It's not hard to see why Iceland has become one of the trendiest holiday destinations in the past few years. There are so many reasons to visit this European country that it’s hard to know where to start. Of course, the scenery here is spectacular: think glaciers, volcanoes, waterfalls, vast expanses of land, and gorgeous hikes. The city of Reykjavik is a really fun place to explore, with great food, historical museums, some great shopping, and beautiful views. In fact, Iceland is consistently ranked number one for gender equality and is one of the safest countries for solo female travelers. Oh, and we can't forget one of the main reasons people flock there: the Northern Lights, which put on a great show all winter long. Now, thanks to Icelandair, you can travel to Iceland to see the Northern Lights for less than $700 — including travel, hotel and airfare. I don’t think I need to tell you that this is important.
The Northern Lights, also known as the Northern Lights, are definitely a bucket list item for many travelers. According to "Live Science" , this is a beautiful scene of "the interaction of the Earth's magnetic field and the sun's charged particles." This description may not sound very interesting, but as you may or may not know, the Northern Lights are brilliant, vivid colors in the dark night sky that you can't see anywhere else. In fact, it's hard to compare them to anything, and catching a glimpse of one in real life is a special experience.
However, doing so requires you to travel outside the United States. In the Northern Hemisphere, the aurora belt can be seen along the coast of Siberia, Scandinavia, Iceland, the southern tip of Greenland, northern Canada and Alaska, as well as in northern Sweden, Norway and Finland. In the Southern Hemisphere, they can be seen from Antarctica, Tasmania, and sometimes even southern Argentina or the Falkland Islands. Many of these places are quite remote for American travelers – however, Iceland is actually less than a five-hour flight from New York!
That’s why you might want to take advantage of the great travel deals Icelandair is offering right now. This week, the airline launched the Iceland Northern Lights Getaway package, which allows passengers to visit two of Iceland's biggest tourist destinations for under $700. Limited-time packages start at just $649 and include round-trip airfare to Iceland (including one checked bag); three nights in a standard room at the hotel of your choice (CenterHotel Plaza, CenterHotel Miðgarður, Canopy Reykjavik, Hilton Reykjavik Nordica); and Northern Lights safari Evening tour; and Golden Circle tour.
A trip to the Golden Circle is another reason to get in on this deal. The Golden Circle refers to some of Iceland's most popular tourist attractions: Thingvellir National Park, Geysir Geothermal Area, and Gullfoss Waterfall. Thingvellir National Park is located in the rift valley between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates and is the only place where you can see the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The walks around are really beautiful, with fresh glacial lakes and waterfalls - the Geysers geothermal area includes two huge geysers, thermal pools, clay pots and fumaroles and is great fun to explore. Gullfoss is obviously a beautiful waterfall and a great ending to the trip.
Ready to book your trip? You need to do this ASAP: Iceland Northern Lights Getaway packages are only available to book online until June 30, and the offer is valid for travel from October 1, 2018 to January 31, 2019. Included gateways are Baltimore (through December 13), Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Ft. Worth, Denver, New York City, Newark, Philadelphia (as of December 14), Portland (as of December 10), San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC. Blackout dates apply from November 6 to 12, 2018 and from December 19, 2018 to January 9, 2019.
Oh, and if you're going to book this, you'd better go in December or January. Although the Northern Lights are visible in October and November, the best time to see them is during the winter. You need complete darkness to see them (which is why you can't see them in Iceland now - the country can get up to 21 hours of daylight in the summer).
If you can't make it during this time, it's worth pointing out that Icelandair also always offers a great stopover program. The Icelandair Stopover Program allows you to arrange a stopover in Iceland when traveling abroad with the airline at no additional cost. So, for example, if you're traveling to the UK and have extra time, book with Icelandair and then you can schedule a night or two in Iceland to check out these sites. This is a great way to visit another affordable country.
No matter when you go, I believe everyone should experience a trip to Iceland: the people are great, the food is delicious, and the scenery is beautiful. In other words, this is a limited-time travel sale you'll definitely want to take advantage of.
