When The Traveling Professor first arrived in Iceland about 8 years ago, he asked himself, "why would anyone want to travel here?".   When he landed at Keflavik Airport in Iceland, he saw the lava moonscape.  It was cold, wet and windy.  So why do people like to travel to Iceland?  

Lots to See and Do:  We always have a lot of fun on our Iceland trips.  Just look at some of the photos.   Here are some of traveler's favorite things:

• Golden Circle Tour:  This is an 8-hour tour outside of Reykjavik and a staple on our small group tours to Iceland.  Our first stop is the Thingvellir National Park where the tectonic plates between North America and Europe meet.  Everyone loves the spouting geysers, the gigantic waterfalls, and stunning scenery.  We always have lunch at the famed Friðheimar where tomatoes are hydroponically grown.  It doesn't sound too exciting but some travelers think this is the best part of the day.
• South Coast:  It is a full day of stunning black sand beaches, rugged landscape, volcanoes, towering waterfalls, volcanoes and glaciers.  Wow!  What a day!
• Blue Lagoon: If going to Iceland, don't miss the Blue Lagoon experience for some geothermal bathing.  It is all part of the Icelandic experience.
• Whale Watching:  There she blows!  If the season is right and the weather is good, great whale-watching is not far away.  Puffins and dolphins will probably be seen too.  
• The Northern Lights:  Seeing the Northern Lights in the is up to Mother Nature of course.  It needs to be dark, the skies need to be clear and the lights need to be active.  We have had absolutely great experiences in seeing the Northern Lights on many (not all) of our trips to Iceland.  Sometimes they can be seen from the hotel window!  By the way, Northern Lights season extends from mid-September to mid-April with the best months probably being September/October and then March/April. 
• Reykjavik is Quirky but Fun:  Visit the Big Lebowksi Bar.  Have an authentic Icelandic hot dog.  Funky food halls.  Interesting museums.  There is the museum covers an unspeakable subject.  

It's Not That Far Away: It usually takes 5 or 6 hours to get to fly to Iceland from North America.   Flying from Boston once, with the jet stream pushing us along, we made it in under 5 hours. 

Flights are Inexpensive and Relatively Short:  There are two airlines that flight from North America to Iceland.  Iceland Air offers relatively inexpensive flights with the bonus of adding a "stopover" in Iceland if traveling on to Europe.  Play is another ultra-inexpensive airline flying to Iceland.  Delta now offers a non-stop flight from Detroit too. 

It's Really Not That Expensive:  Yes, food, liquor and especially taxis can be expensive.  But you can do a lot in Iceland in just a few short days.  As mentioned before, airfares are not as expensive as traveling to mainland Europe.  And if you do Iceland as a small group tour, it can be a LOT less expensive than doing it on your own.

Iceland is a friendly, fun place.  Join The Traveling Professor on a small group tour of Iceland.