Before I move on from our Iceland trip, I thought I’d highlight a few remaining facts and notes about the country (some in general, some in relation to our experience).
- Iceland really isn’t all that far away from the US. It’s a 6-hour plane ride from the east coast. It would take us just as long to get to Hawaii (if not longer) or the Caribbean.
- Iceland in 2026 has a heavy focus on tourism, and it accomplishes this without actually feeling overly touristy. It’s the best of both worlds. It’s very easy to get around in multiple ways, and to a certain extent it feels like the country has bought into the idea of welcoming tourists as an important part of their economy instead of being annoyed by them. A minor example are the crosswalks: If you see a crosswalk, you can walk across it at any time and cars will stop for you.
- There is so much geothermal energy in Iceland! It must be one of the most naturally powered countries in the world. I thought it was particularly interesting that some of the roads are geothermally heated so they don’t freeze in the winter.
- The cruise was a perfectly viable way to get around Iceland and see a variety of different port cities. The Ring Road is another way to see Iceland; it’s a road that goes all the way around the country. We drove a small portion of it, and it’s an easy, beautiful drive (they drive on the right). Just don’t stop in the middle of the road–that’s a pet peeve of our Icelandic friend.
- Disc golf is everywhere in Iceland, from small courses in towns to bigger courses just outside towns and cities.
- I recommend eating any bread, seafood stew, and hot dogs (including vegetarian options) that you find. I do not recommend eating fermented shark, as it tastes like ammonia.
If you’ve traveled to Iceland, what do you think others should know?
Jamey,
Having visited a few Decembers ago, there are some of the things I’ll never forget…
– Rising at 7am, having breakfast, and leaving the restaurant at 9am and it’s still pitch black
– The almost unnatural color blue at and around the entire area of the glacier
– Seeing the backdrop where they filmed “The Wall” for the Game of Thrones series
Cheers,
Joe
We heard that Iceland has a glacier that is actually growing in size instead of decreasing–that’s amazing!
Sounds like an awesome place to visit. A long way from NZ though. My son is talking about playing some pro-disc golf in Europe either next year or the year after (probably Finland, Sweden, Norway, Estonia) so we may go and follow him for 3 or 4 weeks, but Iceland might be a bit much to fit in.
That’s exciting! I’ve heard the courses in Estonia are amazing. Are there lots of disc golf courses in New Zealand? I got into disc golf one year after visiting there, so I wasn’t looking for them at the time. 🙂