The little country with the big tourism marketing imagination has given us tips on getting a date with an Icelander and ugly sweaters, but now Iceland is even coming up with some seriously good reasons for us to visit in the next couple of months. Aside from the bank failure, of course.

· Reykjavik International Film Festival
It runs from September 17 to 27 this year, it's full of excellent films and even the chance to catch the glow of the Northern Lights. ]]> amandak 2009-08-18T09:41:31-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/7/10/162349/362

Iceland has had a rough year. While tourism might now be booming, the country's main banks and currency collapsed earlier in the year, leaving the North Atlantic Island's econonmy and government in perpetual crisis mode. Not to mention in debt to various European countries.

There is some good news on the horizon in that Iceland is beginning talks to join the European Union which could greatly help them out. But it couldn't hurt for Icelanders to go hunting for a pot of gold at end of this rainbow, snapped by Jaunted Flickr member Chris Gold, at the Gullfoss Waterfalls. (Yes, we know it's corny but we couldn't resist!)

Got your own travel snapshot? Share it with us in the Jaunted Flickr Pool

Related Stories:
· Iceland Says Tourism is Booming, We Say Let's Go [Jaunted]
· Get the vapors at Iceland's Blue Lagoon [Jaunted]]]> juliana 2009-07-10T16:46:07-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/6/3/142146/3791

Last one in's a rotten egg! We're finding the best places in the world to stick our toes in this summer (or next winter) for our World's Coolest Pools map. Know of any pools we must check out? Let us know.

It's just what the doctor ordered: A thermal pool known for its health benefits and a 19th-century-style spa that once did double duty as an "Amazing Race" pit stop, but it's perfectly safe for the less adventurous too.

Time was aristocrats would flood the small towns built around natural pools and springs to "take the waters," advertised as good for sickly children or hysterical females (Lohan?). Now the rest of us can rub shoulders at the Blue Lagoon Spa with the rich and famous—like Dave Grohl, who compared it to a scene from "Apocalypse Now"—at a sightly reduced price. ]]> egw 2009-06-03T15:55:42-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/4/23/7331/83175

We've been fans of zany Iceland for a long time now, and correctly tipped that it's the new budget destination - and now we hear that tourism in Iceland is going through a boom.

The Icelandic banking crisis and drop in currency value might mean that there are less locals sitting in the pubs these days, but it has made it much more affordable for tourists to pop over, with cheap fares from both the US and Europe. Tourism board director Oloef Yrr Atladottir (pronounce that!) actually sounds pleased that his nation's no longer classified as an expensive destination, and we couldn't agree more.

It's all landscape in Iceland: hot springs, geysers, waterfalls, glaciers and volcanoes. Getting out to these places is cheaper now and there are deals galore to attract tourists, with the hope we'll prop up the local economy a bit. Ever since we read about how to get a date with an Icelander we've been craving a trip to Iceland, so maybe we'll jump on the boom's coat-tails and try it out.

Flights from the US are cheap right now - for example, Icelandair flies from JFK to Reykjavik for $455 return. With places like the Hilton Reykjavik offering last-minute rooms for 12,700 koruna (under $100), there are plenty of incentives to get there now, before the boom breaks.

Related Stories:
· Iceland Tourism Booms as Currency Plummets [The Age]
· Iceland Invites You To Take Advantage Of Its Economic Misfortunes [Jaunted]
· Iceland Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: taivasalla] ]]> amandak 2009-04-23T16:16:42-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/1/26/153416/807

With so much travel news flying around, we don't always have time to give every story big play. Here's more of the day's news, in brief.

· Teams for Amazing Race Season 14: The list of teams competing in the newest season of "Amazing Race" include screenwriter Mike White ("School of Rock") and his father, a gay activist. Also on the show will be stuntmen, flight attendants and a few students. [HitFix]

· Iceland Still in Turmoil: The troubled nation's coalition government collapses. [MSNBC]

· Free Airline Tickets to Africa: That's free tickets for your companions we mean. Ethiopian Airlines is offering this deal from DC's Dulles airport to 32 destinations in Africa from Feb. 1 to March 30th as a way to celebrate President Barack Obama. [Time]

· 6,200 Jobs Cut: It was the day of layoffs. Sprint, Home Depot and General Motors all announced layoffs. When the unemployment rate goes up, the travel industry goes down. Things look dark for the future. [NY Times]

· Oklahoma To Get Serious Winter Storms: Sadly, the bad weather had to come in town just as AC/DC kicks off their now appropriately-named "Black Ice Tour." [USA Today, Bam's Blog]

[Photo via HitFix]]]> juliana 2009-01-26T16:56:23-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/11/12913/085

While pretty much the entire world took a bath in the financial markets last week, few countries got hit harder than Iceland. The elf-filled North Atlantic island saw its currency plummet, its three biggest banks fail, and its stock exchange close due to "unusual market conditions." But while the acute economic meltdown represents one of the biggest challenges the country has faced in generations, it also creates a great opportunity for travelers who had heretofore been dissuaded from visiting Iceland due to its notoriously lofty prices. Better still, rather than viewing opportunistic tourists as vultures swarming over carrion, the nation is welcoming them - and what little cash they have in their pockets - with open arms.

]]> Victor Ozols 2008-10-11T12:09:13-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/22/64447/4893

In the past, we've had no qualms about saying we like the blog of budget airline Iceland Express. Who wouldn't be pleased to get tips on getting a date with an Icelander or making your own sock movie?

But now this crazy gang have gone too far. In a recent post, they very strongly recommended that we buy a Lopapeysa to wear while we're visiting Iceland (and to proudly show off at home, too). A Lopapeysa is a traditional Icelandic sweater, but take one look at the picture and you know why this hasn't caught on around the world.

Worse than that, they're usually priced from €100 to €200 (US$150-$300) which we think is kind of a high price to pay to look this out of style.

Related Stories:
· Five Things to Remember When Visiting Iceland [Iceland Express Blog]
· It's Official: Iceland Socks [Jaunted]
· Iceland Express Impresses [Jaunted]

[Photo: jillhudgins]
]]> amandak 2008-08-22T09:00:14-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/