My co-author and frequent collaborator, Cameron Hewitt, is well-traveled, smart, and insightful. And, while he and I are in perfect sync in our travel styles and priorities, he gives voice to the next generation of "Rick Steves travelers.
For those of us addicted to international travel, March 18 brought some intriguing news: Iceland opened its borders to people who have been vaccinated against COVID Suddenly, an overseas trip โ to a steaming, insanely scenic, puffin-populated, near-Arctic island, no less โ is a real possibility. I love Iceland. So, for antsy travelers-in-waiting, should Iceland be our first trip back overseas? That gives us a little time to decide. Here are some considerations. For me, the first question is an ethical one: Would I be doing more harm than good by visiting Iceland this summer?
Iceland is reopening its borders because, economically, they need tourism to return. This winter, my wife and I spent some time in a place similar to Iceland โ an isolated locale with relatively low COVID rates, hoping to keep it that way while opening up to visitors. We went there only because we were confident we could adhere to rigorous precautions masking, social distancing, and so on.
In the end, it went great. The unanimous sense we got from locals was that they genuinely appreciated visitors who buoyed their economy โ provided those visitors respected the rules and shared their commitment to keep the community safe.
But unselfish rule-followers are more than welcome. This ties into what I hope will be a trend in post-pandemic travel: Being a thoughtful guest. Iceland is user-friendly. The downsides are the cold weather, even in summer bundle up ; and the high expense but budget-minded visitors find ways to manage their costs. Visitors also must preregister online. Iceland requests that visitors download and activate the national contact-tracing app. The CDC is currently discouraging travel, even for the vaccinated.
