Monday, June 11, 2012

OFF THE BEATEN PATH -- ICELAND?


The Lonely Planet newsletter a few months back had an article on the Best in Travel Readers’ Choice Award  and the winner was Iceland. Iceland? There are many places I’d like to go but Iceland never crossed my mind. Ever. Not because if the Ice part of its name—I live in Houston so I fantasize about cold weather five months a year—but I’ve never met anyone who has even been there. So I read the article and found myself wondering if it might be a fun adventure destination for the following reasons given by LP readers:

  • Volcanoes, aurora, glaciers, icebergs, incredible displays of nature!
  • Back-country areas are still largely undiscovered
  • Geothermally heated pools to refresh the soul
  • Hip, cool Reykjavik
  • Affordable compared to the rest of Europe

But the one that really got me was:
Puffins!!! Who wouldn’t want to see puffins?!!



So does anyone have any suggestions for an unconventional vacation destination? What about short-breaks and road-trips?  Where are you going this summer?

9 comments:

Pat O'Dea Rosen said...

Hi, Lark,
I want to go to Iceland! One of these days, I'm going to take advantage of the Icelandic Air's r/t fare to Europe which includes a free stopover in Iceland. I'm thinking two days would give me enough time to get an impression of the country and decide whether I'd want to return for a longer visit. The photo at the top of your post is breathtaking.

Sarah Andre said...

Good gracious, what an adorable puffin!

Your picture made it look a bit like Ireland (sans snow capped mountains.) I'd always heard "they" named it Iceland to keep visitors away and that Greenland is actually snowy/dreary/icey.

I like destination trips (Italian cooking class in a Tuscan farm house in 2004. Life changing experience for me, and no, I don't mean the cooking lessons, LOL!)

This Fall we may go to SC for a golf/BMW M3 racing school package. 2011 Christmas gift to my hubby.

Lark Howard said...

I didn't know about the Icelandic Air deal, Pat. Sounds like a great idea to stop off on the way to Europe! Wonder if it can be booked with American Express miles. :-)

Lark Howard said...

It does look a lot like Ireland, Sarah. I love destination trips, too, although mine tend to be house parties with a theme rather than experiences like your cooking class. I've always wanted to do a language immersion in France to improve my French.

BMW racing school sounds fabulous! I talked with a woman last week who won a trip to Germany to Porsche racing school and loved it. That would be a dream trip for me but also very dangerous for Houston.

Pat O'Dea Rosen said...

Gah! Make that Icelandair, Lark. Here's the link: http://www.icelandair.us/offers-and-bookings/book-packages/package/item216734/Iceland_Stopover/

No travel from Houston, so you'd have to fly to a gateway city like NYC. Still, for the chance to see the Blue Lagoon. . . .

Ruth Schiffmann said...

I'm not much of a vacationer. But I do enjoy hearing about others' travels. (The puffins sure do make it sound tempting.)

Lark Howard said...

Not everyone enjoys traveling, Ruth. But who could resist a cute dancing puffin?

Thanks for stopping by.

Louise Behiel said...

sounds like fun, although it's not on my bucket list. Calgary gets enough cool/cold weather to last me a lifetime

Lark Howard said...

I see your point, Louise. If I lived in Calgary, Tahiti and Bali would be on my bucket list, not Iceland!