Iceland

“Music chronicles the times: the feeling of the times, the emotion of the times,” spoke Snorri Helgason while sipping from a mug of coffee inside of a Reykjavik cafe. “It just makes people feel good,” he continued as he set down the mug, “that is what music does for me, and I hope my music does to others.”

In his native Iceland, Snorri Helgason rose to stardom fast as the front man for the pop band Sprengjuhöllin. Their first album spent 27 weeks at #1 on the country’s music charts. This is the story of how Helgason rose from the ashes after obtaining national stardom, and has taken his show on the road to stages all over the world.

“Many NGOs and anti-whaling countries see the oceans as some sort of giant zoo or sanctuary. But we look upon the ocean as a resource which we have a right and obligation to utilize in a sustainable manner for both ourselves and future generations.” -Tomas Heidar, Iceland’s whaling commissioner “Whaling is part of our existence. If the EU [...]

How to Enroll in a Study Abroad Program in Iceland There are many opportunities for foreign students to study abroad in Iceland. There are three main ways to go about enrolling in an Icelandic studies program: 1) Go to an Icelandic university, 2) Go to a university in your home country that has a program [...]

Icelandic culture seems to be as extreme as the weather of the country itself: kind and soft spoken men can quickly turn into ranging vikings plowing through a crowd on the way to the bar, and otherwise astute women can transform into raging beasts on the prowl at the turn of a switch.

Volunteering for room and board is a common arrangement in Iceland. Travelers all across the country are living free by working for a handful of hours per day on ranches, farms, and doing environmental conservation work.

The University of Iceland offers two options for foreign students looking to study Icelandic. The first is a full on university course where a B.A. is awarded and the second is non-matriculated instruction that will provide you with the basics of the language.

Reykjavik (airport code: REK) is quickly becoming a major budget airline hub in Western Europe. It is possible to fly from Boston or JFK to Iceland for under $250, and many airlines are routing passengers through Reykjavik on their way to mainline Europe to keep the cost down.

Iceland has to be one of the easiest countries in the world for hitchhiking. The society is generally trusting, accommodating, and, best yet, they stop for hitchhikers. In fact, thumbing a ride is a very common way for travelers to get across Iceland.

Good luck trying to find a job teaching English in Iceland — television has already done your job for you. A very high percentage of Icelanders speak English to various degrees of fluency. This is a country where intro level English teachers are truly not needed.