TripCreator Blog

Upcoming Changes to TripCreator's Pricing

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 11:28:39 GMT

2025: New Platform Updates and Pricing Options

Since our last pricing update in August 2022, we’ve been working to improve our platform to reduce inefficiencies and improve accuracy, enhancing your overall experience with TripCreator.

Our recent updates include:

Optimized System Performance: Enjoy a faster, more reliable platform that keeps your operations running efficiently.

Improved Itinerary Duplication: Use our updated tools for copying and modifying travel itineraries more effectively.

Flexible Pricing Options: Take advantage of a pricing structure that adapts to your specific business needs.

Revamped Invoicing Process: Experience more straightforward transactions with our updated invoicing system.

Open API and Third-Party Integrations: We’ve introduced an open API that connects with popular tools like Bokun, Travia, and Xero, providing enhanced customization and automation capabilities for your travel planning processes.

This is just the beginning of exciting changes that will be brought to the platform in the coming months. To continue delivering top-tier innovation and reliability, we’re adjusting our pricing, ensuring you stay ahead with cutting-edge tools and a solution that grows with your business.

New Pricing Plans

In line with our commitment to continuous improvement, we are updating our pricing model effective June 1, 2025 .

This change allows us to keep offering tools and features that grow with your business.

From 1st of June 2025, the new prices are as following:

Standard Plan:
• Monthly: $79
• Annually: $69

Pro Plan:
• Monthly: $139
• Annually: $119

For current annual subscribers, your existing rates will remain in place until your plan is up for renewal. You also have the option to secure these new rates by switching to an annual plan or renewing early.

Looking Ahead

Our team is committed to ongoing enhancements, and you can expect additional updates and features in the coming months. Whether you’re a long-time member of our community or new to TripCreator, our goal is to provide you with reliable tools that help you create memorable travel experiences for your clients and customers.

Detailed list of recent changes

General overview

Standard and Pro plan subscriptions
Generally speaking, V2 is much quicker – Dashboard loading, Operation module filter loading, etc. Issues such as onscreen errors related to labels have been fixed. Disconnect of pricing table and operation module services has been fixed. We have completely re-written the map engine for more accurate map presentation. Inviting users should not give issues anymore. Limiting the global search (All products search) can now be limited to one or as many markets as you wish, whereas V1 had a limited number possible.
For migrated accounts, the Dashboard (and Operation module, in the Pro subscription) is split into two tabs: New and future itineraries (V2) and Current and previous itineraries (V1). The V1 view shows all the itineraries you have in the old system, these will remain there. All new itineraries are created in V2.
When you work on V1 itineraries, you will communicate with the old system. When you create new itineraries (V2), you will communicate to the new system.
As time passes, you will find yourself working exclusively in V2.

Itinerary duplication

Standard and Pro plan subscriptions
You can move itineraries from V1 to V2 by going to Current and previous itineraries (V1) > the three dotted menu > Duplicate to V2.
You should not move itineraries for the sake of moving them, but rather do so if you are creating a new itinerary based on an existing V1 itinerary.
Due to how itineraries are structured and calculated in V2, you might experience a slight difference when an itinerary has been moved from V1 to V2. This is why you should keep existing itineraries for your current customers in V1, and only create new itineraries in V2, either from scratch or by duplicating them from V1 to V2.
In V1, you can still make duplicates, such as if you need to create a new version of an itinerary for the same customer. We suggest to keep V1 itineraries in V1 in this case, as if you create a new dupliction for the same customer in V2, you might see a slight difference in the itinerary data. If you are duplicating a V1 itinerary for a new customer, then we suggest to duplicate the itinerary to V2 and keep on working there. All new itinerary projects should be worked in V2.
The duplication modal (on Dashboard – for the itinerary in question, three dotted menu on the far right) has changed. It allows choices now – you are asked what you want to include in the new itinerary. The most noticable new possibility is to be able to choose to fetch rates from the inventory, rather than just use the old rates from the old itinerary.
This is useful, as an example, if you are creating a new itinerary for a new customer, but would like to use the most recent rates from the inventory.
If you are creating a duplicate for the same customer, as an example to create a version or a variation, then you might want to base the new duplication on rates from the itinerary.
Another noticable change is the ability to be able to select a new start date for an itinerary in the duplication process. We did this because we noticed that for new itineraries, the first action after duplication was to navigate to the Itinerary settings to change the dates of the itinerary. This should result in less issues in terms of date changes, as it is easier to select the start date opposed to selecting the itinerary duration when changing dates.

Itinerary configuration

Standard and Pro plan subscriptions
Presentation tabs can now be overridden in Itinerary settings, where you can also set the Included / Excluded for the Pricing tab of the itinerary.
Presentation images (Itinerary header images) will no longer populate automatically. It means that your itineraries will no longer show irrelevant header images.
Itinerary settings also allows you to set and change Itinerary subtitle and Itinerary Pricing note, as well as the Pricing Summary note (for the Pricing tab of the itinerary).
Add days before itineraries (using the three dotted menu of any day in the planner) works more logically in V2. Adding a day before the itinerary should now be a one-step action rather than having to add the day and then head to Itinerary settings to reschedule the itinerary as a second step.

Itinerary pricing

Pro plan subscription
We are now allowing you to price hotel rooms on hotels in the inventory. We have reduced the possibilities to price hotels to per night and per person (the other unit types were calculated the same as per night, so the reduction is effectively none – but more clear now).
In the Pro subscription, Per person items can now be configured more broadly:
In V1, Per person items were calculated 1 person using 1 unit (such as 1 person having 1 bottle of water)
In V2 you can configure 1 person to use more than 1 unit (such as 1 person having 2 bottles of water).
In V2, the Per person lines are therefore read: x number of Adults, having y number of units each, whereas units are read: x number of Adults sharing y number of units.
Per day items in the Pricing table receive the Unit count (days) from started days in the itinerary. An item below 24 hour duration will be calculated with 1 Unit, itinerary with 25 hours will be 2 Units (two started days), and so forth. You will not be able to configure the number of days in the Pricing table.
Per hour items in the Pricing table receive the Unit count (hours) from the number of hours (duration) of the item itself. You will not be able to configure the number of hours in the Pricing table.
Per night items in the Pricing table will receive the Unit count (nights) from the number of nights (duration) of the item itself. This has always been the case for Stays (Accommodation), but has now been extended to other per night items. You will not be able to configure the number of nights in the Pricing table.
With the changes mentioned, you should always be able to accurately charge your products. With the V2 changes, we are sharpening and expanding the unit type calculations without compromising or changing how you use the Pricing table drastically. The most impactful visual appearance is how Per person items are presented in the Pricing table in V2.

Itinerary booking flow and invoicing

Pro plan subscription
The TripCreator booking engine has been replaced with the invoicing checkout. This allows us to develop one checkout rather than two – and to add more features without having to maintain two system modules doing the same.
The Proceed to booking button (Online booking mode) how uses the invoicing checkout.
When the Online booking mode has been enabled for an itinerary, you’ll see a Booking section in the Itinerary settings.
The Booking section currently has one new toggle: Issue invoice on payment confirmation. This toggle decides whether an invoice is issued upon booking completion or whether the system issues a new type of a confirmation called: Booking summary.
It means that you can accept bookings without issuing invoices (previously, the system would always issue an invoice upon a booking being made in the TripCreator Booking engine). This means that you can now accept bookings, and issue invoices through any 3rd party system.
The old Sales (Settings > Sales) has been deprecated. It only shows for accounts with existing sales through the old TripCreator Booking engine.
New sales (invoices) and Booking summaries will show under the combined Sales view found on the left hand menu (used to be named Invoices).
Each entry has a Type column, which either shows Invoice or Booking summary.
In the new invoice checkout flow, customer data will be created as an Account or a Contact in the CRM, depending on whether the Company field is filled out or not (in the old TripCreator Booking engine, the customer data was only found in the sales record).

API and integrations

Pro plan subscription
V2 boasts of a completely redeveloped open API.
V2 introduces integrations provided by TripCreator, such as Bokun and Travia, and also the ability to allow you to develop your custom integrations through the new open API.

TripCreator X Travia Integration

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 12:47:20 GMT

Maximize your efficiency with a direct integration to live availability & pricing in Travia

Envision building dynamic travel itineraries with real-time accommodation availability, fresh content, and precise pricing, all without the burden of constant manual updates. As a hotel marketplace, Travia.io connects your clients to accommodation options, ensuring a seamless experience.

The integration between TripCreator and Travia is specifically designed to enhance efficiency, productivity, and collaboration for accommodation providers and tour operators, travel agencies, and DMCs. Say goodbye to manually having to input accommodation rates and having to contact accommodation providers for vacancies when creating your itineraries.

Why activate the TripCreator & Travia Integration?

Travia allows hotels and travel agencies to collaborate directly, reducing the reliance on intermediaries like bedbanks, wholesalers, and GDS systems that have traditionally managed these connections.

Benefits:

Itineraries based on live rates, based on contracts
Itineraries made from live availability or allotments
Access to accommodation content

Unlock the full potential of your travel business �� Learn more and try the integration for free

Connect and Expand Your Reach

Travia offers an expansive marketplace of suppliers and resellers, enabling you to connect with accommodation providers from various GDS and PMS systems. Travia is integrated with YieldPlanet, Busy rooms, 24 beds, Channex, Nightsbridge, eRes, SiteMinder, Oracle Hospitality, ResRequest and RateTiger as well as 20 PMS systems, including GODO, Booking Factory, LS Retail, HotelLogix and more. Read more about the integrations here .

Seamless Integration

TripCreator can be combined with Travia in two powerful ways:

1. Effortless Content Management:

Access the accommodation providers that you have contracted on the Travia marketplace directly from your account in the TripCreator builder. When you create itineraries, you have access to static content, and live availability and prices for the accommodation that you have contracted in Travia, ensuring your inventory is always up-to-date.

2. Direct Access to Your Inventory:

If you operate your own accommodation and use systems integrated with Travia for inventory distribution, you can access this data directly from your TripCreator account when you create itineraries. Similarly, you can access any supplier inventory that you have contracted within the Travia marketplace to combine your supply with supply from other accommodation providers.

Ready to Enhance Your Travel Planning?

Learn more about the integration in a 15-minute introductory call

TripCreator X Bókun – Live Availability & Pricing

Mon, 05 Aug 2024 12:25:19 GMT

Boost Your Productivity With The New TripCreator x Bókun Integration

Imagine creating dynamic itineraries with the latest content, live availability, and accurate pricing—all without the hassle of manual updates. TripCreator & Bókun integration ensures your clients receive the best travel experience possible.

Made to increase the efficiency, productivity, and collaboration for tour operators, travel agencies, and professional travel businesses. No more product creation repetition.

Why Choose TripCreator & Bókun Integration?

With this powerful integration, you can drastically reduce inventory creation needs by accessing your Bókun products directly from your TripCreator planner.

Benefits:

Time-Saving: Eliminate the need to recreate product content in TripCreator
Accuracy: Real-time updates ensure your itineraries reflect current availability and pricing.
Efficiency: Contracted rates and availability always automatically updated, ensuring always-current itineraries.

Unlock the full potential of your travel business �� Learn more and try the integration for free

By utilising the Bókun integration, your inventory creation needs can be drastically reduced, as your products from Bókun can be accessed directly from your TripCreator planner, making creating itineraries based on live availability and pricing effortless.

Connect and Expand Your Network

Bókun offers an expansive marketplace of suppliers and resellers, enabling you to connect with other tour and activity operators in your area. This integration allows you to resell complementary tours, receive new bookings through partners, and manage existing partner channels efficiently.

Seamless Integration

TripCreator integrates with Bókun in two powerful ways:

1. Direct Access to Your Inventory:

If you operate your own tours and use Bókun for inventory management, you can access this data directly from your TripCreator account. Similarly, you can access any supplier inventory that you have contracted within the Bókun marketplace.

2. Effortless Content Management:

Access both your own and contracted static product content directly from Bókun without the need to recreate it in TripCreator. This not only saves time but also ensures you always have the most recent content available when creating itineraries.

Use Bókun as your true source of live availability and prices. Changes in availability and prices are reflected immediately in TripCreator, ensuring your itineraries are always up-to-date.

Always Up-to-Date

Your contracted rates with Bókun suppliers are automatically shown in TripCreator. Any changes in contracts or availability are updated in real-time. This feature is particularly useful when departure times change, new rate seasons are negotiated, or any other updates occur. You can be confident that you are working with the most current information.

Ready to Enhance Your Travel Planning?

Learn more about the integration in a 15-minute introductory call

Top Travel Agency & DMC Trends for 2023 & How You Can Stay Ahead of the Curve

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 20:29:41 GMT

What are Driving Travel Agency Trends for 2023?

As the travel industry continues to evolve, travel agencies must adjust and adapt their strategies to remain competitive. 2023 will bring new challenges and opportunities for travel agencies and it is important to stay informed about the latest trends in order to capitalize on them.

In this article, we will look at the current trends that are driving travel agency trends for 2023. We will discuss how these trends are impacting the travel business, what new technologies are being used, and which strategies can be employed to take advantage of these changes. By understanding these developments, you can ensure that your travel agency remains successful in the coming years.

The Impact of Covid and What to Expect in 2023

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a massive impact on the travel industry, with many travel agencies having to close their doors and staff facing job losses. The industry has been hit hard by the pandemic, but we’re now seeing a full recovery in the demand for travel in 2023.

The post-COVID world will be a different one for travel agencies. They will need to adapt and find new ways of doing business in order to survive in this new environment. This could mean focusing on online services, offering virtual tours or leveraging technology such as AI and machine learning to provide better customer experiences.

Travel agencies must be prepared for a post-COVID world if they want to survive and thrive in this new environment. There are opportunities available but they must act quickly in order to seize them before their competitors.

The Rise in Demand of Personalized Experiences

In today's world, travellers are looking for more than just a generic vacation. They are looking for a personalized experience that caters to their individual needs and preferences. As travel agencies, it is important to understand this new trend in travel customer expectations and offer customizable travel packages that can meet these demands.

Customizable travel packages offer a unique opportunity for travel agencies to stand out from the competition and provide customers with an experience tailored specifically for them. By offering personalized experiences, travel agencies can create lasting relationships with customers and increase their customer loyalty, resulting in increased revenue.

How Technology is Revolutionizing the way travel operations work, making Travel Management Easier Than Ever

Travel technology is evolving rapidly, and travel agencies need to keep up with the latest trends if they want to stay competitive. The new travel technology trends for 2023 are focused on making travel easier, more efficient, and more enjoyable. From automated customer service to virtual reality experiences, the future of travel technology looks bright.

Travel agencies can take advantage of these new technologies by investing in software that will help them better manage their business operations. This could include booking systems that are integrated with other services such as hotels and airlines, as well as customer relationship management (CRM) tools that allow them to track customer interactions and preferences. Additionally, they can use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies to improve their customer service offerings and create personalized recommendations for travellers.

As a travel agency or DMC, you can also save a lot of time and effort during 2023 by switching to an automated way of creating itineraries, quotes and proposals. Checkout TripCreator , the all-in-one travel management software that gives you complete control over your work. Book a demo here .

Online Travel Agents & Social Media

With the emergence of online travel agents, the travel industry has seen a significant shift in the way customers research and book their trips. Online travel agents leverage social media to reach out to potential customers and provide them with personalized services.

Social media has become an integral part of the travel industry, allowing customers to easily find information about destinations, compare prices and services, and even book their trips online.

Online travel agents are taking advantage of this trend by using social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to promote their services. They also use these platforms to interact with customers directly and provide them with helpful advice on where to go and what to do during their travels.

The use of online travel agents is growing rapidly as more people turn to social media for their vacation planning needs. With online travel agents becoming increasingly popular in the industry, it is important for businesses in the sector to understand how best they can leverage this trend for maximum benefit.

Ready to grow your travel business in 2023?

Grow your business with TripCreator today. Increase productivity with 61%, get 33% more conversions and create itineraries 14x faster!

TripCreator – The all-in-one

travel management software that gives you complete control over your work.

– Advanced itinerary builder

– Dynamic product library

– Customizable itinerary and proposal pricing

– Complete itinerary booking in one place

2023: New backend changelog

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Sun, 01 Jan 2023 16:06:48 GMT

The following changes are included in the deployment

System maintenance / updates, Wednesday February 8th 10:00 AM GMT+0

Expected downtime for TripCreator users: 5-6 hours
Expected downtime for Itinerary Presentations: 0 hours (your itineraries will show to the customers during the downtime, but you will not be able to access the system to edit the itineraries or create new ones)

10:00 (AM) GMT+0: System put in maintenance mode. System is inaccessible to users; itineraries are accessible to customers.

13:55 (PM) GMT+0: All is still on schedule - developers are still smiling; this is assessed as positive.

15:47 (PM) GMT+0: Data migration is done. Next up: Verification of data. Should not take very long.

16:48 (PM) GMT+0: Data verification done. Going live in a few minutes.

16:53 (PM) GMT+0: The system is back live. Thanks a lot for this patience. The updates in this release series are final. Thread closed.

Improved system stability and speed.
Improved pricing table calculation and UI.
Support implemented for all unit types in Stays calculations in pricing table.
Support implemented for unit type conversion when changing unit types for products in Pricing table (number of days is calculated from product in planner, number of nights is calculated from product in planner, number of hours is calculated from duration of product in planner). This includes all products, including Stay products.
Unit types for items are now restricted to one unit type per product in Pricing table (a product is not charged per unit OR per day OR per hour OR per night OR per person (and not a mix of two or more unit types as it used to). Previous backend allowed more than one unit type per product in Pricing table which never made sense and was a risk for calculation errors.
The Pricing table UI has been moved to a grid layout. This means that lines cannot be dragged up and down, but instead the structure of the table is more rigid and lighter. Moving items up and down is now moved to the three dotted menu on the far right of each line (in the same place as you would move sections up and down for Pricing table categories).
Improved architecture for Operation module.
Improved architecture for Invoicing module.
Improved booking engine and payment gateway support. The Itinerary presentation (Proceed to booking button) and Invoicing module (Send invoice to customer) now share the same checkout process.
Sales overview deprecated; will be introduced in a new form. The Sales overview did not serve much purpose as it was - and the functionality of it, in addition to more related functionality will be introduced gradually.
Completely re-vamped map routing engine. This rewrite eliminates reported bugs. The map engine now starts the routing from the accommodation as it used to do when the planner had the so called ‘Stay at’ items.
Simplified itinerary preview. The Preview button now points to what used to be the Customer view. We want your preview to be exactly what the Customer sees - and we want to speed up your work and onboarding of new users by moving the configuration of the preview into the Itinerary settings and the planner:
Itinerary preview internal note merged with Itinerary internal note - now managed in Itinerary settings > Presentation notes.
Itinerary overview tab note, itinerary description and footer descriptions - now managed in Itinerary settings > Presentation notes.
Day descriptions for each day in itineraries have been converted to Information items.
Itinerary attachments now managed in Itinerary settings > Files.
Itinerary custom tab names now managed in Itinerary settings > Presentation tabs.
Itinerary inclusions/exclusions now managed in Itinerary settings > Included / Excluded.
Itinerary subtitle and pricing note moved into Itinerary settings > General.
Pricing summary note moved into Itinerary settings > General.
Show/hide for Overview tab bulleted items are now managed in the list planner (eye icon for each item controls show/hide).
The option to add page breaks for PDF export in the Preview has been removed. However, page breaks can be added by using the WORD export. The WORD export is an identical export of the PDF file and allows you to accurately place the page breaks where you want them. The older method of adding page breaks was unfortunately not efficient enough, as users needed to place page breaks and then export the full PDF document to preview the changes - if additional page breaks were needed, the process of adding the page breaks and exporting again would have to be repeated until the desired outcome had been reached. Since August 2022, all subscription plans have the possibility of exporting WORD documents.

If you have any questions, please contact support@tripcreator.com

Other maintenance announcements for this update

System maintenance / updates, Wednesday February 1st 10:00 AM GMT+0

Expected downtime for TripCreator users: 0 hours
Expected downtime for Itinerary Presentations: 0 hours

System maintenance / updates, Tuesday January 24th 10:00 AM GMT+0

Expected downtime for TripCreator users: 0 hours
Expected downtime for Itinerary Presentations: 0 hours

System maintenance / updates, Saturday January 14th 10:00 AM GMT+0

Expected downtime for TripCreator users: 0 hours
Expected downtime for Itinerary Presentations: 0 hours

System maintenance / updates, Saturday January 7th 10:00 AM GMT+0

Expected downtime for TripCreator users: 0 hours
Expected downtime for Itinerary Presentations: 0 hours

TripCreator 2.0: Your All-In-One Travel Management Solution

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 08:27:16 GMT

Simplify your working process and scale your business with TripCreator 2.0

Since three years ago, we’ve been developing TripCreator to become more than an itinerary creation platform. We are delighted to announce that from the 1st of August, TripCreator will finally be defined as a Travel Management Solution, due to the many improvements and new features we’ve added. Because of these changes, we’re continuing to help travel businesses grow, and serve their customers better than ever before.

Why are we changing our plans?

We want to provide the travel industry with the most innovative solutions. We have been working hard in the past few years to develop the best Travel Management Solution there is on the market. These new plans will help travel businesses to:

Simplify their work process
Scale their travel business
Increase productivity by 61% or more
Increase conversions by 33% or more

How are we changing our plans?

We will replace the Basic plan with our new Standard plan. The Standard plan will include the following features:

Advanced itinerary builder
Create unlimited itineraries, simple quotes or proposals
Unlimited itinerary views
Share beautiful itineraries for any device
Itineraries with your logo, your colors and contact details
Multi-language support
Mobile APP (IOS/Android)
Content Management System
Itinerary modules
Send and track itineraries
Royalty-free image library
Flight lookup services
Choice of planning in calendar view or list view
Customizable Dashboard & Itinerary Appearances
Add attachments to itineraries

In addition, the Standard plan will include the following new features:

CRM system
Exports to Word, Powerpoint, and PDF
Domain masking + neutral domain
Standard costing
Google Places

This Standard plan contains everything you need to serve your customers with pace and quality. Do you want more information about the features of the Standard plan? Check our pricing and features or send an email to support@tripcreator.com for specific questions.

The Plus plan becomes the Pro plan, this Pro plan is ideal for larger travel businesses. Pro users will be able to integrate to 3rd party services using API, operate their itineraries post-sale, and send out invoices. This will help to automate, integrate and simplify the working processes. Our Pro plan will contain everything that the Standard plan has and more, such as:

Operation module
Invoicing module
Integration API
Distribution API

What can the operation module do for your business?

Send bookings, allotment requests, amendment requests, reconfirmation requests, and cancellations to your suppliers.
Your suppliers can respond to your requests, and insert reference numbers, dates, and notes online.
Have an overview of what the supplier does for a specific itinerary.
You can generate vouchers for all or selected services.
You can monitor and keep track of incoming invoices for specific itineraries and keep an overview of your profits.

What can the invoicing module do for your business?

Generate invoices that can be sent to the customer.
Keep track of your invoices for specific itineraries.
Create an overview of your profits.

What can the integration API do for your business?

The integration API allows you to connect your TripCreator account with 3rd party services.
The integration API can migrate data such as accounts, products, and contacts.
It helps you to connect your itineraries and return booking data.

What can the distribution API do for your business?

The distribution API retrieves product data from your account to construct product pages via API to your website.
The distribution API preserves your SEO (instead of using widgets or embeds).
Your travel itineraries will automatically be available through the distribution API.
The distribution API acts as a content management system to showcase your travel itineraries on your website.

Do you want more information about the features of the Pro plan? Check our pricing and features or send an email to support@tripcreator.com for specific questions.

When is this change happening?

New users will be able to purchase the new plan in July.

From now on, TripCreator will be your all-in-one Travel Management Solution. With our new features, you can improve your daily activities.

Are you interested in trying the new TripCreator Travel Management Solution?

Tie the systems you use together by utilising the TripCreator APIs

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 13:38:40 GMT

Simplify your day-to-day activities by integrating the systems you use

The TripCreator APIs enable you to integrate, migrate and distribute content, contacts, itineraries and booking data. The following APIs are available:

Integration API

The Integration API allows you to connect 3rd party systems to your TripCreator account, migrate data (products, accounts, contacts), create itineraries and return booking data.

You can migrate your contacts and products / content from a 3rd party system to TripCreator, you can create itineraries by pushing full itinerary data through the API to receive an URL to that itinerary presented in the TripCreator itinerary layout, you can retrieve sales data / accounting data into a 3rd party system (such as an accounting system) and you can integrate a 3rd party system to your TripCreator account to assemble itineraries from 3rd party products and content - and even go as far as pushing booking data for booked products into the integrated systems.

Distribution API

The Distribution API allows you to retrieve your itineraries and itinerary product data (raw data) via API to construct product pages on your website, preserving your SEO (opposed to using widgets or embeds). Your itineraries will automatically become available through the Distribution API. In this aspect, TripCreator would act as your website content management system (CMS) for your itinerary product pages.

You can create the perfect itinerary example, label it and retrieve it for the correct product page on your website - you can as an example create a sample itinerary for Italy, label it Italy, and your Italy product page would instantly showcase this example. If you need to change the example - the example on your website updates instantly. When you then receive a request for a quotation for a trip to Italy, you can duplicate your Italy example and build your customer's itinerary on the website example.

Operate your TripCreator itineraries post sale

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 13:26:10 GMT

Great! Now you've sold an itinerary, time to operate it!

It can be both time consuming and complicated to make supplier bookings - and keep track of the current state of every itinerary project that you've sold. The TripCreator Operation module simplifies these day-to-day activities by allowing you to send out initial operation requests from the system - and keep track of the responses from your suppliers.

The TripCreator Operation modules allows you to:

Send bookings, allotment requests, amendment requests, reconfirmation requests and cancellations to your suppliers
Your suppliers can respond to your requests, insert reference numbers, dates and notes online
Have an overview of what supplier does what for a specific itinerary
You can generate vouchers for all or selected services
You can monitor and keep track of incoming invoices for specific itineraries and keep an overview of your profits

Contact us at hello@tripcreator.com if you have any questions about the TripCreator Operations module - or any other question about what TripCreator can do for your travel operation.

Things to consider before automating your business operation with TripCreator

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 10:05:07 GMT

What does automation mean for my travel business operation?

Automation means using systems to handle repetitive day-to-day activities, such as returning data of confirmed itineraries automatically to the correct systems when a booking has been confirmed by your customer. It can also mean to go further; to update your internal operation system, your accounting system, your CRM and / or other systems that need to receive updated client, booking and operation data.

As a result, automation can mean many things. It can mean that you choose to automate the entire sales process from supplier to end-customer, meaning that you create itineraries with products and content information from the different reservation systems, and distribute them on your website. When your customer books an itinerary, your customer makes his payment and he gets his booking confirmation, his invoice and his vouchers, and the customer information is pushed into the relevant reservation and / or operation systems, and even accounting system.

Or you can choose to stick to your normal way of communicating to your customer, but when the customer confirms his itinerary, you rely on systems to push the reservation information to the correct platforms, and to send the relevant travel documents to your customer.

Therefore, automation can replace the normal customer communication, be added to the normal communication or not affect the communication at all.

The goal is still the same; to relief repetitive day-to-day activities from the operation; reduce the chance of human error and to allow employees to focus more on other activities, such as sales.

An example of what automation could mean for your business

Let's talk about the road to automation

Automatic operation requires data; data to build itineraries from, and a place to return the result. This data can either be stored in TripCreator, - and returned to TripCreator, or found in the different third party solutions available, and similarly returned back once a booking transaction has been finalised.

However, third party systems are different, and therefore an assessment of those are required prior deciding and changing your operations' future system structure. The first requirement of a third party system which should be connected to TripCreator is an API. API is the acronym for Application Programming Interface, which is a software intermediary that allows two applications to talk to each other. TripCreator is able to connect to (almost) all third party API systems; whether they are reservation systems, operation systems, inventory systems, CRM systems or accounting systems.

Before going forward; a research is in order:

Research whether TripCreator is sufficient for your inventory and reservation needs and / or what third party systems are strong in your market. By this we mean, in order to create itineraries based on automation, you need to have data or access to reservation systems (such as Bokun, Trekksoft, Rezdy, CityBreak) - and they need to host prices and availability in the market area where you're executing your itineraries. Such as for Reykjavík, Bokun would be a good choice as many tour operators in Reykjavik host their products in Bokun.

In order to being able to integrate your chosen system(s) into your TripCreator account, you need to set up an account in the third party system, and make sure you have access to the products or content items. In some cases, you need to create contracts with the different suppliers you intend to buy services from, and in other cases, you get access to these suppliers instantly by signing up to the thirds party service.

Systems where you need to contract different suppliers within the system are as an example Bokun and TrekkSoft.

Systems where you gain an instant access to products with live availability and pricing are platforms such as bed-banks, as an example HotelsPro.

This communication is done by you. You create your account, you negotiate your rates, you pay the fees to these platforms according to their pricing structure. Their pricing structure can be anything from free, per transaction, fixed fee, volume based, commission based and so forth.

When assessing what platforms suit your operation, be sure to take note of who is listed as the Merchant of record for the business relationship. What we mean by that is, it has to be known who communicates and invoices the customer. Most companies using TripCreator with integrations have chosen integration partners where the TripCreator user is allowed to be the Merchant of record, and therefore all communication goes through automatic (or manual) actions through TripCreator. Other third party systems might allow affiliate relationships or alike, whereas they will contact your customer (and sometimes not even on your behalf).

See our feature page or Premium plan page for more information.

If you would like to receive an introduction of how TripCreator could change your day-to-day working environment in terms of overview, proposals and itineraries, sign up to a free trial account, and contact us to get thoroughly introduced to the benefits of using the system.

» Runway promotion - Get TripCreator for free for three months

You can now start using the TripCreator Plus plan on the terms that you don't pay for the first three months, in exchange for a 6 month, monthly paid contract.

The runway promotion is optional but intended to relief our new Plus plan users from paying subscription fees while settling in, building their inventory and/or migrating content/products, part-taking in demo sessions and so forth.

During and post Covid: An outlook on efficiency and better structured work environment

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Mon, 14 Sep 2020 11:05:13 GMT

How the pandemic can contribute to positive changes

Since the beginning of the Covid pandemic, companies within the travel industry have been forced to look inward for ways to reduce cost, re-think their processes and generally do more with less. Working remotely was sometimes unthinkable or a luxury, but is now in many cases mandatory - and keeping overview while working separately can proof challenging, unless there is a system in place. One potential way to reduce financial commitment and synchronise your team's effort is to rely on cloud based software solutions, namely those who give the option of monthly subscriptions. Those who constantly develop, those who don't require native installation or servers, and those you can reduce usage of or quit using during times when you don't need them.

Key assessment pointers:

How do I want my day-to-day activities to be post Covid?
If I reflect back to how we used to do things, would I do anything differently?
Did I use a lot of effort on some daily activities that could be simplified?

In most cases even in well structured, efficient companies, there is room for improvement - and many times, the time to improve is sucked up by daily activities that need to be done, one way or another. However, as things have slowed down significantly, now could be the time to re-think how things are done, what processes are in place, and properly plan how your business should emerge after the pandemic.

Say bye to templated documents, proposals and itineraries stored in different computers or online storage accounts, mismatching response from one staff member to another (whether design, pricing, attached documents, branding rules...). Instead, gain instant overview by using one system for all proposals and itineraries, respect your branding by creating and sending matching design and information when sending these proposals and itineraries, and be better aware of what pricing is sent to each customer.

» Runway promotion - Get TripCreator for free for three months

You can now start using the TripCreator Plus plan on the terms that you don't pay for the first three months, in exchange for a 6 month, monthly paid contract.

The benefits of creating and managing proposals and itineraries in a cloud based SaaS system

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Wed, 09 Sep 2020 10:44:11 GMT

TripCreator is the key to your digital transformation

We all are familiar with using static files, - different versions of documents, all with minor changes to them. Stored here and there, some in this inbox, some in that computer and some on this or that online cloud storage. And then we add the collaboration element to it, where we're supposed to all be able to contribute, but still make sure we're sending the correct version to the customer (and know which version the customer accepted), and to keep track of our collective efforts, we would use even more files to input the numbers (and of course remember to amend those when applicable).

... or we could use systems. We could simplify our day-to-day efforts by standardising our work, maintaining overview, respect our brand rules, store all our product and content items in the same place (in all the different languages), with all the other perks that systems bring.

If you are tired of not having overview and 'being all over the place' with your day-to-day activities, consider these facts as a solution to your challenge.

Just by using TripCreator Basic, you'll already achieve:

Being able to create and share beautiful itineraries. Share in this context means sharing a link to your itinerary, or sending them by using TripCreator to send an e-mail to your customer with your message and the link to your itinerary. (your perk is that you can see when your recipient has opened the itinerary, how many times and where in the world).
You're able to store all your products and content items in one place, including photos and other specifics of what you offer. Your products and content items can be stored in multiple languages.
Your itineraries are sent with your logo and brand colours. You'll never forget it or vary from the design because you're working within a system. Your terms and conditions (as many as you require) are sent with your itineraries if you wish. You can control which customer receives what terms and conditions.
You can further customise your itineraries by choosing what is shown and what is not in your itineraries.
Your colleagues can work on your itineraries; see your itineraries to answer your customer's questions and so forth.
You can create unlimited itineraries, simple quotes or proposals and you customer can view the itineraries unlimited number of times without your fees being affected.
If you require, you can send your itineraries as PDF documents.
You can create re-usable product or content item bundles/packages, and you can use those as many times as needed for new itineraries (you can also do the conventional, - that is, clone an older itinerary, change it and send it to your new customer).
You can look up flights by inserting flight number and airline - it retrieves information about the flight schedule and saves you time.
You have access to a royalty free photo library and static data from 500.000 hotels, 7.000 destinations and 170.000 attractions.
All your customer can view your itineraries in the end-customer mobile APP.
You can attach files (such as vouchers and booking confirmations) - and those are accessible to your customer online and offline in the end-customer mobile app.
... and more.

With TripCreator Plus and Premium, you would achieve even more! See our feature page for more information . Plus includes everything in Basic, and Premium includes everything in Basic and Plus.

Your TripCreator journey starts with a three month discount

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Mon, 31 Aug 2020 13:47:12 GMT

The runway to your digital transformation with TripCreator starts with three free months

You can now start using the TripCreator Plus plan on the terms that you don't pay for the first three months, in exchange for a 6 month, monthly paid contract.

You can still experience the full 14 day trial before accepting the runway promotion.

How to accept the promotion?

Sign up as you would normally by clicking the Signup button below.
Before or at the end of the 14 day trial period, activate your account and accept the Runway promotion under the Billing & subscription tab.
Even if you activate the promotion before the end of your trial, you still get the rest of your trial days before the three months start counting.

Control your displayed pricing accurately

You can choose to display no pricing, only the total price, a detailed price breakdown, total category prices or only the total price - but also show the itemised list of inclusions.

Set the itinerary branding according to your needs

You can create itineraries with no logo, your logo and brand colors, or your customer's logo and brand colors - furthermore, you can domain mask your itinerary links, so that they appear to be hosted on your own domain.

Save time and repeat less work

... by storing your products/content items in one place, in the different languages you need, with all the necessary photos and videos.

Save even more time by combining popular product/content combinations as modules - to re-use them with very little effort as many times as you need.

What to Expect From TripCreator and Common Misconceptions

Tue, 25 Aug 2020 15:26:13 GMT

Throughout the years, we've received all kind of requests and questions that perhaps don't align with what TripCreator is or what we do. All of these misconceptions are understandable but no worries, below we've listed some of these misconceptions along with the applicable clarification.

That "we" (TripCreator) register your products in our system

We do not register your products to our system however with your own account within the TripCreator system, you can register your own products and use those for your itinerary creation. As for migration - we assist with migration in the Plus and Premium plans.

That we take commission of your sales and operations

Short answer; we don't. TripCreator is only providing a subscription based software solution to travel professionals and when using our system you simply pay the monthly fee of the subscription plan that you are on. We do not interfere with your sales and income.

That we are a travel agency of some sort

We only provide a software solution to travel professionals, so essentially we are just a software developer . We have had tons of proposals of tour operators and travel agencies that want to collaborate with us thinking we are a travel agency of some sort.

What to expect from TripCreator:

We build a positive team and family spirit, and joy is an integral part of our culture.
We make trip planning easy and simple for travel professionals, so they can create amazing experiences for their customers.
We favor the simple over the complex.
We have a user-focused mentality and strive for ease of use.
The possibility to build dynamic or pre-defined packages/modules.
A place to create and store your own, private products and content.
The possibility to automate the booking process.

If Not Now, Then When?

Fri, 03 Jul 2020 13:59:48 GMT

As the traveling industry takes an unprecedented hit with the COVID-19 outbreak that has affected us worldwide, it seems that a lot of companies are uncertain about the future and if they will in-fact live to see through the summer. In Iceland about half of the travel companies were (and most still are) in danger of going bankrupt. Seeing as how tourism contributes about 8.9% straight to the GDP, The Icelandic government decided to give some companies a fighting chance. Fast forward to the 15th of June when Iceland opened its borders to travellers who had to follow very strict guidelines. So for every traveler who came to visit Iceland had two options; go through scanning of the virus at the airport and pay a fee of 15.000 kr (1 USD = 138 kr) then wait 24 hours to hear the results from the scanning, for the second option you could arrive in Iceland, skip the scanning but then you would have to quarantine for two weeks in a safe place. A Lot of domestic travel companies were unhappy that their customers had to pay extra to access the country seeing as how Iceland is already very expensive, so the price had been lowered to meet them halfway at 11.000 kr and 9.000 if paid upfront, those who are born in 2005 or later are exempt from these restrictions. As you can imagine this whole turmoil has resulted in a total loss for the tourism industry in Iceland and little to no traffic for travel companies throughout the summer, which is supposed to be their most busy season.

For someone who has dipped his toes in the water of both the domestic and foreign travel industry, it seems that the time for taking a step back, thinking over your strategy for the future and finding ways to improve your business is as good as it gets. “There is always opportunity in the crisis” is a quote that I find very fitting for the current situation and something that companies and especially travel companies, should take advantage of.

We at TripCreator realised that companies would most likely not be looking to pay extra for external help, so they found a new way to get more traffic while simultaneously helping businesses through the COVID-19 crisis. The COVID plan is an agreement of sort within the Plus plan, which is the middle subscription plan in terms of cost and features available. When you sign up for the COVID plan you get a free plus subscription till September 2020 and after that you commit to paying for the plus plan until march of 2021. This gives companies the flexibility to explore the system and learn the ins and outs before using it. With this I see an opportunity for all the travel companies to come back stronger and more productive for the coming tourist wave, so my question to those who are not using this time of low traffic to improve their businesses, if not now then when?. Let’s face it, the time when everything is at a 110% and your calendar is more than full, there will be little to no time to focus on different solutions or rebuilding. The purpose of the new COVID plan from TripCreator is to allow individuals to use this time for improving and moving forward instead of staying stagnant and not being prepared for the next season.

When you sign up for TripCreator at the pricing page here: https://www.tripcreator.com/pricing

Template Download

Sun, 01 Sep 2019 07:02:44 GMT

TripCreator: Template Download

Busy Travel Planner or Tour Operator?

Download easy and customizable travel planning templates to help you create beautiful itineraries for your customers. Get a Word and Excel template right here, or keep reading if you need to know why you need one!

Template Download

Word Template Includes

Front page example
Day to day planning
Fancy Icons
Visual per stop
Pricing

Excel Template Includes

Detailed clear information
Advanced pricing options
Tailored for bigger groups
Detailed pricing calculations

Your Free Travel Itinerary Template Download

Save Time and Create Itineraries 14x Faster!

Build itinerary

Add from our extensive list of locations, accommodation, and activities.

Duplicate them

In love with the layout, you've created? Duplicate the template and change what's necessary.

Share them with client

Easily share your itinerary with customers via an email link.

Accessible on laptop & mobile

Itineraries are available whenever your customers need them and can be accessed across all devices.

Use one-off templates

Create an itinerary for Microsoft Word or Excel

If you or your customers prefer offline mode, you can export the itinerary to an Excel or Word document.

Google docs or sheets

Whether you're on your mobile device or laptop, you can create exquisite itineraries on Google Docs or Sheets.

Our templates are suitable for:

Weddings

Build customisable itineraries that are tailored towards couples who want to experience the world. Help couples plan the ultimate destination wedding. Save and re-use for the next wedding.

Vacation

Create, save, and re-use as a standard itinerary for all vacations

Cruises

Create a standard template for all cruise itineraries. Customise it any way you want.

Package tours

Quickly add places, accommodation, and activities to build the ideal package. Save time and duplicate the template.

Railway tours

Create an editable template for railway tours. Once you're happy, save, duplicate, and apply the template to all your railway packages.

TripCreator's itinerary builder is ideal for:

Travel agents

Tour operators

Travel professionals

Destination Management Companies (DMC)

Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions (MICE)

Create beautiful itineraries quickly with TripCreator

Add any destinations, hotels, and flights

It's easy and can be done within minutes
You can duplicate blocks and customize how you want to
You can select from a variety of pre-built content items

Save, share & re-use your itineraries

Present your travel ideas to potential clients. Share the itinerary as a proposal/quote.

Itineraries can be directly accessed via a mobile app

It's compatible with all iOS & Android devices
The itineraries can be updated automatically.
With a few taps, the itinerary can be accessed by your clients

Complete itinerary booking in one place

The TripCreator platform is safe and secure. Which is why we don't send customers to a third-party booking engine. Book tours and vacations all in one place.

Business Statistics

Get up-to-date sales numbers with a quick and easy export into your finance system.

Creating beautiful itineraries has never been this simple. Produce your customers' ideal vacation today!

See how our itineraries look

Self-drive in It aly for 7 days

Amazing Romania in 8 days

Insight of Cambodia 8 Day Tour

3 day London family trip

TripCreator.com awarded “World’s Best Travel Website”!

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 17:15:00 GMT

Congratulations to us and a good 'Cheers' with some delicious bubbly! Today it was announced that TripCreator has been presented with a 2015 WebAward for outstanding achievement in web development and TripCreator has been named the Best Travel Website.This Icelandic innovation defies our conventional way of travelling and planning trips. By using state of the art programming TripCreator creates tailor made plans AND offers the best prices available - What took days to accomplish is now done instantly. The tool is free to use and TripCreator is truly a one-stop-shop that makes travel planning easy. The team behind TripCreator is honored to be receiving the prestigious award and thankful for the recognition.

Quote from the judges:

"The information on this site is broad and well presented. Every detail is considered so that a traveler can have a simply trip or a complex one with many activities/places to see recommended. It is a great site for interactivity and certainly speaks to the traveler - its primary target. Well done!”

About the awards

The WebAwards are presented annually by the Web Marketing Association to outstanding websites each in their own category (TripCreator being in “Travel”). Entries are judged by a panel of experts on the following criteria on a scale of 0-10 points:

Design
Innovation
Content
Technology
Interactivity
Copywriting
Ease of use

TripCreator was awarded 68.5 points out of a possible 70 giving it a score of 9.8 and thus the title of Best Travel Website of 2015 .

Top 10 Things to do in Reykjavík with Kids

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 14:19:00 GMT

Iceland is a very family friendly destination. It has been voted as the safest and most peaceful country in the world and kids are welcome everywhere. Reykjavík City offers many interesting activites that are suitable for the whole family and parents will enjoy just as much as the kids. Most restaurants welcome kids and quite many of them have decorated special kids sections with toys, TVs or computer games. Many restaurants also have a separate kid friendly menu. Enjoy quality time with your family on a Reykjavík city break and create memories that will last a lifetime.

Here is our list of Top 10 Things to do in Reykjavík with Kids:

1. Splash around in swimming pools

Swimming is very rich in the Icelandic culture and there are a great number of high quality swimming pools around the city. Most of the swimming pools are outdoors and geothermally heated. The pools are fed with fresh, clear water and most of them have separate kid's pools with water slides, fountains another toys. The facilities also offer steam baths, hot tubs and jacuzzis for mum and dad to relax in. A visit to a swimming pool is an absolute must, the kids will love it.

2. Visit the Reykjavík Zoo and Family Park

A day in this place is a time well spent. The Reykjavik Zoo and Family Park consists of two main areas, the zoo where you’ll find all the main Icelandic domestic animals and some wild ones too, including reindeers, minks, foxes and seals. The other area is the family recreation area where you’ll find all sorts of fun stuff for children of all ages like a playground and some soft rides. Your kids will enjoy petting the animals and running around in the playground. You can bring your own snacks to eat in the park or buy some from the cafeteria. The facilities even offers a grill for guests to use. Just remember to allocate enough time in this place because the kids will want to stay here forever.

3. Nauthólsvík Geothermal Beach

The small sandy arc of Nauthólsvík Geothermal Beach, on the edge of the Atlantic, gets packed on sunny summer days. Here you will see children playing in the golden sand and parents relaxing or 'licking the sun', as we say in Iceland. Geothermal water is fed to the closed cove, so the water never gets too cold. The facilities also offer two hot tubs where the water keeps a comfortable constat ant around 38°C. There is no admission fee to the beach and changing facilities are also free to use. Nauthólsvík Beach is a fun stop for families in summer or winter.

4. Go on a Whale Watching Tour

If the weather is nice then a whale watching tour can be the cherry on your otherwise perfect Iceland trip. Sailing on the Faxaflói Bay can be quite amazing in it self and seeing the whales in their natural habitat is an experience beyond unique. Your kids will enjoy the excitement of spotting these giant beings from a far and seeing how close the boat can get to them. Just remember to bring warm cloths as it can get very cold out on sea. You can bring your own snacks or buy some on the boat.

5. Meet the Icelandic Horses

Consider planning a rendez vous with the Icelandic horse, a great fun for travellers of all ages. Horse riding tours are among the most popular things to do in Iceland and you you can also see them in a horse theatre or just grazing happily along the country roads. You can choose from a variety of tours and find the one that fits your family's needs. The Icelandic horse is very gentle and charismatic so even the smallest in your group can enjoy being around them.

6. Visit the National Museum of Iceland

This is the oldest museum in the country, a home to Icelandic historical treasures. The museum displays artefacts from Settlement to the modern age. It gives an in-depth overview of Icelandic history, culture and heritage and you can get an audio guide that guides you through the exhibitions and adds important details. The exhibitions are interactive and they even have a children's section where the kids can play with the items and try on different costumes.

7. Step back in time at the Árbæjarsafn Historical Museum

Photo by Minjasafn Reykjavíkur

Árbæjarsafn is an open air historical museum. Its purpose is to give the public an insight into the living conditions, work and recreational activities of the people of Reykjavík in earlier times. Here you can visit old Icelandic houses and see how families used to live and what conditions were like for them. The museum offers a special exhibition of toys, and the children can play freely with the them. You can bring your own snacks to eat on the premises or you can sit down for a warm cup of cocoa and a waffle at the lovely café.

8. Feed the Ducks

Photo by OhheyIceland

In the Reykjavík city centre you will find a pond. The pond is inhabited by ducks, geese, swans, seagulls and other birds. Families often come to the pond to feed the ducks. This can be quite an experience for the smallest children in your group. Bring a loaf of bread, some corn or pellets and the birds will be eating from your hand (literally).

9. Eat Some Delicious Ice Cream

Icelanders know how to make delicious ice cream. They feast on their ice cream in all kinds of weather, come rain or come shine. Different flavours with all sorts of toppings will leave you spoilt for choice and your sweet tooth satisfied. There are many ice cream parlours and stores in Reykjavík so you can be sore to find one on your travels in the city. Your kids will be ever so grateful if you treat them to this delicacy.

10. Whales of Iceland Museum

The Whales of Iceland exhibition is the largest of its kind in Europe, and possibly the world. The aim of the museum is to leave guests with a unique experience where they can learn about whales in spectacular surroundings. Guests are left reinvigorated both in body and spirit and the exhibitions lets you see how enourmos the wales really are. Visiting the museum is like entering a magical world and your kids will be left speachless and in awe of these giant creatures.

If you liked this blog post you might also want to read our articles about Top 7 Places to visit in Reykjavík and Top 5 Interesting City Walks .

What to Expect on a Northern Lights Trip in Iceland

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 08:30:00 GMT

Seeing the Northern Lights dancing in the clear winter sky is nothing short of amazing. Iceland is a wonderful winter destination and spotting the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) will just be the cherry on top of your perfect winter holiday. The Northern Lights are a popular attractions and travellers flock to the Land of Fire and Ice to experience them. Witnessing this magical penomenon with your own eyes is an experience not to be missed, the colours and the motion make a marvelous show that you will never forget. This is one of the best things to do in Iceland and each display of lights is totally unique. The best thing is of course that when you get back home you will have photos and videos to show to your friends and family and you can watch as their faces turn green with envy.

Where to see the Northern Lights?

Iceland is one of the best places in the world to see the Northern Lights. You can see them all around the country, and even in Reykjavík when conditions are right. A few things to keep in mind:

Aurora activity
The Icelandic Met Office offers a great Northern Lights forecast predicting aurora activity for any given day on your trip to Iceland. The higher the number on the scale, the more aurora activity and the better your chance of seeing the Northern Lights.
Darkness
It has to be dark outside so viewing the Northern Lights is an evening or night-time activity. The further you get away from the city lights the better.
Clear skies
Clouds will block your visibility of the Northern Lights so the sky has to be clear for you to see them. Skies are clearer if temperatures fall below zero.
Scheduled tours
Northern Lights tours are scheduled almost daily during winter. You can take a bus tour, a boat ride, float in geothermal pools or even view them from the top of a glacier. Take a look at the TripCreator selection.

The best time to see the Northern Lights?

The Northern lights season in Iceland is from September to April. This is when nights are dark so your chances of seeing the Northern Lights are greater. Unfortunately though, no guarantees can be given as visibility depends on weather conditions.

What to bring on your Northern Lights tour?

Warm clothes
Camera
Spare batteries
Good shoes
Memory cards
Something to eat and drink

If you liked this blog you may also want to read our article about the Season of the Northern Lights: The Best Places to See Them and The Magic of the Northern Lights .

What to expect in the Blue Lagoon Iceland

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Mon, 29 Jun 2015 15:59:00 GMT

The Blue Lagoon is to Iceland what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris. It is one of Iceland's most popular attractions and offers an extraordinary experience that will make your trip to Iceland perfect. It is one of the best things to do in Iceland and has has been named one of 25 wonders of the world. This geothermal paradise is situated in the middle of an otherworldly black lava field and the rugged nature surrounding it only adds to the unique experience.

Photo by Fellowship of the Rich

Make sure to book early

The Blue Lagoon is a very popular attraction and people often don't realise that you must book your ticket in advance to be guaranteed an entrance to the spa. Please make sure to book early if you don't want to wait in a long line and maybe have to exit without being able to enter the lagoon. That could totally ruin your day. The facility also offers wonderful spa treatments and luxury entrance packages, all of which you can book in advance online.

A unique experience

The Blue Lagoon is the perfect place to treat yourself and be pampered for a day. Soak in the warm geothermal water and wash away your worries and stress. The water keeps a constant relaxing temperature around 37°C (98°F) and is rich in blue-green algae, minerals, salts and fine silica mud, which exfoliate and condition your skin. The lagoon’s extraordinary environment and pure Icelandic air make your visit a truly unique one. The lagoon is the perfect location for a romantic getaway and you can enjoy high-end cuisine in the world-class Lava restaurant. THere is also a buiticue whithin the facilities where you can by all sorts of cremes, facial masks and body lotions for you to bring back home!

Family friendly

The Blue Lagoon welcomes kids of all ages and entering the blue water makes you feel like you are in a fairy tale of some sort. Kids will enjoy swimming around in the rather large pool, sensing the different temperatures in different palces, feeling the sand between their toes, discovering the cave and the standing under the waterfall. Smearing their faces with the white silica mud will be the cherry on top of this experience. Photo by Sarah Ackerman Highlights of the Blue Lagoon natural spa: Floating in the milky blue water Rubbing the white silica mud on your face Receiving a soothing massage Beautiful modern architecture Exotic surroundings World class restaurant Rooftop viewpoint Access to the Blue Lagoon is easy by bus or car and it is located only a few minutes from Keflavík International Airport and forty minutes from Reykjavík.

Photo by Sarah Ackerman

Highlights of the Blue Lagoon natural spa:

F loating in the milky blue water
Rubbing the white silica mud on your face
Receiving a soothing massage
Beautiful modern architecture
Exotic surroundings
World class restaurant
Rooftop viewpoint

Access to the Blue Lagoon is easy by bus or car and it is located only a few minutes from Keflavík International Airport and forty minutes from Reykjavík.

Family Fun in Iceland: Horse riding

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 17:16:00 GMT

Travelling to Iceland with kids? Are you looking for fun things for the family to do on your Iceland holiday?Consider planning a rendez vous with the Icelandic horse, a great fun for travellers of all ages. Horse riding tours are among the most popular things to do in Iceland and you you can also see them in a horse theatre or just grazing happily along the country roads.

The Icelandic horse is rather small and many think it is a pony, but is actually a proper horse. Even though they are small, Icelandic horses live long, are very strong and hardy and still play an important role in traditional farm work. The best thing about the Icelandic horse is that it has such a wonderful and loving personality and very good with kids. Most horse rentals in Iceland are very professional so each member of your family will get to ride a horse fitting their age and experience. Security is important so you will wear a helmet and and will be accompanied by an experienced guide.

Find the tour that appeals to you and book early to secure your spot on an Icelandic horse riding adventure. It is an experience not to be missed!

Horseback riding is the best way to enjoy the beautiful nature of Iceland and the pure Icelandic air and it offers the best family adventure. You will find horse rentals and horse riding tours all around the country, but you don’t have to venture far into the countryside to meet the horses. You can even enjoy daily riding tours from Reykjavík City.

TripCreator offers many types of horseback rides in Iceland:

Shorter tours
Day tours from Reykjavík
Multi-day trekking tours
Evening riding tours
Riding and bird watching
Horse riding and the Blue Lagoon
Horse riding and caving
Horse theatre
Riding and rafting

If you are looking for more family friendly activities for your Iceland trip, you should consider also adding a whale watching tour to your plan.

Whale watching in Iceland

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 07:50:00 GMT

Make sure to add a whale watching tour to your Iceland travel plan. A whale watching tour is one of the most popular things to do and see in Iceland, an experience not to be missed!

Iceland is among Europe’s best whale watching destinations and going on a whale watching safari is one of the most popular tourist activities in the country. If you are looking for an extraordinary adventure to enjoy on your trip to Iceland, you should not miss out on the whales. This is a great family adventure and your kids will love watching these giant beings up, close and personal!

There are 20 different species of whale swimming in the waters around Iceland and 8 of them are frequently spotted on whale watching tours all year long. Seeing these huge mammals in their natural habitat is one of the best things you will ever experience.

Whales frequently spotted around Iceland:

Blue whale
Fin whale
Humpback whale
Minke whale
White beaked dolphin
Orca
Harbour porpoise
Sperm whale
Atlantic white-sided dolphin
Northern bottlenose whale

Top tips

The weather can be cold and windy out on the sea so we recommend you bring warm clothes, a hat, gloves and a scarf. In the summer months it is good bring sunglasses and even sun protection because the rays of the sun reflect from the water. Weather and sea conditions can be unpredictable and whales move around quickly, so you should be prepared that it might take some time to find them so it might be a good idea to bring lights snacks and something to drink. Enjoy the boat ride and don’t forget your camera!

15 Most Beautiful Waterfalls in Iceland

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Wed, 13 May 2015 08:00:00 GMT

1. Gullfoss

2. Hraunfossar

Famous musicians use Iceland as backdrop

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Wed, 06 May 2015 13:00:00 GMT

This article showcases great music videos, we were surprised to find out they filmed in Iceland! The Icelandic landscape makes for a great backdrop to many films, TV shows and music videos. We can't get enough of it!

Top 7 Outdoor adventures in Iceland

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 08:00:00 GMT

For all the lovers of the great outdoors, Iceland is waiting for you! The country of Fire and Ice plays host to a tonne of adventures fit for every kind of adrenaline junkie and wildlife lover, so we put together our top list of adventure activities:

Here is our list of Top 7 Outdoor Activities in Iceland

1. Whale Watch off the coast of Reykjavík

Photo by Special Tours

Reykjavík is the northernmost City in the World, and the Capital of Iceland. From Reykjavík, you can start your action packed getaway with a boat tour of the coast, catching a glimpse of Iceland’s many types of whale and dolphin species.

2. Fish on a Kayak!

Photo by Sea Kayak Reykjavik

Try something that you would never get the chance to try at home and catch your own fish on this kayak fishing tour.

3. Fjord Serenity

Photo by Arctic Adventures

This is one of the all time classic day tours from Reykjavík. The tour takes you sea kayaking on the beautiful Hvalfjörður Fjord or the historic Þingvallavatn Lake. The Hvalfjörður Fjord is a deep fjord created by the ice age glaciers, with steep 1000 metre tabletop mountains reaching for the sky. This is where the allied troops hid their submarines and battleships during WWII. The Þingvallavatn Lake is Iceland´s biggest natural lake.

4. Dive in Silfra and the Golden Circle

Photo by Scuba Iceland

This amazing adventure starts in Þingvellir National Park between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. You can snorkel in the beautiful Silfra fissure, known as one of the best diving sites in the world for two reasons - Silfra is a crack between the tectonic plates and you will be snorkelling right where the plates are drifting apart by 2 cm each year. Also the water in Silfra is so pure and clear that underwater visibility is over 100 metres - After the astonishing dive the tour will take you to the spectacular Geysir Geothermal Area and surrounding Golden Circle.

5. Family Rafting

Photo by Viking Rafting

This is a fun and relatively gentle trip that is suitable for everybody. On this West Glacial River trip, fun and scenery swirl around you to deliver an unforgettable rafting adventure in Iceland! Looking for something a little more daring?

6. Golden Grand Slam

Photo by Arctic Adventures

is what you’re looking for. This great river rafting tour takes you down the Hvítá river. This river has a perfectly balanced mix of beautiful, steep canyons and adrenaline pumping waves and rapids. On our way we pass through the magnificent Brúarhlöð canyon and in that stunning setting you can jump from a cliff into the river.

7. Cave Exploration in Lofthellir

Photo by Saga Travel

Driving to Lake Mývatn along a rugged track to the unique volcano Hverfell, you will head through a crater row of Lúdentarborgir to the roots of Mt. Hvannfell. After a 20 minute walk across a lava field which is adorned by endless ropy lava, we reach the Lofthellir Lava Cave. Explore the underground as this cave boasts the greatest natural ice sculptures currently known in an Icelandic lava cave.

Find more great adventures with TripCreator right HERE and plan the adventure holiday of a lifetime.

Surf and Turf Adventures in Iceland

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 08:00:00 GMT

Discover Iceland on both land and sea in our Surf & Turf adventure special. We gush over our beautiful country as it is one of a kind and offers every type of traveller an amazing experience to take away with them. You will never be disappointed. Here are some ideas that we think you’ll love to try on your Icelandic vacation:

Surf

Arctic Islands - Th is fantastic tour lets you visit the Arctic Circle by boat! The tour takes you over to Grímsey island where you will be able to cross over the arctic circle and experience local culture and food.
Midnight Sun Cruise - What a way to experience the midnight sun over Iceland by boat. You will witness the rise of a new day on a whale watching tour from Akureyri. This tour takes you to Hrísey and around the Island. We will stop to watch whales, birds and other wildlife along the way. This is a relaxing tour in the middle of the night, enjoying the wonder of the light nights close to the arctic circle.
Vikingsushi Adventure - Experience a number of stunning and exciting things on. You will see strange basalt rock formations, uncountable islands, colourful bird life, the strongest tidal currents in Iceland, A guided tour and unique close-up experience of the islands.
Dive in Silfra & The Golden Circle - This is a truly amazing tour where you will encounter the forces of nature in its truest form. Drive the scenic route to Þingvellir National Park and see the magnificent rift between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. Snorkel in the beautiful Silfra fissure. Silfra is considered to be one of the best diving sites in the world for two reasons. After the astonishing dive we make our way to the spectacular Geysir Geothermal Area and around the famous Golden Circle.

Turf

BackCountry Road Adventure - Experience the high, naritem and winding backcountry roads of the Westfjords. This tour takes you on a bumpy ride in a fantastic SuperJeep. It starts in Ísafjörður Town, the main town in the Westfjords and continues through a long one lane tunnel that lies under the mountain. You will reach Önundarfjörður Fjord on the other side. Drive past the Auðkúla Farm and onwards to Fossdalur Valley. This lies along a rough and winding dirt road with a spectacularly scenic shoreline on one hand and a breathtaking mountain range on the other.
ATV Express - Explore the raw black sandy beaches of the South Coast on an ATV/Quad bike. Have a fun ride on the black beach and stop at the famous plane wrack to adore the amazing view up to Mýrdalsjökull glacier and along the big black coast all the way to Dyrhólaey, the southernmost part of Iceland. The tour will then take you through the mountain where you will have an unforgettable experience of conflicting landscapes where the nature envelops the traveler in its warm embrace.
GKG Golf - Available in the Capital area of Reykjavik, find an 18 hole golf course, “Leirdalur”, and 9 hole golf course, “Mýrin”, at GKG. Leirdalur is considered to be one of the most interesting and pleasant golf courses in Iceland. No one will be disappointed playing the course. Mýrin is a challenging 9 hole course that tests every golfer from beginners to the low handicappers.
Adventure Summer Tour - This breathtaking experience involves being guided by a Musher who will teach you to set the dogs up and drive the sled dog team. You will also learn how to operate the sled and the mushing commands as you’re driving above 750 meters of altitude. Enjoy the amazing view of the mountains, glacier and lava fields. The magical white snow field feels like paradise, take a deep breath, relax you are in Iceland!

If you liked the sound of these great activities, sign up for TripCreator to create your own itinerary .

Icelandic Quad Bike Adventures

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Wed, 22 Apr 2015 08:00:00 GMT

There are many adventurous activities in Iceland to take advantage of! Some of these tours include Quad Biking and riding an ATV through the wild Icelandic terrain.

1. Quad Mad tour

takes you quad biking through Mosfellsdalur Valley, along Reykjavik’s signature mountain, Esja. This adrenaline pumping Quad Mad Tour takes you through the countryside which changes to wilderness, conquering mountain tops and crossing rivers on the way. Expect to be taken off the beaten tracks on gravel roads, rocky and muddy terrain, crossing rivers and old bridges down the beautiful back-country of Reykjavík. Just a few minutes from the city, you get the feeling to be in the middle of nowhere.

Top 5 Extreme Sports in Iceland

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Fri, 17 Apr 2015 08:00:00 GMT

Iceland is home to steep mountains, it has one of the largest glacier caps in Europe, it’s surrounded in lava fields, volcanoes and icebergs. It’s no surprise that the extremist of sports takes place here.

Iceland is a haven for adventure hungry adrenaline chasers from around the World. Are you one of them? If so, we have the activities for you!

1. Take the Back Country Ski Adventure

Photo by Iceland Backcountry Travel

Ski beautiful snow-covered slopes in the mountains near Ísafjörður Town. The tour guides navigate a Super Jeep to Breiðadalsheiði Heath where you’ll spend the day skiing whatever slopes you like!

2. Paraglide over Iceland

Photo by Paragliding Iceland

Take a tour paragliding and be part of a group, a student of aviation, an explorer. Experience Iceland from a stunning new perspective; the bird’s eye view. Tours are based on the freedom of flight, so go where the wind takes you!

3. Cave Exploration

Photo by Saga Travel

Explore the mystical world of darkness and ice in the Lofthellir cave. The Icelandic lava cave boasts the greatest natural ice sculptures.

4. Golden Grand Slam

Photo by Arctic Adventures

River raft down Hvítá river. The river has a perfectly balanced mix of beautiful, steep canyons and adrenaline pumping waves and rapids. Pass through the magnificent Brúarhlöð canyon and in that stunning setting you can jump from a cliff into the river.

5. Hour of Power

Photo by Reykjavík Helicopter

Take a helicopter ride towards Krísuvík, south from Reykjavík. The landscape and it’s colour looks like the moon with untamed hot springs shooting up around the area. Fly along coastlines and cliffs constantly battered by the mighty North Atlantic Ocean towards the fishing town of Grindavík.

Extreme Icelanders

Iceland also hosts the famous Mjölnir MMA gym that is a local for famous MMA fighters like Gunnar Nelson, Árni “The Ice Viking” Ísaksson, Þór Pálsson and is a regular haunt for Ireland’s Conor “Notorious” McGregor.

Iceland Strongman, Hafþór 'The Mountain' Björnsson was the Mountain in Game of Thrones. This terrifyingly strong giant is 6’ 9”, weighs 420 lbs and is just 26 years old.

As you can see we have many amazing activities on offer to make your vacation one to remember.

Family Adventure Ideas in Iceland

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 08:00:00 GMT

There are lots of great activities on offer and places to see on your family trip to Iceland. We have a few of TripCreator’s family favourites to share so take a look and explore your ideal trip for your Summer getaway...

Here is our list of TOP family adventures in Iceland

1. Farmfun at Hraunkot

Photo by Hraunkot

This family fun tour lets you milk cows, and you can even taste fresh warm milk if you want to! You’ll visit the calves and lambs and feed them milk and hay. Then roam through the farmyard for chickens. When the fun farmyard work is done you will enjoy a hot cup of coffee/tea and some Icelandic baked goods with the family. Visit the horse, Fálki, in the paddock where he’ll take you by carriage through the farmlands.

2. Horse Theatre

Photo by Fákasel

This adventure is something for everyone as the evening tour takes you to the area of Hveragerði to see the Icelandic Horse Park Fákasel. Between the multimedia Horse Theater performance “Legends of Sleipnir” - which is equal parts horse exhibition and theatrical performance and the luxury restaurant, this evening tour is a must see for absolutely everyone. The show, Legends of Sleipnir, uses original music and video on the huge screen to weave together theater, history, Norse mythology and exhibition riding on the enormous stage, to exhibit how the Icelandic horse is completely unique, and how it has been an integral part of the Icelandic nation, history and culture.

3. Reindeer Safari

Photo by Travel East

Have you ever wanted to see a real reindeer up close? You can with the Reindeer Safari tour! This Safari is run by a local guide who is specialized in tracking down these majestic animals. Go searching for the reindeers and find the best spots to watch and photograph them in their natural environment.

4. Troll, Elves and Stories

Photo by Ísafjörður Guide

This is great adventure based in the small town of Ísafjörður. This unusually well-preserved city center dates from the 19th century and still reflects its charming history, that remains alive in the legends and stories. This special tour guide takes you on a walk through the city and up to the slopes above Ísafjörður. Your mystical guide will show you interesting places, give you an insight into the history of Ísafjörður and tell tales and stories of ancient and modern times. You might experience a slight shudder when told of ghosts and, as well, fascination with the mystical creatures you will hear about in the tales. On the mountain slopes above the town, in the middle of nature, you will see the locations of our stories about trolls, elves, ghosts and people, while enjoying the beautiful view over the fjord and the surrounding valleys.

Top 5 Adventure Activities in Iceland

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Mon, 13 Apr 2015 08:00:00 GMT

We’re sure you’ve heard of how breathtaking and unusual Iceland is. This nordic Island is a remote haven that lies between the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans. With this, Iceland attracts adventure and thrill seekers from around the World, taking part in wild activities that you always dreamed of trying. Now you can!

Iceland’s TOP Music Festivals this Summer

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 08:00:00 GMT

Iceland is a culture hub that sizzles with music, culture and the arts. This Summer you can expect some amazing music festivals taking place throughout the sunny Season. Stop by and make Iceland your next adventure festival destination.

Reykjavik’s Blues Festival ( 28. March - 2. April)
is all about Blues jazz featuring the country's top blues musicians performing in the City Library amongst other special events throughout the week.
I Never Went South - The People’s Rock Festival (3. - 4. April)
is Europe’s nicest, most remote festival. It is held in the town Ísafjörður in the far north-western Westfjords. The festival traces its origins to a conversation between son and father musicians Mugison and Papamug, over a beer in London in 2003. The aim of the festival is to celebrate local musicians and this year you will be able to enjoy the likes of Prins Póló , Pink Street Boys , Mugison and Hemúllinn .
Tectonics Music Festival (16. - 17. April)
is curated by Ilan Volkov and proudly presented by the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra. This musical event takes place in Reykjavik's Harpa Concert Hall. Harpa comes to life with 17 concerts and events featuring more than 150 musicians, composers and amateurs. Tectonics will present different genres of music; classical and electronic music, improvisation, noise and many more. 3 different halls will be used to present orchestral, ensemble, chamber, solo music, sound installations and films.
Reykjavik Art Festival (13. May - 3. June)
is celebrating it’s 29th anniversary this year. You’ll get a real treat of Icelandic and international culture in all fields of art. The Festival programs offer a range of concerts, theatre performances, exhibitions, dance and opera. In combination with its focus on Icelandic culture, past and present, the Festival has hosted many outstanding international artists and performers.
Reykjavik Midsummer Music (18. - 21. June)
festival takes place in the wonderful Harpa Concert Hall this June. This award-winning chamber music festival is directed by Víkingur Heiðar Ólafsson. “This festival features some of the best and the brightest from Iceland’s vibrant music scene, bringing them together with stars from the international concert stage for a few days of beauty and brilliance in downtown Reykjavík.” - icelandmusic.is
Secret Solstice 2015 (19. - 22. June)
is a highly anticipated music festival taking place this Summer. Secret Solstice will host over a hundred artists both local and international from a various array of genres. The festival showcases both established artists as well as exciting up-and-coming talent over the course of three days in the 24 hour midnight sun during the summer solstice. It's themed after the Nordic religion and mythology of old. With great bands like The Whalers, Charles Barkley, Artwork, Ham and DJ Zero 7, this is due to be a fantastic party event.
Folk Music Festival (1. - 5. July)
takes place in Siglufjordur, Northern Iceland. Artists from different countries around the World take part in the festival, performing concerts, courses and lectures for Folk Music Festival goers.
Bræðslan (25. July)
Music Festival takes place in a tiny seaside town in the Northwest of Iceland called Borgarfjörður-Eystri. This village is surrounding by elves, trolls and sea creature folklore, the perfect setting for the gathering of Bræðslan Music Festival. The festival features local and national bands, as well as musicians and bands from around Europe.

Iceland’s Easter Traditions

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 08:00:00 GMT

Páskar (Easter in Icelandic), is a time that Icelanders like to relax and spend time with family. Their Easter holidays start with Maundy (Holy) Thursday. Most businesses close, but cinema’s tend to stay open throughout the holiday. Icelanders often leave town around Easter for a short break.

Like the Westerners, Icelandic children receive chocolate Easter eggs from parents and grandparents. Icelandic chocolate eggs are filled with candy and inside each one is a small piece of paper with an Icelandic proverb written on it. Many parents hide the eggs in the home and on Easter morning the kids run around the house trying to find them. It is always somewhat exciting to open up your egg and see which proverb you got. Will it speak directly into your situation or your personality? Or will it be very funny?

As in other parts of the world, Icelandic families get together to celebrate Easter with a big lunch or dinner together. Easter is a time to celebrate family and enjoy each other’s company.

Top 5 Interesting Reykjavík City Walks

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 08:00:00 GMT

Reykjavík is a small and wonderful city. Despite the size, Reykjavík is a very cosmopolitan place, the perfect destination for your weekend getaway or a city break. The city combines vibrant culture and city life with the appealing atmosphere of a small village. Here you have world-class restaurants, amazing designers and art studios, beautiful museums and excursions and activities for your fun-packed holiday. One of the city’s biggest charms is also its closeness to nature. You have a terrific view of the ocean or the surrounding mountains from almost everywhere in Reykjavík.

7 Places You Must Visit in Reykjavík

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 08:00:00 GMT

Reykjavík is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is also the northernmost capital in Europe. The city is a destination unlike any other and most visitors fall helplessly in love, wanting to come back as soon as possible. The city is close to nature and you have wonderful views of the ocean and mountains from almost anywhere in the city.

Reykjavík may be small, but it has everything you can wish for in a big metropolitan city. Here you will find world-class restaurants, designer stores, cozy cafés, fine museums and galleries and a bustling nightlife. At the same time you will experience the village innocence and friendly atmosphere.

Here is a list of the places you absolutely must visit on your Reykjavík City Break:

1. Hallgrímskirkja Church

The church is Reykjavík’s main landmark and the tower can be seen from almost anywhere in the city. This immense white-concrete building (1945-86) has been the star of many postcards and is probably the most photographed building in Reykjavík. Take the elevator up to the 74.5m high tower and enjoy the amazing panoramic view of the city and all the colourful houses. The church is named after pastor and poet Hallgrímur Pétursson (1614-1674) and the architecture is inspired by columnar basalt in the Icelandic nature, which you can for example see around Svartifoss, Dverghamrar, Gerðuberg and Aldeyjarfoss.

In front of Hallgrímskirkja you will find a statue of Leifur Eiríksson (Leif Ericsson), an Icelandic explorer regarded as the first European to land in North America, nearly 500 years before Christopher Columbus.

2. Austurvöllur Square

This small square in Reykjavík City centre has been a popular gathering place for decades. The square is surrounded by cozy cafés and important landmark buildings like the Parliament House and Reykjavík Cathedral. In the centre of the square you will find a statue of Jón Sigurðsson (1811-1879), who was an important historical figure, the leader of the 19th century independence movement in Iceland.

3. Icelandic Phallological Museum

This is a weird and wonderful place, especially if you are into eccentric and slightly creepy things. The museum is small, but it houses the world’s largest display of penises and penile parts. Featured items include giant members from sperm whales, miniscule mouse parts, contributions from a polar bear and a single human sample. True story!

4. Whale Watching Tour

Whale watching tours are offered daily from Reykjavík harbour. These tours offer you a chance to see the great mammals of the sea in their natural habitat. The most common whales spotted include Minke Whales, White-Beaked Dolphins, harbor Porpoises and even the majestic Humpback Whales. These tours are educational and interactive and the experience is nothing short of amazing.

5. Höfði House and Sólfar Sculpture

Höfði House is a beautiful building of historical importance. The house was the location for the 1986 Reykjavík Summit meeting of presidents Ronald Reagan of the United States and Mikhail Gorbachev on the Soviet Union. The meeting was effectively a step to the end of the Cold War.

Sólfar (Sun Voyager) is a sculpture by Jón Gunnar Árnason, a dreamboat, an ode to the sun. The sculpture is stunning and located by the sea, not far from Höfði House.

6. The National Museum of Iceland

7. Grótta Tidal Island

Top Reykjavik Hotels for a Girly Break

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 08:00:00 GMT

Photo by Lotus Carroll

If you’re looking for a fun girly break this Spring, look no further! Reykjavík is the destination for you. The city is home to great culture, art, fashion, and music, bursting with fun energy and fascinating surroundings.

Take a look at our list of Top Hotels in Reykjavík for a girly city break!

1. Hotel Leifur Eiriksson

This hotel is located in the centre of the city on one of the most sought after streets in Reykjavík. Surrounded by designer shops and galleries, this is like the Champs-Élysées of Iceland! It is also facing the famous Icelandic landmark, Hallgrimskirkja Church.

2. Reykjavík Residence Hotel

This brand new apartment hotel is located in downtown Reykjavík. Described as a perfect choice for the independent traveler, this is also a haven for a girly city break. This hotel gives the comfort of your own home (some apartments can host up to 4 people) so you can have fun getting ready for a night on the town, or relax with a meal in the comfort of your own apartment. This hotel received great reviews on tripadvisor.com .

3. Black Pearl

Described as Reykjavík's finest apartments, Black Pearl is located near the centre of the city and is just 45 Kilometers away from the International Airport. The high class Black Pearl Apartments are surrounded by the finest of Reykjavík restaurants, shops and cafe’s. There is a variety of suites available to cater for your every need and budget.

4. Alda Hotel

The Alda Hotel is the ultimate in luxury. Many of the rooms have views of the ocean and mountains or a view of the colorful capital and the Alda owned garden. Alda is located on the main shopping street Laugavegur, in the centre of Reykjavík and will play the perfect host for a fabulous girly break in the city.

5. Center Hotel Þingholt

Thingholt is a stylish hotel located just 2 minutes away from Reykjavík’s main shopping street, Laugavegur. This CenterHotel is listed as third place of the Tripadvisor Traveler's Choice Award of the 10 best hotels in Iceland in 2015. As a perfect location for a girly city break, Thingholt offers Standard, Deluxe, Junior Suites and Loft Suites as rooms to suit your group needs.

Reykjavík is a city filled with cultural, fun activities and is the perfect location for a girly city break. Close to Reykjavík is the famous Blue Lagoon Natural Spa for relaxation, and the city plays host to a beautiful shopping and dining district. It also has a great nightlife which you can discover HERE.

Book your dream trip with TripCreator and discover the Highlights of the Icelandic Capital.

Best in Reykjavik: The Hottest Nightlife

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Fri, 20 Mar 2015 08:00:00 GMT

The people of Iceland have mastered the art of partying and Reykjavík has become world-famous for its vivid and legendary nightlife. You could blame it on the long winter nights or the endless summer days, you could say it’s because of the remarkable quality of the locally produced beer and schnapps; but whatever the reason for this amazing Icelandic party talent, you should give it a go! Finding the right place to unleash your inner party animal should not be a problem as there are so many interesting places to visit. This is your ultimate guide to the Reykjavík nightlife, drinking and bars.

The best thing about partying in Reykjavík is that you have everything in one place and bars are within walking distance from each other. When you have put on your high heels and party hat, you should have no problems finding a pub, club or live venue that caters to your party needs. On weekdays most bars are open until 1am, with extended party hours from Thursday evening through the weekend, when bars can stay open until 3am or longer. Usually there is no entrance fee, queues are small and only a selected few places have dress codes. Please note that the legal drinking age in Iceland is TWENTY.

Bar-hopping is a very popular sport in Reykjavík, so don’t worry if you don’t like the first place you visit. You just hop from one bar to another until you find something you like! This allows you to meet a lot of nice people and listen to different genres of music.

The Reykjavík Guide to Shopping

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Thu, 19 Mar 2015 08:00:00 GMT

Reykjavík is probably not at the top your list of the best cities to shop. That is because the city is probably the best-kept secret of the cosmopolitan enthusiast. Prices are usually on par with those in New York and when it comes to high fashion or designer wares, Reykjavík prices are usually more reasonable. The cities residents are quite fashionable and you will have no trouble finding avant garde designer products to take home. Design could be considered a national obsession. Add to this the fact that all non-residents are entitled to a 15% tax-refund off a minimum purchase of ISK 4,000 in one store, making Reykjavík the perfect destination to quench your thirst for shopping.For the best shopping experience we recommend you check out the downtown area of the city, where you will find most of the shops and boutiques concentrated in a fairly small space. The city centre provides you with souvenirs, unique designer ware, restaurants, cafés, brand names, obscure fashion, second hand shops and, art studios, convenience stores and more.

In Reykjavík you will also find two quite large shopping malls.

The best places to shop in Reykjavík:

1. Laugavegur and Skólavörðustígur Streets

Laugavegur is the main shopping street in Reykjavík, and it is also the oldest. It has a collection of wonderful and interesting shops and exclusive stores, old and charming little houses and many great restaurants. Laugavegur is popular among tourists and locals alike.

Skólavörðustígur is a very chic street, one of the most attractive ones in Reykjavík. It runs from the corner of Laugavegur and Bankastræti up to the distinguished Hallgrímskirkja Church. This is the place to go if you are looking for Icelandic design, exotic arts and crafts, gourmet stores, jewellery, a furrier, woolen goods or beautiful photographs of Iceland. Opening hours: Most shops are open Mondays-Fridays 10am-18pm and Saturdays 10:00-16:00.

2. Kolaportið Flea Market

Top 10 Things to do in Reykjavík

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 08:00:00 GMT

Reykjavík City is a one of a kind destination. It is the northernmost capital of the world, a unique blend of metropolitan chic and country charm. Here you have all the hustle and bustle of a bigger city but add to that amazing nature that is only a stone’s throw away. From anywhere in the city you will have beautiful views of the deep blue sea or the magnificent mountains surrounding the city. We have made a list of 10 things you should not miss on your Reykjavík City Break.

1. Relax in a Geothermal Hot Tub

Swimming is very popular in the Icelandic culture and there are a many great swimming pools scattered around Reykjavík. Most of them are outdoors and swimming in the open air is a unique experience in all kinds of weather, no matter how cold it is. The pools are almost always fed with fresh, clear geothermal water and most of them also have one or more hot tubs and steam baths. Sitting in a hot tub, in the dark, during winter, when the temperature outside drops below zero, gazing at the stars, maybe spotting some Northern Lights, is an experience beyond compare. Locals also flock to the pools during summer to soak in the precious rays of sun. This is the cheapest spa experience you will get in Iceland.

2. Visit Hallgrímskirkja Church

3. Go on a Whale Watching Tour

4. Visit a museum

There are many interesting museums in Reykjavík. The National Museum is home to Icelandic historical treasures and displays artefacts from Settlement to the modern age. It gives an in-depth overview of Icelandic history, culture and heritage. If you are into more unconventional things, the Phallological Museum might spark your interest. This is a weird and wonderful place, especially if you are into eccentric and slightly creepy things. The museum is small, but it houses the world’s largest display of penises and penile parts. If your incline is more towards arts and beautiful things, you should visit the Reykjavík Art Museum.

5. Take a guided city walk

There are many interesting city walks offered in Reykjavík and you can pick the one that suits your needs. Having a local guide lead you through the city gives you a chance to get to know Reykjavík from a different angle.

6. Grab a hot dog

The Icelandic horse is a breed of horse developed in Iceland. Although the horses are small, they are not considered ponies. Icelandic horses are long-lived and hardy and they are so elegant, warm, cuddly and beautiful. An Icelandic horse has a strong personality and they are very charismatic. There are many riding tours offered from Reykjavík.

Thank you for reading our list of top things to do in Reykjavík. Hopefully you will be able to enjoy all these activities on your Reykjavík City Break or your Iceland Holiday. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you would like more information about the Land of Fire and Ice.

Best of Reykjavik: A Girls Guide to Design

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 08:00:00 GMT

March is a very important month in Iceland for culture and art as we celebrate the best of design from talented Icelandic designers. An event takes place in Reykjavík each year called DesignMarch. This year was the 7th Anniversary of the launch of DesignMarch that took place on March 12th to 15th.

We learn so much about Icelandic design during this great event that includes beautiful architecture, innovative graphic design, creative artwork, functional craftwork plus lots more. Over the duration of DesignMarch, people of Reykjavík have the opportunity to meet these talented designers and take a peek inside the studios of where the ‘magic’ happens.

TIP Never fear, March isn’t the only time to take in Icelandic design. You can visit Reykjavík’s fabulous fashion/design shops, museums, exhibitions, architecture and cafe’s all year round.

Icelandic Superstitions

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 10:06:00 GMT

For any superstitious person, Friday 13th can be a very unlucky day.

Just like having a black cat cross your path or seeing a lone magpie, the Icelanders have superstitions that have lived on for centuries and originate from Viking Norse Mythology.

You may be looking over your shoulder and feeling shivers running down your spine as you read about our ghosts, trolls, elves and more superstitious elements roaming the Icelandic countryside, but keep your fingers crossed for good luck this Friday 13th.New Paragraph

The Hidden People & Elves

Folklore in Iceland involve stories of the Hidden People. Hidden People are believed to look just like humans as they’re similar in size and shape. They are thought to live in hills, large rocks and cliffs.

The legend of the Hidden People began when God visited Adam and Eve. They were delighted to have God Almighty visit them and so they brought their children out to meet him. God asked Eve if she had any other children for him to meet by which she answered, “no”. She did have other children and lied as she didn’t get the chance to wash them before God arrived, so chose to hide the unwashed ones out of shame.

God knew this and was angry at Eve so he said, "What man hides from God, God will hide from man."

It is said that “only by the will and desire of the elves themselves if humans can ever see them.”

The hidden people can be friendly, but they can also be hostile. They reward those who are good to them, but they are also very vengeful if you do them harm or cross them in any way. Reader beware!

Trolls of Iceland

The legend of the Icelandic Trolls describes them as dumb, gigantic, man-eating creatures from Norse mythology. They lived in caverns in mountains and hollow hills. They were often described as ugly and evil creatures that fought alongside giants in the battle of Ragnarö, aka the end of the world. Trolls have evolved so they aren't as strong or blood thirsty as their ancestors (thank God).

It is still believed that Iceland is densely populated with many different types of trolls who can only travel by night. If they are exposed to sunlight they will turn to stone. Some female trolls have children with humans who look like humans but possess the power of magic from the parent troll. Today, they are still believed to live amongst humans, and other trolls are said to live in the most remote corners of Iceland.

Elves & Dwarves

DID YOU KNOW …. Over 52% of Icelanders still believe in the existence of elves.

Roads have been rerouted, and building plans have been redesigned or abandoned to avoid disturbing rocks where elves are said to live. All around the country, strange lava formations were once explained in folktales to be trolls who turned to stone when they were caught outdoors in daylight.

Ask any Icelander and they’ll tell you that one of the most magical nights of the year is New Years Eve. Cows gain human speech, seals take on human form, the dead rise from their graves, and the Elves move.

In Norse mythology, dwarfs were master craftsmen who lived underground. Two famous dwarfs are Brokkur and Sindri, who are known to make many magical objects for the Norse Gods, including Thor's hammer Mjölnir and Odin's magical ring Draupnir.

Icelandic dwarfs are described as small humanoids, less than half the size of a man. They are thought to live in holes under ground, under stones and sometimes in hollow trees. They can be hostile towards humans, but sometimes perform small labors for them. They are exceptionally skillful and make the most beautiful and often magical objects, which surpasses man-made objects by far.

Top 5 Icelandic Designers

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Thu, 12 Mar 2015 08:00:00 GMT

Iceland is a magical country that is filled with inspiration whichever way you turn. Between the Nordic Viking influence of the past, the breathtaking landscape all around, along with the culture and folklore of the land of Fire & Ice, Iceland is home to some fantastic artists, designers, writers, architects and overall creative individuals.

In celebration of DesignMarch, a fantastic design event that takes place in Reykjavík each year, we put together a list of our Top 5 Icelandic designers.

1. Bryndís Bolladóttir

She is a well known Textile Designer. She is an artist who runs her own production studio in Reykjavik. It’s easy to see from her craftwork that she is very much inspired by architecture, design and art. She creates functional and visual installations for various events and companies.

2. Vík Prjónsdóttir

This is an Icelandic based textile design company that shows its fascination with natural materials and craftsmanship. Iceland is a country that is full of mysterious energy, scenery and traditions. Prjónsdóttir has expressed the excitement of finding adventures where they are best hidden, incorporating that energy into their designs. This design company works almost exclusively with Icelandic sheep’s wool and works closely with traditional, local knitwear factories and producers to bring their designs to life.

3. Scintilla

Linda Björg Árnadóttir is the creative director to the home textiles company, Scintilla. As stated in scintillalimited.com, Scintilla brings avant-garde ideas from fashion to home decor. Linda bloomed in the Paris fashion industry for years before bringing her strong graphic design onto a range of products for the home, readily available in Scintilla both online and in stores. Her home products range from towels, pillows, bedding and much more.

4. Volki

Volki is an Icelandic home decor company owned by designers Elísabet Jónsdóttir and Olga Hrafnsdóttir. They use Icelandic materials to create their furniture and homeware products.

5. Besla

This is an Icelandic label specializing in organic and recycled clothing and textiles for children. Brynja Emils is the fabulous designer behind the label and she designs all her products with conservation and the environment in mind. Located in Reykjavik, this artist can be found in her Workshop on Brautarholt.

DesignMarch Exhibition Highlights

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Thu, 12 Mar 2015 08:00:00 GMT

This week we’re all about DesignMarch! This fantastic fashion, textile and creative design event is taking place in Reykjavik from 12th to 15th March. Iceland’s top designers are exhibiting their creative work across many different locations around the city.

Reykjavik City Break Highlights

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 08:00:00 GMT

Reykjavík is perfect for a memorable, fun weekend city break. Whether you want to relax in luxury, indulge in retail therapy, find adventure or sample the great food and nightlife, it is literally the coolest place to be. Here are some highlights.

The Reykjavik Guide for Design Lover

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Mon, 09 Mar 2015 08:00:00 GMT

Reykjavík is the Northernmost Capital of the World and the coolest city in Europe. This month is DesignMarch in Reykjavik, and if you’re one of the lucky visitors coming to Iceland this month (or any month) let us guide you through the most interesting, artistic parts of the city.

Street Art

Some countries call it graffiti, but not Iceland! Strolling through Reykjaviík you’ll come across the most amazing street art by extremely talented artists, rivalling the likes of Banksy.

Reykjavík is a relatively small city with a population of 118,000, so when you visit take to the streets by foot and look around.

Street art is scattered among many of it’s buildings, one of which features The Mushroom by artist Sara Riel. This was painted by Sara in 2012 on Hverfisgata street.

“Part of a series of murals that all deal with the theme “Natural Kingdoms”—the kingdom of fungi, in this case.” - cntraveler.com

You will find these amazing portraits painted by the artist Guido Van Helten, on the Loftkastalinn building on the West end of Reykjavik. Once a theatre, it now serves as a film studio.

Take a look at our Inspire your heart with art blog where we showcased more great street art from Iceland.

Architecture

Something else you will notice on your walk around the Icelandic capital will be the quirky and colourful architecture.

Harpa

Harpa is the modern magnificent National Concert Hall designed by Henning Larsen Architects in collaboration with Batteríið Architects and Studio Ólafur Elíasson. In 2013 Harpa won the prestigious European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award.

Visit Harpa.is to find out more.

Book the Reykjavík Dinner Cruise and see the spectacular Harpa Concert Hall as you cruise past. Visit tripcreator.com for more information.

Museums

Museum of Design and Applied Art

The Museum of Design and Applied Art is is one of the must see places to get a taste of Icelandic design. During DesignMarch (12th to 15th March) the Museum will host exhibitions ranging from graphic design to product design and design history.

SPARK Design Space

SPARK is Iceland’s only design gallery which plays host to a series of exhibitions and events, especially during DesignMarch. This year SPARK’s DesignMarch exhibitions will have an emphasis on food design. SPARK will host work from both local and international designers. SPARK gallery is also home to a design shop and plays a major role as a host to design events.

Reykjavík Art Museum

Reykjavík Art Museum Kjarvalsstaðir first opened in 1973, and is named after the beloved painter of Iceland, Jóhannes S. Kjarval. As stated in icelanddesign.is, Kjarval was a living legend, a romantic bohem who captured the beauty and mystique of the land which he so intimately knew.

When you visit the Reykjavík Art Museum, you will be able to see a large part of Kjarval’s art collection.

Icelandic Winter Games

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 08:00:00 GMT

The Icelandic Winter Games starts today, March 6th - 14th. The Winter Games includes exciting, scary and adrenaline pumping ski competitions on the northernmost slopestyle free ski of the season. Akureyri is the ski capital of Iceland and often described as a lively, energetic town located in the North of the country.

The Best of Icelandic Design

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 08:00:00 GMT

Iceland is a cultural and creative country, home to many brilliant artists, designers, musicians, architects and more. This month we have DesignMarch to look forward to. It takes place in the most Northerly capital in the World, Reykjavik, from March 12th to 15th, and is full of creative inspiration for you to get your teeth into.

Name That Movie

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Thu, 05 Mar 2015 17:26:00 GMT

Were you able to Name That Movie?

It was Journey to the Centre of the Earth!

This Icelandic based science fiction novel was written in 1864 by Jules Verne.

The story involves a professor who believes there are volcanic tubes going toward the Centre of the Earth. He descends into the Icelandic volcano Snæfellsjökull, encountering many adventures along the way.

In 1959 Journey to the Centre of the Earth was made into a film starring James Mason. The film was remade in 2008 by director Eric Brevig, starring Brendan Fraser and Josh Hutcherson.

Well done everyone!

Join us for more fun campaigns, social media competitions and general entertainment.

Spectacular Solar Eclipse in Iceland

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 13:50:00 GMT

We’re counting down to the spectacular Solar Eclipse seen from Reykjavik on Friday, March, 20th. You can witness this magical event for yourself!

At TripCreator, we work with fantastic tour operators around Iceland to give our visitors the best experiences Iceland has to offer. One of these great tour operators is SpecialTours.is, and they are planning a tour to see the Solar Eclipse by boat!

Would you rather?

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Fri, 27 Feb 2015 19:59:00 GMT

It's time for a game of Would you rather?

Would you rather meet a polar bear in the Icelandic glaciers OR come face to face with spitting, firey lava on an Icelandic volcano ?

A tough decision, we know.

Thanks for playing, stay tuned for the results on Monday, 2nd March.

Iceland’s Fairytale Adventures

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Thu, 26 Feb 2015 08:00:00 GMT

Iceland is an eerily beautiful, beguiling place, so it’s no surprise the country boasts an impressive folk and fairytale tradition which is very much alive today. More than half the population refuse to deny the existence of huldufólk, or ‘hidden people’, which also includes elves, dwarves, trolls, spirits and gnomes. Stone piles marking hidden people’s homes are everywhere, and many a garden hosts an álfhóll (elf house) to keep invisible friends happy.

The Reykjavík Food and Fun Festival 2015

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 11:33:00 GMT

This afternoon The Food and Fun Festival will open in Reykjavík for the 14th time and will be going strong from February 25th - March 1st. This annual event brings together 31 amazing chefs from all over the world who will show their culinary expertise in seventeen of the finest restaurants in Reykjavík City. The festival combines great culinary talent with fresh local ingredients, Icelandic outdoor adventure and the hot Reykjavík nightlife to create the ultimate recipe for fun.

The Amazing Hot Springs of Iceland

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 08:00:00 GMT

Iceland is known as the country of fire and ice. That’s because this amazing country has nearly 130 volcanic mountains, 18 of which have erupted since the arrival of the viking settlers in the 9th Century.

With all of Iceland’s geothermal activity, we have these magnificent hot springs and geysers all over the country. Some of these you can bathe in, and some you definitely cannot as temperatures can reach boiling point.

Here’s a list of must-see Hot Springs when you visit Iceland

The Blue Lagoon

If you’re looking for a luxury spa break in Iceland, you will be thrilled to visit the most iconic mineral spa in the world, the Blue Lagoon . Surrounded by volcanic landscape, this milky blue pool gets its colour from crystallised minerals in the water. Temperatures can reach up to 38° C, and the minerals help cleanse the skin. Some even say it helps skin ailments like psoriasis. The treatments on offer within the facility will leave you feeling relaxed in surreal surroundings.

Find out more about the Blue Lagoon HERE .

Strokkur

Strokkur is one of the oldest Geysir’s located in the Geysir Geothermal Area in SouthWest Iceland.

Strokkur is a fountain geysir beside the Hvítá River and is Iceland's most famous geysir. Tourists flock to the Geysir Geothermal Area to witness the amazing eruptions of Strokkur, which erupts every 5-8 minutes blowing columns of water 15-20m into the air, sometimes even as high as 40m.

Top Tip You will find many other smaller hot springs and mud pools in this area.

DID YOU KNOW … The word geysir comes from Geysir, an erupting spring at Haukadalur. It is from the verb ‘geysa’ – to gush. Geysir has been dormant for years, but you can always count on his neighbour Strokkur to put on a show.

Laugarvatn Fontana

Laugarvatn Fontana are geothermal baths located just 29km away from Geysir and Strokkur. As you can guess, Icelanders and tourists alike come to Laugarvatn to take advantage of the warm geothermal pools and natural streams.

Reykjadalur

Reykjadalur is a hot spring just a short trip away from Reykjavik, near the town Hveragerði. Reykjadalur is a warm river that flows down this volcanic mountain. To get to this location it does involve a bit of a trek, but getting into the warm water of the river is definitely worth the wait.

TIP: You are out in the open with no changing facilities near by, so bring a towel and plan ahead.

Seljavallalaug

Seljavallalaug is Iceland’s best kept secret! You will find this man-made pool located in the south of Iceland. Constructed in the 1920’s, this pool gathers the hot water that trickles down from Eyjafjallajökull and is built into the mountainside in a narrow valley. This location is breathtaking. There are changing room facilities here so you can change and keep your belongings in the small building by the pool.

Seljavallalaug pool featured in the video of the pop song Never Back Down by Novastar.

Deildartunguhver is a fabulous hot spring in Reykholtsdalur, located in the West of Iceland. It has a very high flow rate for a hot spring as it launches 180 litres of water per second with temperatures reaching 97°C. This is the highest-flow hot spring in Europe!

Landmannalaugar

You will find Landmannalaugar Spring in the delightful Landmannalaugar Valley near the Capital area of Iceland. This valley is at the centre of the Icelandic Highlands.

Fun Fact - Landmannalaugar means 'the people's pools'.

You can bathe in the natural hot springs of the Landmannalaugar oasis, and you can also join in a gentle hike around this breathtaking area.

Take the tour of the valley when you book through TripCreator. The tour takes you through the Þjórsádalur Valley stopping at one of Iceland’s loveliest waterfalls, Hjálparfoss. From the warm pools of Landmannalaugar the tour takes you to the queen of active Icelandic volcanoes, Mount Hekla.

Top Tip Depending on the season and weather there is every chance you will see either the Midnight Sun or the Northern Lights.

Mývatn Nature Baths

The Mývatn Nature Baths is a spring for your Icelandic Trip Checklist! This glorious lagoon gets its water supply straight from the National Power Company’s borehole in Bjarnarflag. The water has a temperature of about 130°C when it arrives to the huge basin beside the lagoon itself forming an impressive, man-made hot spring.

Fun Fact - Altogether, the lagoon and the basin contain around 3.5 million litres of water with a temperature of 36 – 40°C.

The lagoon is man-made and contains a large amount of minerals and alkaline which makes it perfect for bathing.

Top Tip Avoid wearing jewellery made from brass or silver into the water as they can become black and damaged.

There are so many things to see and do on your trip to Iceland. Discover the possibilities with TripCreator.

Iceland's International Airport Wins Best Service in Europe

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 15:51:00 GMT

We are so proud to tell you that Iceland’s International Airport, Keflavik International, was voted as the top international airport in Europe for offering the best service! The airport is well deserving of the price as it offers outstanding service and a cozy atmosphere.

Road Trip in Iceland

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 08:00:00 GMT

Taking a road trip is a great way to see Iceland at your own pace and will give you a magical adventure in a land of jaw-dropping beauty that will amaze you at every turn. Route 1, or the Ring Road, is as the name suggests, a road that circles the entire island of Iceland, and along its way you will be treated to a variety of stunning landscapes, from lagoons to seascapes and lava fields to icebergs.

Iceland’s First Viking Temple in 1000 Years

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Fri, 20 Feb 2015 12:45:00 GMT

Iceland is a country founded by the vikings in 874 AD. They brought with them their pagan religion, Ásatrú, dedicated to the Norse Gods. Over a millenium ago Christianity surpassed the Icelanders viking pagan rituals as Christianity became their main religion.

Today, Valhalla is making a strong comeback with Ásatrú, as it’s one of Iceland’s fastest growing faiths!

True Icelandic Art

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Thu, 19 Feb 2015 13:42:00 GMT

Iceland is famous for many things: Whales, puffins, volcanoes, Bjork, amazing landscapes, the northern lights and much more.

One thing stands out... And that's true dance interpretation from the most unusual of places.

Cage fighting and interpretive dance are not often said in the same sentence but again, Iceland, the land of Fire and Ice is creating a first. With the combination of strength and power, the Icelandic cage fighters bring with their interpretation of the Sia song, Chandelier, a real sense of movement with controlled emotions throughout.

The effortless choreography by Gunnar Nelson shows an often unseen talent for him to touch his more subdued feminine side. Gunnar has put himself as the number one interpretive dance choreographer not only in Iceland but across the globe. If rumors are true his upcoming collaboration with Bjork will be a much anticipated event from the Land of Fire and Ice.

It would be wrong not to menition the performances of Árni " The Ice Viking " Ísaksson, Þráinn Kolbeinsson and Henning Jónasson. While this reviewer has never seen a cage fight I have witnessed one of the most powerful and exquisite performances by these men. My only regret is that the " Notorious " Conor McGregor wasn't available to add his flair and balletic skill to Gunnar's choreography. We can only look forward and hope to see them all together soon.

What Zodiac Animal Are You?

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Thu, 19 Feb 2015 11:05:00 GMT

Happy Chinese New Year!

It's officially the year of the Sheep. We love sheep in Iceland. We even have our own Icelandic Breed, so all you Sheeps out there, we salute you.

Bursting Day (Shrove Tuesday)

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 08:30:00 GMT

Today Icelanders celebrate Sprengidagur (Bursting Day). This day follows the indulgence of Bun Day, which is filled with delicious cream filled buns in abundance. Bursting Day is celebrated on Shrove Tuesday by feasting on heavily salted lamb and pea soup. The motto is: You eat until you burst.

Salted lamb, saltkjöt, can be bought in almost every store in the days before Bursting Day. There you will also find other ingredients for this traditional dish, including onions, yellow spilt peas, potatoes and carrots.

Adventure Couple Getaways in Iceland

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Sat, 14 Feb 2015 09:00:00 GMT

With its dramatic landscape and otherworldly beauty, Iceland is a place full of action and romance, the perfect location for an adventure couple holiday you will never forget. Here are a few great experiences for you to share:

Go where two worlds collide

Þingvellir National Park, where the continents of Eurasia and America meet, is eerily beautiful and geographically fascinating, a perfect place to spend time with your partner. Explore the surroundings in the romantic half-light of day, before retiring to your room - staff at your accommodation can wake you if the Northern Lights appear. Sitting under them with your partner in the middle of a vast wilderness is one of the most romantic, adventurous things you could ever do. To make it even more special you can snorkel or dive in the Silfra Fissure, one of Iceland's best kept secrets.

Ice, ice baby

Setting forth across lava fields and onto a sea of ice on one of Iceland’s glaciers is a unique experience, and there are few things better than sitting back like royalty while an expert guide drives you across a stunning white expanse in an all-terrain jeep. You can also head out on a thrilling snowmobile adventure. Or, why not swap horsepower for dog power, and take a romantic, exhilarating dogsled trip across Langjökull Glacier pulled by huskies?

Walking Back to Happiness

Northern Lights Adventures in Iceland

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 08:30:00 GMT

The Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, are an awe-inspiring natural phenomenon, and to see them in Iceland will make your trip unique and unforgettable. In terms of science, they are sheets of light caused by charged solar particles interacting with the Earth’s magnetic field. But in terms of beauty, they are simply a stunning sight - blankets of green, red or magenta dancing and weaving majestically across the sky. Because Iceland lies in the middle of the auroral zone, they can with luck be seen on almost any clear, dark night between October and April.

TripCreator’s Favourite Icelandic Adventures

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 09:00:00 GMT

A trip to Iceland is an adventure in itself, with so many amazing experiences to enjoy. You will find yourself in another world with these truly unique activities, any one of which will make you the envy of everybody you know. Here are our favourites:

Snowmobile tour on Langjökull Glacier

This exhilarating adventure is unmatched for sheer adrenaline-inducing fun combined with jaw-dropping natural beauty. Decked out in protective clothing, you will be led out onto the ice by experienced guides, where you can zoom across its vast expanse.

Scuba diving/snorkelling at the Silfra fissure

Diving into the –2° C water of the Silfra fissure in Þingvellir National Park, where the continents of America and Eurasia meet, is a breathtaking (no pun intended), unique experience. With 200 metre visibility in glacial waters, you will wonder at your surroundings and, best of all, be able to touch both continents at once!

Jeep tours

Taking to the roads in Iceland is great, but off-road, the terrain can get tricky, so a jeep tour is a perfect adventure holiday idea – expert drivers can take you to must-see sights, then bring you across lava fields and onto a glacier in a white-knuckle tour as thrilling as it is beautiful.

Horse Riding tour

The Icelandic horse has a unique gait that makes riding very comfortable, so you can relax while your trusty steed brings you into the interior to marvel at nature’s wonders in this magical environment. Tours range from two hours to several days.

Descend into a volcano

Iceland Fests in February

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Thu, 05 Feb 2015 16:49:00 GMT

Iceland is famous for their music, culture and art festivals. February is no exception as there are lots of festivities and fun taking place around the country, especially in Reykjavík City. Whether you love your food, love adventure or want to relax, there’s something for everyone this February in Iceland.

Breathtaking Wedding Photos in Iceland

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Wed, 04 Feb 2015 08:38:00 GMT

February is known as National Weddings Month, so we wanted to spread the love and give you some inspiration for your own big day (or honeymoon). We have found the most breathtaking wedding photos on the internet.

This is from an article by Taryn Hillin from the huffingtonpost.com . This fabulous photographer is Gabe McClintock.

This couple from America decided to elope to Iceland. The results of the photographs are really beautiful.

What to Expect on a Winter Trip in Iceland

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Mon, 02 Feb 2015 16:10:00 GMT

Winter in Iceland is a unique experience. A winter wonderland that is not as freezing as you would expect. The average temperature in Winter is never too far below 0°C/32°F.

TripCreator Feast of Thorri at the office

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Thu, 29 Jan 2015 13:10:00 GMT

The Feast of Thorri is in full swing. This is a time of happiness and merriment when Icelanders come together, enjoy the company of friends and family and feast on traditional Icelandic food. The food may not be for the faint of heart and it may play with your taste buds in a strange way, but it is certainly interesting. TripCreator staff took some precious time off from busy work this morning to enjoy these delicacies.

Sky’s Fortitude Filming in Iceland

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Thu, 29 Jan 2015 12:30:00 GMT

Fortitude is a 12 episode thriller centered on a mysterious death in the Arctic Circle, and Iceland has a major role as the cinematic backdrop. Some of the well known actors starring in Fortitude are Michael Gambon, Stanley Tucci, Christopher Eccleston, Sofie Gråbøl and Richard Dormer.

Top 5 Bakeries in Reykjavík

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 14:00:00 GMT

Today is Chocolate Cake Day so join us in the appreciation of this delicious treat. Here are Reykjavík's Top 5 Bakeries to try on your next visit to Iceland.

National Compliment Day Competition

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Fri, 23 Jan 2015 12:09:00 GMT

In honor of National Compliment Day (24th January), we want the BEST backhanded compliment from our Facebook and Twitter followers. A backhanded compliment is an insult that is disguised as a compliment.

Best Pie in Iceland

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Fri, 23 Jan 2015 09:00:00 GMT

In celebration of National Pie Day (23rd January), we want to take you on a journey to discover the Best Pie in Iceland. The best pizza pie that is. Eldofninn pizzeria is a fantastic family owned pizzeria located in Efstaland, Reykjavik. Read further, you might want to drop what you’re doing and take the trip of your life to taste the best pie in Iceland.

Season of The Northern Lights: Best places to see them

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Wed, 21 Jan 2015 08:00:00 GMT

We’ve talked about the Northern Lights many times here on TripCreator, as it is one of Iceland's greatest treasures. The Aurora Borealis is seen in the dark Winter Months over Iceland, best seen outside of the Capital City, Reykjavik. Although if the setting is just right, the Northern Lights might shine through even there.

Winter Festivals in Iceland

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 09:00:00 GMT

The Icelandic winter is long and dark, so the country’s many festivals play an important part in bringing communities together to have fun and eat well. They range from cool to quirky and most involve food, for the soul as well as the stomach, and here are a few…

Top 5 Restaurants in Reykjavik

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 09:00:00 GMT

Reykjavik is the Capital city of Iceland, located on the SouthWest of the country. It is the World's Northernmost Capital of a Sovereign State with a population of about 120,000. It is known as the heart of Iceland’s culture.

Reykjavik is known for its weekend nightlife where bars and clubs stay open till 4.30am. It’s no surprise that Reykjavik is home to famous restaurants and fabulous food either. On your visit to Iceland, be sure to try out these Top 5 Restaurants in Reykjavik and experience Iceland’s modern food culture.

FACT: Reykjavik is amongst the cleanest, greenest and safest cities in the World.

1. Þrír Frakkar

This seafood restaurant is not big and it may not look fancy, but it is definitely one of the best in Reykjavik. Owner-chef Úlfar Eysteinsson has built up an impeccable reputation of creating stunning seafood dishes, his speciality. Rumor has it that this snug little restaurant has become a favourite of Jamie Oliver’s. Specialities range throughout the aquatic world from salt cod and halibut to plokkfiskur (fish stew) with black bread. The restaurant also offers non-fish items such as guillemot, horse, lamb and whale.

2. Grillmarkaðurinn

You do not go there to eat, you go for the experience. From the moment you enter the glass atrium with the golden globe lights and feast your eyes on the interior and throughout your meal you will be in awe. Service is exquisite and the food makes magic with your taste buds: locally sourced Icelandic ingredients prepared with culinary imagination by master chefs.

TOP TIP: The tasting menu is an extravaganza of their best dishes.

3. Sægreifinn

It doesn't get more local than this. Located in a green harbour-side shack is this wonderful little place that offers the city’s most famous lobster soup. You can also choose other delicacies from a fridge full of delicious fish skewers to be grilled on the spot.

4. Sushi Samba

This interesting restaurant offers a unique fusion of Japanese and South-American cuisine combined with the freshness of Icelandic ingredients. The decor is colourful and fun, which just adds to the wonderful dining experience.

5. Dill Restaurant

The Feast of Thorri (Thorrablot)

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 09:00:00 GMT

Living on an isolated island in the North Atlantic can be quite desolate when the long Winter arrives, so having a sense of community, no matter how small that community was, has always been very important to Icelandic people. Nothing brings people together more than food, and the Feast of Thorri has been helping people through the darkest days for centuries.

Weird and wonderful food in Iceland

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Mon, 12 Jan 2015 10:00:00 GMT

Traditionally, living in a place as remote as it is, Icelanders have had to make do with eating what was around them. This has led to some curious dishes, some good, some not so good…

Hákarl

Iceland enjoys great stocks of fresh fish, but what few try is hákarl – cubes of fermented shark meat with a disturbingly strong taste. It’s one to tick off your bucket list, but those with a weak stomach may want to hold on to that bucket.

Pickled ram’s testicles

A paté with an interesting flavour, or a pressed cake with a curious crunchy texture can be quite nice, as long as you don’t think about the source ingredient. We can’t be sure why someone first tried this, but they were brave.

Boiled sheep’s head

Icelandic people faced tough times over the centuries, so when an animal was to be eaten, every part was used, which has led to this rather unpleasant specialty. If you don’t like being watched while you eat, best not opt for this.

Puffin (Lundi)

Smoked or grilled, these seabirds can be quite tasty, if a little gamey, as long as you don’t feel guilty about munching on the cute creatures. Take comfort in the fact that there are a lot of them, and if you can’t, try the guillemot.

Fish heads

Specifically the cheek or chin of cod, is deemed the tastiest part of the fish, and Icelandic people lap them up. Try them and you will understand why.

Not all of the traditional dishes are weird

Some are wonderful. Icelandic smoked lamb (hangikjot) is exquisite. As free range as you can get, lamb and sheep roam free all summer, eating grass and herbs to give a deliciously aromatic meat. Smoked with birch wood, the result is a treat.

Skyr

Is it a yoghurt or a cheese? Who cares – this creamy treat tastes as good as it is good for you. Filled with protein, calcium and vitamins, there is nothing about this not to like, and no holiday to Iceland is complete within sampling it.

Icelandic Winter Traditions

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Fri, 09 Jan 2015 11:48:00 GMT

Iceland shares many winter traditions with the rest of the world, but as an independent and isolated country, it also has a few unique customs that help make it stand out as a magical place to visit on a weekend break or holiday, full of fun and folklore at this time of year.

Guest Blog - Breathtaking Aerial Pictures of Iceland by Sarah Martinet

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 09:52:00 GMT

Photographer Sarah Martinet

We found these breathtaking aerial views of the Icelandic landscape taken by photographer, Sarah Martinet. Looking through these images it will spark a visit to Iceland... especially for Lord of the Rings lovers and Troll believers.

Is this middle earth?

Why We Love Iceland (And You Will, Too!)

Tue, 30 Dec 2014 09:55:00 GMT

Iceland is such a magical country with lots to offer every kind of traveller and native. Boasting a Wonder of the World, home to the amazing Aurora Borealis, and 11% of the country is still in the Ice Age with great Glaciers and Snow capped mountains, it sounds like a setting from a J.R.R. Tolkien novel.

8 Christmas Frights and Freaks

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Thu, 18 Dec 2014 14:45:00 GMT

Christmas is just around the corner and people of the world start celebrating, each in their own way. Most of us consider the Christmas holidays to be a time of joy, filled with song and light and love. In some countries, this merriment has a dark side as well. Let’s take a look at some of the Christmas Frights and Freaks from around Europe and the world.

Fun Facts About Iceland

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Tue, 16 Dec 2014 15:00:00 GMT

Did you know…

Iceland was the chosen destination for scenes in many famous movies. Recognise any of these (to name a few):

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), Starring Angelina Jolie. Most of the Icelandic scenes were shot on a glacier, and on icy lagoons full of floating icebergs.
Die Another Day (2002), Starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry, was shot primarily in the United Kingdom, Iceland, and Spain.
Batman Begins (2005), Starring Christian Bale, began filming in the Vatnajökull glacier in Iceland. The crew built a village and the front doors to Ra's' temple, as well as a road to access the remote area.
Faust (2011), Starring Johannes Zeiler and Anton Adasinsky, has some astonishing shots of Iceland’s geysers.
Game of Thrones (2011), “The wild and mystical landscapes of Iceland and harsh weather set the dramatic stage for the land beyond the Wall in Game of Thrones” - filminiceland.com
Prometheus (2012), “Under the active Icelandic volcano Hekla and at Europes most powerful waterfall, Dettifoss in the North Iceland, Ridley Scott discovered the prehistoric extraterrestrial landscape suited to create the right atmosphere for his film Prometheus” - filminiceland.com
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013), Starring Ben Stiller featured Iceland in all it’s glory in a leading role
Oblivion (2013), Starring Tom Cruise was shot in part in the Icelandic Highlands and Vatnajökull National Park
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), “An impressive Iceland black beach with rock formations gives a stark volcanic feeling to a key scene in the film” - filminiceland.com
Noah (2014), Starring Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly and Anthony Hopkins was in part shot in Iceland
Interstellar (2014), Icelandic glaciers and barren landscape were considered well suited for this film starring Matthew McConaughey
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), has shot scenes for Star Wars ‘Hoth’ in the Langjökull glacier in Iceland.

Interesting Facts About Iceland

In the Summer, the sun shines almost directly on the upper part of the planet, causing 20 hours of sunlight, which is why Iceland is called Land of the Midnight Sun.
The country of Iceland is 103,000 sq. km which is quite large, but there are only 3 people per sq. km. Most of Iceland’s energy comes from Hydroelectricity.
The currency of Iceland is the Icelandic Kronur.
Snæfellsjökull appeared in the Jules Verne Novel, “The Journey to the Centre of the Earth”. This Volcano last erupted about 1750 years ago.
In the Middle Ages, the Westfjords of Iceland were a stronghold of Witchery and Magic.
In the late 1600s, 20 sorcerers and witches were condemned in this area.
Mývatn is an amazing natural phenomenon host to Volcanoes, Hot springs and Lava-fields, a variety of Birdlife and plenty of mýflugur (mosquito).
It’s so full of bustling alga-culture that it can’t be seen from the air.
Dettifoss is the most powerful Waterfall in Europe.

That’s it for now. We hope you learned something new about our great country.

Worst Advice We've Ever Heard About Travel Planning

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Mon, 15 Dec 2014 13:15:00 GMT

We naturally look for advice when planning a holiday, especially to a country we have never been to. But not all of that advice is good - some can be misleading or overly cautious, and can affect your enjoyment. Here are some of the worst suggestions we have heard.

The Magic of The Northern Lights

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Fri, 12 Dec 2014 10:30:00 GMT

Iceland is rich in natural beauty and is even host to one of the Wonders of the World, the Gullfoss Waterfall. The Northern Lights are one of these natural beauties that the Land of Fire and Ice has to offer. So just what exactly are the Northern Lights?

13 Icelandic Yule Lads: Naughty or Nice?

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Fri, 12 Dec 2014 09:17:00 GMT

Icelandic children do not receive visits from the well-known Santa Claus around Christmas. You should not feel sorry for them though because Icelandic children enjoy favours from the 13 Icelandic Yule Lads. These guys are mischievous characters who take turns visiting the children on the 13 nights preceding Christmas.

The Icelandic Winter Travel Planning Checklist

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Thu, 11 Dec 2014 10:25:00 GMT

You have booked your winter break to Iceland, but what do you need to bring to help make your holiday as magical as possible? Here are a few things to put on your list; now all you need to do is go enjoy it.

5 Icelandic Adventures for Your Bucket List

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Mon, 08 Dec 2014 11:00:00 GMT

Iceland is full of wonders, a land still evolving amidst ice and fire, with unmissable sights at every turn. Befitting the landscape, this is also a place of adventure and romance. There is so much to do in this fantastic country it is difficult to choose one experience over another, but here are my five must-see, must-do activities:

Tour The Golden Circle

This day-long tour takes in the ‘big three’ of Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss. The first marks where the tectonic plates of America and Eurasia separate to form a geological no man’s land. Geysir is the original hot spring from which all others take their name, while Gullfoss is a simply breathtaking waterfall. Each is a wonder, but you can see all three in one day – perfect for a short break.

Look to the skies

Between October and March, Iceland enjoys great views of the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, a magical display of colours caused by solar particles hitting the Earth’s magnetic field. Take a tour to the dark interior and watch in awe as the universe puts on a stellar display to take your breath away.

And there you have the 5 Icelandic Adventures for Your Bucket List. If you want to know more about Iceland and what this great country has to offer, download our eBook, Iceland Made Easy .

Photos by Moyan Brenn

10 Quick Tips for Visiting Iceland

asgeir@tripcreator.com (Ásgeir Fannar Ásgeirsson) — Tue, 04 Nov 2014 12:40:00 GMT

Iceland is a place like no other and will give you a unique holiday to remember, but you can be forgiven for not knowing much about this far-off island in the North Atlantic. Knowing what to expect can make your dream getaway even better, so whatever you plan to do on your trip...

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