Iceland Volcano: Tours Switch From Blue Lagoon to Sky Lagoon

Iceland has reinstated the tax tourists pay for hotel and alternative accommodation rooms this year. In another change, the tax will also apply to cruises.

Blue Lagoon Iceland will partially reopen its spa on Saturday, January 6, it said in a statement Friday.

This series of articles about credit cards, points and miles, and budgeting for travel is brought to you in partnership with The Points Guy.

The company has released an update to its estimated budget at its Dallas-Addison home basing campus project.

These long evenings at the year’s turn, when dusk seems to fall just after lunch, take me back to the extreme polar night I spent on a small, rocky island off the west coast of Greenland a few winters ago. The inhabitants of the Upernavik archipelago have no sight of the sun from late November to January. When I received the email inviting me to work in the artist’s “refuge” at the island museum – described as the most northerly in the world – I was offered a choice of summer or winter. “Contrary to the summertime,” wrote the museum director, “the darkness of the winter to many southerners seems like a terrible and nasty time lying in wait. But when one gets accustomed to the darkness it allows an interlude for thought that one usually lacks.”

The recent volcanic eruption in Iceland has brought worldwide attention back to the land of fire and ice. It’s the fourth eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula in just three years.

While COVID-19 shuttered many global destinations, Australia's borders remained closed longer than most, for nearly two years. During this time, the country's Blue Mountains, less than two hours northwest of Sydney, also experienced devastating bushfires that destroyed 2.5 million acres of the region's UNESCO-listed National Park. The fires were followed by two years of cataclysmal flooding that wiped out farms, roads, and riverbeds, and killed two successive wine harvests. Until recently, the region felt impenetrable.

“Eigi skal höggva!” (Do not strike!) were the last words of Snorri Sturluson, saga author and chieftain of the Sturlungar clan. 

Hot springs are thermal wonders that promise not only warmth but also breathtaking scenery that captivates the soul, and adds some magic to your feed. From the picturesque landscapes of Iceland to the serene valleys of Japan, here are some of the world’s most beautiful hot springs.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, December 20. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

​In this series, Lonely Planet's team of writers and editors answers your travel problems and provides tips and hacks to help you plan a hassle-free trip. This week, Icelandic travel writer Eygló Svala Arnarsdóttir from Reykjavík brings us up-to-date on the volcanic activity in Grindavík and how it could impact travelers.

One question after a volcano erupted in Iceland Monday night was: Will it impact air travel?