial for staying warm and dry. Just note that the farther north you go, it is normally cold...

I’m delving into a fascinating and kind of scary possibility. Vík í Mýrdal is a small town in South Iceland that has become a popular place for tourists to stop to see the area’s famous black sand beach, to stay the night if they need accommodations, and so on. However, most visitors don’t know about the potential danger that looms over this town of just over 800 residents. Katla volcano, which is...

In this post/podcast episode, I’m sharing some common expensive mistakes that many travelers in Iceland make unknowingly. If you’ve already planned a trip here, then you’re well aware that traveling to and around Iceland can quickly drain money from your bank account. While it’s true that the country is quite expensive, your experience doesn’t have to break the bank. In a future episode, I plan to...

Meg Matich is a poet and translator in Reykjavik. She earned her Master’s of Fine Arts from Columbia University and has received support for her work from the Banff Centre, PEN America, and the Fulbright Commission, and she is a frequent collaborator with Reykjavik UNESCO and a friend of UNESCO Lviv. Meg is the author of the poetry chapbook COLD (2022 Eulalia Books). Among other projects, Meg has...

This week I am sharing some fun and easy winter day trips from Reykjavík that you can enjoy during your visit. The days have become noticeably shorter and soon the nights will be very long, which is something that Icelandic winter is known for. While it is more than possible to travel the ring road (the road that goes around the whole country) of Iceland during winter, I often find that a decent n...

Auður Jónsdóttir is one of the most accomplished and influential authors writing in Iceland today. Her novels have inspired interest in Iceland, as well as abroad, for their rare blend of incisive frankness and humor. She won the Icelandic Literary Prize for The People in the Basement and the Icelandic Women’s Literature Prize for Secretaries to the Spirits . Both novels were nominated for t...

Iceland is considered the safest and most peaceful country in the world according to the Global Peace Index published by the Institute for Economics and Peace . However, this doesn’t mean that there aren’t things that visitors to the country need to keep in mind when traveling around the country. Unfortunately, there are mistakes made by tourists each year that range from almost causing accidents...

The words “love“ and “hate“ are very strong words. To be fair, I don‘t actually love or hate any part of learning the Icelandic language but those words work much better in a title than what I “enjoy the most“ and what I “strongly dislike“. So, just take those words with a big grain salt. Regarding some backstory, I have been learning Icelandic off and on since I moved in 2016. It certainly has no...

The Northern Lights season in Iceland is almost upon us! I’ve packed this episode with loads of information to help you have the highest possible chance of seeing this spectacular natural phenomenon. While it is possible to take a tour to see them, I am a big fan of seeing them on my own. I’ll be sharing some awesome places that you can drive to in the country to view them. I decided to also...

It seems that the eruption that started in early August in Meradalir valley on the Reykjanes Peninsula is already over! After about a month of volcanic activity and people flocking to the site to see an amazing display of molten hot lava spew from the earth, the show has coming to s screeching halt. It’s been a few weeks since there has been any detectable activity Meradalir Volcanic Eruption in I...

I’m focusing on F-roads in this episode because they provide access to parts of the country that most visitors to Iceland never see. While that might sound appealing to most people listening, driving on these roads are often challenging and can even be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing.  I hit on this topic a little bit in my Ultimate Guide to Renting a Car in Iceland episode. I r...

Like the south of the country, north Iceland has plenty of amazing natural sites to visit. All of the places I’m sharing are free of charge and will provide hours, if not days, of fun activities. If you’re not familiar with north Iceland, there is a route up there called the Diamond Circle. If you think that sounds familiar, then you might be thinking of the Golden Circle, which is in the south. T...

As a native New Yorker that has traveled to a decent number of places in the United States before moving to Iceland in 2016, I’ve noticed some fascinating differences between the cultures. In this post, I’m pointing out 5 things about USA culture that confuses Icelanders. These are things I’ve specifically been asked by Icelanders about the US. Here are 5 Things that Confuse Icelanders About the U...

Hveradalir is one of Iceland’s largest geothermal areas, but it’s tucked away in Iceland’s highlands. To access anywhere in the highlands of this country, you must drive on F-roads, which are unpaved, rough and often require you to cross rivers. I’m planning to do a whole episode on F-roads because it’s important to understand how to navigate them safely, but just know that some rivers that run ac...

After thousands of earthquakes and lots of speculation, a new eruption has happened on the Reykjanes Peninsula. It’s in the same area as the eruption last year and it is not posing a threat to any people or towns. Well, that is the current situation. The authorities are constantly monitoring the site. People have been discouraged from going there because it’s not yet been deemed safe. However, peo...

After helping thousands of travelers plan trips to Iceland, I can confidently say that renting a car is one of the topics people ask me about most. And honestly, I understand why. Between choosing a 2WD or 4×4, understanding insurance options, navigating F-roads, and keeping up with new rules like Iceland’s road tax, there is a lot to consider. That’s why I created this guide. It...

Iceland, the land of fire and ice, is full of fascinating and sometimes strange facts. In this podcast episode, I’m sharing 15 surprising facts about this country that you probably have never heard about. I know that I was surprised by many of them when I first heard them, and I hope that you enjoy learning something new about the country. 15 Strange Facts About Iceland Most of Iceland is uninhabi...

Karítas Hrundar Pálsdóttir is the author of Ástiðir and Dagatal, two books about short stories in Icelandic. In this interview we talk about how short stories in various levels of Icelandic help learners of the language to learn faster and easier. Karítas is currently pursuing her Ph. D in Creative Writing in the U.K. and was a teacher of Icelandic. She has learned Japanese, so she has an idea abo...

The south coast of Iceland is, hands down, one of the most popular areas of the country for visitors. However, there are a group of islands off the mainland of the country that most people that go to the south coast never visit. The Westman Islands is a 45–50-minute ferry ride away and it’s a fantastic place to explore. The nature, history, landscape, and stories about the locals almost make it fe...

From personal experience, I know that having the right clothing and other essentials, regardless of the season here, is crucial when it comes to staying warm, dry, and comfortable. While I am sharing 11 summer essentials to pack for Iceland in this episode, you can find all of the essentials and some non-essentials that might be worth packing, if you have the space, in my free download called the...

June marks my 6th year of living in Iceland and it has certainly been a whirlwind of a year. Every year I try to reflect on what has happened and share what might be relevant or interesting for my audience. Interestingly, six seems to be a significant number in my life. For instance, my birthday is 160686, my phone number has a lot of sixes in it and even my new apartment block has the number 6. I...

Moving to Iceland is already quite a tedious process for most people but coming with pets is an extra layer of paperwork and other potential difficulties. Sharyn Chesna was born and raised in the US but she also has German citizenship (you’ll learn the fascinating story behind her finding that out when you listen to episode). When she decided to move to Iceland it was a no-brainer that her two dog...

In partnership with the Icelandic Bathing Culture Exhibit hosted at Hönnurnarsafn, the Icelandic Museum for Design and Applied Arts, I’m sharing how Iceland’s beloved bathing culture evolved. Sund, which is the name of the Icelandic Bathing Exhibit, shares fascinating facts. One of my favorites is that a failed gold rush in Iceland is what led to geothermal energy being pumped to communal swimming...