10 of the best things to do in the Faroe Islands

Over four years ago, I bought a double-decker bus with three friends. We dreamed of converting it into a mobile hostel where we could travel and take people with us on our adventures. We thought it was the perfect combination of our passions for entrepreneurship, adventure, and traveling.

Finland has done it again. The 2024 World Happiness Report is out, and for the seventh year in a row, Finland has been named the happiest country in the world.

Iceland has declared a state of emergency and started evacuating tourists from impacted regions following another volcanic eruption over the weekend.

A volcano in Iceland has erupted for the fourth time in three months, with this being the most powerful so far.

The Scotland-based company Slow Adventure advocates a more mindful approach to activity holidays. Options include climbing and yoga in the Italian Alps, mountain biking in Sweden and horse riding and rambling in Iceland. On the Finnish Happiness trip, guests stay in log cabins by a lake in Lapland and activities include canoeing under the midnight sun, hiking, swimming, swamp foraging and daily saunas. On all trips, 5% of the fee goes to local conservation projects, which in Finland could mean helping protect the rare Saimaa ringed seal, preserving forests or supporting a children’s environmental charity.From £876 for five nights, slow-adventure.com

It is said that when Norse explorer Ingólfur Arnarson and his wife Hallveig Fróðadóttir threw some wooden posts from their ship in AD878 they floated to a bay covered with steaming springs, hence the name Reykjavík, or “stormy bay”, and that’s where Arnarson decided to settle. I am here researching women in Icelandic sagas for my next book, and our two small children have accompanied me, with their father sharing childcare.

Witnessing the natural phenomenon of the aurora borealis belongs on every traveler’s bucket list. But determining where to see the northern lights is a complex matter—actually encountering the majestic and alien-ish green and purple glow of the night sky is not only about location, but also timing (December to March is ideal in many instances; August through April in other parts), positioning (typically from latitudes 65 to 72 degrees North), and plain ol’ luck (a clear, dark, and cloud-free sky).

Somewhere between Iceland and the fictitious kingdom of Westeros sits the land that time forgot. On a map it’s called Greenland (aka the world’s largest island), model habitat for the Game of Thrones’ White Walkers. Arrive here in early March and green is the last color that comes to mind, however, for the landscape palette is decidedly white, save for a few gray rocks that nose their way out of the ermine blanket of snow. It’s a land where ancient muskox still roam as they have for 60,000 years, undoubtedly waiting for the next great extinction to see what new cast of characters will emerge.

There’s exciting news for those looking to discover the increasingly popular Faroe Islands in 2024; this unique destination will soon be more accessible following Icelandair’s newest route expansion.

Birgir Jónsson is well aware of how a budget airline's fortunes can quickly turn around.

Digital nomadism has shot up in popularity recently. While many destinations have simple citizenship requirements in place, the country a person hails from can still significantly impact their travel opportunities.

Followers may be more familiar with her alter ego, Accidental Icon, but Lyn Slater’s credentials go far beyond being fashionable. The former professor and social worker has spent the past decade using the moniker to turn our perception of style and aging on its head. Scroll through her Instagram feed or blog, and you'll find Slater decked out in designer duds, interspersed with fashion campaigns for Hermés and Dior, and sponsored posts for luxury brands like Net-a-Porter, Kate Spade, and Moncler. Slater speaks of this life stage with gratitude for the opportunities it's provided—like access to a wealth of influential people in the fashion industry and travel experiences in new destinations—but always from a place of removal. The Accidental Icon is not her, says Slater. It's a persona.Now in her 70s, Slater says she has closed her chapter as an influencer and is embracing a new one. One where she is still undeniably fabulous and no-less influential, but has traded in her New York city apartment for a home upstate (where she is writing a monthly column for her local paper), her signature red lipstick and large statement earrings for a subtler wardrobe, and the title of “influencer” for “writer” and “grandmother.”