Trifter

Here are 5 reasons to make Iceland your winter holiday destination for 2009. winter is a perfect time to get away for a short vacation.

1. Location

Iceland is a great destination for Europeans as well as Americans as the island is almost half way between the two continents. Flights to Iceland are not as expensive as crossing the whole Atlantic, and it will take you only five and a half hours from New York and three hours from London.

 2. Shopping

The world economy makes shopping in Iceland advantageous. If you read on the net about how expensive it is there, then check the date of the article, it is much cheaper now than it was three years ago. The exchange rate stands at $1 to 124.7 ISK. And a cup of coffee is about 200 ISK. Iceland has many products that are unknown in other countries and would make unusual Christmas gifts. There is also a 15% tax refund for tourists when spending a minimum of $40 (5,000 ISK).

3. Natural wonders

Iceland has volcanoes, glaciers, waterfalls and hot water springs. You can see black sand beaches and even fields of volcanic lava which is still in the process of cooling off. Apart from all this beauty on the land there is also the midnight sun in summer and in winter you have a good chance of seeing the Northern Lights. The Aurora Borealis can only be seen from certain places in the world and under certain conditions. See here for the ideal conditions for seeing the Northern Lights. To top it all off take a dip in a geothermal lagoon.

Image via Wikipedia

4. Unique

You won’t see or experience anything like Iceland anywhere else in the world. I have already mentioned the unusual landscape, and then there are the winter sports such as skiing, snowmobile rides and glacier climbing. Also discover the history of the Vikings in Iceland. Among the unusual Icelandic foods you can try dried fish, lamb, fresh seafood, skyr (curd), smoked meat, rotten shark, slatur (like the Scottish Haggis), pickled ram’s testicles and to washing it all down there is Brennivin, Iceland’s famous Schnapps.

5. Green travel

Iceland is a pioneer in eco-friendly living. Renewable energy supplies 89% of the countries energy needs. They also are working towards becoming the world’s first hydrogen economy, using hydrogen fuel for all forms of transport. They are harnessing all the forms of renewable energy available to them including hydro-power and geothermal power. You can visit the Hellisheiði Power Plant Visitor Center just 20 minutes from Iceland’s capital. Iceland emits62% less carbon dioxide per capita than the USA. There is even an Icelandic Green Map, which is a data base of all eco-friendly information throughout the country.