Talk to any Icelandic person for long enough, and they’ll complain that their country is becoming overrun with tourists. They call it “the Game of Thrones effect.” Whenever this happened to me during my time in Iceland this summer, I felt I ought to apologise for contributing to the tourism boom. But I found I just couldn’t. The people are extremely gay-friendly, the landscape makes you feel like a speck on the planet, and it’s been voted the most relaxing place in the world. No wonder we Brits can’t keep away.
Succumbing to the Iceland charm, I spent a few weeks in the country over the summer, staying with an Icelandic girl I’d met. My days consisted of hours driving through the countryside, scarcely passing another car, or sitting in hot tubs contemplating life. It was nice to explore the country at such a slow pace, but if you don’t have weeks to spare, fear not: Iceland is the perfect destination for a long weekend.