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My colleagues and I feel odd saying this, but the financial crisis in Iceland makes for great news for American travelers. The U.S. dollar buys twice as much in Iceland today than it did a year ago. And the country is not as far away as you might think. As my fellow BT editor Kate Appleton points out, it's closer to fly between New York City and Iceland's capital, Reykjavík, than it is to fly from the Big Apple to L.A.
The Icelandic Tourist Bureau has just told us that Icelandair has just slashed fares from New York or Boston to $400 roundtrip, "about what a one-way fare once cost." This fare is good for travel November 1 through March 31, 2009. IcelandAir has revamped its seats and interiors on its airplanes for economy- and business-class passengers. And starting in November, the airline will have an easier-to-use website featuring online check-in (with matching kiosks to match at airport terminals). IcelandAir flies from Boston, New York-JFK, Minneapolis/St. Paul (seasonal), and Orlando.
This past February, Budget Travel sent Jennifer Sabo to Reykjavík to take photos and notes about what it's like there in the off-season. Read her report: "Reykjavík: Cold, Dark, and Handsome."
This view of Iceland's appeal has been seconded by our colleague Marilyn Terrell at National Geographic. Terrell says: "You can get a hot dog in Reykjavík for less than in Central Park." She also notes that the Intelligent Traveler blog has an "Iceland on the Cheap" report and photo slide show.
For more on hot dogs and other comfort foods in Iceland, see Budget Travel's story "Eat Like a Local: Reykjavík."
My BT colleague Summar Ghias says that, despite the cold, Iceland is a great spot to go for New Year's Eve celebrations. "Icelandic law allows a firework free-for-all on New Year's Eve, making for a raucous night in the capital city. Elves, trolls, and other costumed creatures sing and dance at 11 bonfires scattered across Reykjavík." The island is easy to drive around, despite winter weather. There is only one main highway circling the island's key spots, and the country has become super-adept at keeping its roadways free and safe.
So…in case you were wondering: What is there to do in Iceland?
Attractions include:
Hveragerdi, a hot-spring village that uses geothermal water to warm greenhouses.
Skaftafell National Park, near Kirkjubæjarklaustur village. The park sits on one of Europe's largest glaciers and is made up of three different geological areas: Skaftafell and Skeioarársandur, a volcano and outwash plain; Lakagígar, a crater area on a volcanic fissure; and the glacial cap.
Gape at icebergs in the glacial lake—while they last! The picture-perfect scenery has been a backdrop in many popular movies and TV shows filmed here, among them two James Bond movies (Die Another Day and A View to a Kill), Batman Begins, and The Amazing Race 6.
Explore the Golden Circle, home to hot springs, colorful mud pools, and blowholes. Volcanoes aren't far away.
If you haven any thoughts on Iceland, feel free to share by posting a comment.
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See you in the Blue Lagoon, Sean!
Posted By Marilyn Terrell on October 10, 2008, 5:44 PM
great article!!! The currency is so bad they are paying people in fish, they would love US$'s.
Posted By Bjorn Olaffson on October 12, 2008, 9:57 AM
This looks like a great deal right now. Its been a few years since the US dollar bought something nice.
Posted By Kevin on October 13, 2008, 12:29 PM
I just returned from my first-ever visit to Iceland. We happened to be there when the currency fell dramatically and some of the banks were nationalized.
It's a scary time for Icelanders, but those problems have caused prices to drop rapidly for foreign tourists. I just looked at our credit card bill, and we enjoyed some amazing bargains (by Icelandic standards).
Posted By Steve Brewer on October 13, 2008, 12:37 PM
Iceland is AMAZING! We were in Reykjavik for 3 and a half days on an extended layover and we never ran out of things to do. We didn't even get to the countryside! Go while the goings good!
Posted By Allison on October 13, 2008, 12:55 PM
I LOVE Iceland - have been there twice and want to go back again. Can't get enough of that awesome and friendly land. Did you know that they already have a car hydrogen station and have buses that run? They are the first - and they want to teach the world to get going on this very important planet-saver. JOAN
Posted By Joan Rolfe on October 15, 2008, 2:42 PM
Bjork better start pumping out some new records to get the economy back on track! Seriously though, I'd fly back to Iceland just for the hot dogs. This article has me thinking about taking a weekend jaunt to see the northern lights since I was there during the summer last time. It's a great country, if you're reading this and on the fence about visiting, just do it! You won't regret it. It's like nowhere else in the world.
Posted By Terry on October 21, 2008, 3:13 AM
I cant recommend Iceland enough! It is the GREATEST place on Earth (though I have always gone in July to get the 24 hours of sunlight vs 24 hours of dark). However, there is just nothing in Greenland. Sorry. Nothing to do, nothing to see, no reason to go. So while the price is a steal, having to go to Greenland (aka NOTHINGland) for half your trip is a waste of time and money. Even in pitch black night (for the next 3 months) the winters are mild and there is plenty to do in ICELAND. Maybe even Iceland on the way to somewhere else in Europe, but skip Greenland...unless you really like sitting in the dark on a melting glacier...
Posted By tunatofu on November 20, 2008, 1:29 PM
We're going to Iceland in March - if anyone has any additional suggestions about what to do/see/eat, I'd love to hear them!
Posted By Anna B. on December 20, 2008, 3:44 PM
We are also going in march, any suggestions? We were thinking of visiting akureyri and the western fjords, thoughts?
Posted By Tiffany on January 2, 2009, 1:55 AM
We've been there twice and love the country. If you could only go to one place in the world, we would say, "Go to Iceland." You can read all about our first visit there in our blog at:
http://patandjerry.blogspot.com/2005/06/iceland.html
Posted By Jerry Henderson on March 11, 2009, 11:39 PM