Icelanders Flock to Sunny Beaches

Many Icelanders choose to spend Christmas where the weather is warm and daylight is in abundance. With Christmas and New Year’s Day being mid-week this year,  people get unusually many days off from work during the holidays, causing numerous people to decide to spend the vacation abroad.

As in previous years, the most popular destinations are Tenerife and other parts of the Canary Islands. The travel agencies Vita, Úrval Útsýn and Heimsferðir all offer trips there over Christmas. Most of those sold out many months ago – some as early as in June.

Travel agents agree that the long vacation this year made people plan earlier than usual, but add that Christmas has long been a popular time to visit sunny destination, since Icelanders like getting a break from the darkness of winter. Besides, travelers enjoy being able to escape the stress that accompanies the holidays.

Not all the travelers choose to visit warm beaches, though. Ski trips to Austria, offered by Úrval Útsýn, are popular as well. Yet others choose to go with the travel agency Norræna on a cruise in the Caribbean. That one sold out in May.