Episodes

The Christmas season is in full swing in Iceland. Many of my podcast listeners and followers on social media have asked about some awesome ways to experience Christmas in Iceland. Back in 2019, I shared 16 Christmas Activities to Do While Visiting Iceland on the podcast. While that list is still helpful, I wanted to update it a bit and provide some more links to activities that you might find helpful. Iceland during Christmas is a wonderland of unique traditions and festive activities, particul...

If you plan to visit Iceland in August, this information will help you to know what to expect when traveling during this month. That includes the following: Road conditions What to wear/pack, what makes it worth it to visit during that month Some tips on driving in that time Top activities, and events that happen annually during this month This episode is part of a series about months in Iceland. Here are the other months. Review of the All Things Iceland Podcast “I’ve been interested in...

As you stroll the streets of Reykjavik, with its vibrantly painted houses and Mount Esja as a backdrop, you’re likely to encounter many four-legged and furry locals. Yes, cats are roaming freely around the city. These furry residents are not only tolerated but adored by the city’s human inhabitants. Please know that these are not stray cats. Rather, they have homes, but their owners let them roam around to explore and interact with other living beings. After learning this fact, you might be won...

As I mentioned in the previous episode, residents of Grindavík have been evacuated. Scientists have been anticipating a potential eruption but no lava has come up to the surface as of right now. However, that doesn‘t mean damage has not been done. The tens of thousands of earthquakes in Grindavik have resulted in major cracks in the earth opening up. There are literal holes in the streets where a whole car could fall in. Damage to buildings and parts of the town is extensive and it will take a ...

Iceland’s iconic Blue Lagoon closed recently and here is why. Since the end of October, land has been rising and thousands of earthquakes have taken place on the Reykjanes Peninsula near the Blue Lagoon and a neighboring town called Grindavík. Even though no one is certain an eruption will happen, land rising and tens of thousands of earthquakes, some strong enough to be felt in Reykjavík, are what happened before each of the last three eruptions on this peninsula. We’ve had an eruption each y...

Welcome to this special Halloween episode of All Things Iceland. Today I’m sharing about Iceland’s haunted hot spring called Gunnuhver on the Reykjanes Peninsula. The Reykjanes Peninsula is the same area where the Blue Lagoon, the international airport, and our last eruption are located. It’s an area that most visitors never explore extensively and yet there are fascinated attractions, places to eat, accommodations, and, of course, this haunted hot spring. How Gunnuhver Hot Spring was Named Gu...

Over the years, I have traveled extensively around Iceland in a camper van, so the pros and cons I’m sharing in this episode are from personal experience. While the list might not cover every possible pro and con, I think it will give you enough insight about the experience to help you decide if this is something you want to do. Rent a Camper Van in Iceland & Save If you plan to rent a camper van, I highly recommend using Go Campers. I’ve use two of their campers on long road trips. One was th...

If you plan to visit Iceland in July, this information will help you to know what to expect when traveling during this month. That includes road conditions, what to wear/pack, what makes it worth it to visit during that month, some tips on driving in that time, top activities, and events that happen annually during this month. July Weather & Average Temperature in Iceland July is one of the warmest months in Iceland, though “warm” by Icelandic standards might be considered mild in many other p...

Winter is Iceland often has many potential visitors shaking in their boots. To be fair, the country is called Iceland, so I understand people being a bit worried about the weather conditions and wondering if winter is a good time for them to visit. When this episode is published, we are in autumn and winter is fast approaching. While you might be tempted to shy away from exploring this island of fire and ice in the North Atlantic during the winter season, my aim is to share with you why Iceland...

Over the summer, I had the pleasure of traveling around Iceland, which has become an annual trip for me in the last few years. To my surprise, I always get to experience something new each time. East Iceland has a lot of hidden gems, so don’t skip out on making time for this area. Get Access to More Hidden Gems in Iceland Sænautasel, the turf houses and farm I m featuring in this episode, and hundreds of other attractions, activities, and accommodations in Iceland are available on My Iceland M...

If you plan to visit Iceland in June, this information will help you to know what to expect when traveling during this month. That includes road conditions, what to wear/pack, what makes it worth it to visit during that month, some tips on driving in that time, top activities, and events that happen annually during this month. Review of the All Things Iceland Podcast Jewells is truly a gem!! This podcast provides such great information for those who are planning a visit to Iceland and for thos...

Over the last 7 years of living in Iceland, I’ve had the pleasure of exploring and sharing about every region of this amazing country of fire and ice. The adventures to remote hidden gems in the highlands, raw nature that has blown my mind, geothermal hot pools to relax in, and delicious food that excited my taste buds have given you a glimpse into what this country has to offer. An Easy Iceland Trip Planning Tool To make planning your adventure even easier, I have put together a map of over 2...

If you plan to visit Iceland in May, this information will help you to know what to expect when traveling during this month. That includes road conditions, what to wear/pack, what makes it worth it to visit during that month, some tips on driving in that time, top activities, and events that happen annually during this month. Praise for the All Things Iceland Podcast Jewells provides the best information about visiting and the local culture in Iceland. Great travel trips—both must know and li...

Wow, it‘s amazing that I have been living in Iceland for seven years! Even though I know this is a decent amount of time, it feels like it i has flown by. So much has changed since I moved here in 2016, and I‘m sharing some of the major changes/transitions that have happened in my life this year. 5th Year All Things Iceland Podcast Anniversary June is a major month in my life. I was born in this month, I moved to Iceland during this month, and I started the All Things Iceland in June of 2018. ...

I have exciting news!! On May 18th a show named Geography of Bliss became available on Peacock, NBC’s streaming service. It’s hosted by Rainn Wilson. He is most known for playing Dwight Shrute on the American version of The Office. The show asks which nations are the happiest on Earth, and what it is about these countries that makes their citizens so joyful. Watch Geography of Bliss on Peacock Iceland is the first episode on the show. I am beyond excited and honored to say that I am one of the...

Learn what to expect when traveling to Iceland in April. That includes road conditions, what to wear/pack, what makes it worth it to visit during this month, some tips on driving during this time, top activities, and events that happen annually during this month. Weather in Iceland in April April marks the transition from winter to spring in Iceland. The weather can be unpredictable, with varying temperatures and frequent changes. The average high temperature is 44 F (6.8 C), and the low tempe...

I had the honor of interviewing Chief Phil Fontaine, an Indigenous Canadian leader, and former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations. He is best known for playing a central role in raising awareness about residential schools in Canada and pushing for a Federal and Papal apology in 2008 and 2022. Additionally, he helped to get a repudiation of the Discovery Doctrine from Pope Francis about a month ago on March 30th, 2023. The Manitoba area is where hundreds of Icelanders immigrated to ...

Learn all about what to expect when traveling in Iceland during March. Road conditions, what to wear/pack, what makes it worth it to visit during that month, some tips on driving in that time, top activities, and events that happen annually during that month. Also, I want to say thank you to some people who recently left reviews for the podcast durng the month of March of 2023. Reviews of the All Things Iceland Podcast We are planning a trip to Iceland this June. Jewell’s Podcast has been a t...

As I write this we are still full on in winter in Iceland, but I think it’s imperative to share some essential trip-planning tips for summer here. Summer is the high season and now that people are traveling more, I’m seeing that the number of people planning to come during this time is increasing dramatically. Some of you might not know but I do one-to-one video consultation calls with people planning their trips to Iceland. They are one hour long and recently I have been chatting with people w...

I have another fantastic interview to share with you this month. This time around it’s with Haraldur Thorleifsson or “Halli”, as he likes to be called. Halli was born and raised in Iceland and has achieved some incredible things, such as building a successful design company and selling it to Twitter. In 2022, he was named Person of the Year in Iceland, was awarded the Order of the Falcon (the highest honor one can receive in the country), and he has lived in many cool places around the world. Y...

This is the third and last episode I am publishing for what I dubbed “Greenland Week” on the podcast. As mentioned in previous episodes, Greenland and Iceland have some interesting things in common. Also, Iceland is only one of two places in the world where you can fly directly to Greenland, which gives you a unique opportunity to explore both places. During this interview with the lovely and multi-talented Jospeha, we talk about what it was like for her growing up in Greenland, as well as her ...

Before arriving in Greenland on February of 2023, I had no idea that I would be interviewing Aka Hansen. I was fortunate to meet her while she was doing a photo shoot with a mutual friend in a location where I happen to also be creating content. When I heard about the activism work that she does in Greenland, I instantly knew that I wanted to interview her on the podcast. Her warm energy, beautiful traditional tattoos, and passion for her work helped me to gain insight into Greenlandic society. ...

I have a special series of episodes that I’ll be sharing this week about Greenland! In fact, I am calling it Greenland week because, inclusive of this episode, I have two other episodes that I’ll post. You might be wondering why I am sharing about Greenland when I normally talk about Iceland and the answer is simple. Both countries have amazing nature, and you can get directly to Greenland from Iceland in a short period of time. So, if you have ever wanted to visit Greenland or you are intrigue...