Follow the weather they say.

“Don´t worry about it, we will just follow the weather” may sound strange to you, right? If you are looking to travel like a local in Iceland you should get used to this way of thinking. It can be all sunshine and fair weather in the southern part of Iceland meanwhile being freezing cold in the north, or vice versa. Being a small island in the North Atlantic Ocean, Icelandic weather changes rapidly due to the warm Gulf Stream from the southern hemisphere colliding with the cooler arctic winds from the north.

Therefore, Icelanders hardly ever plan way ahead of time when travelling domestically but rather let ‘decent weather’ be the deciding factor on which places to visit, especially when camping. Then you might ask yourself, what is decent weather in Iceland? Well, it probably translates to “not too bad” weather. This tendency, to “follow the decent weather” makes a lot of sense when you realize how short the summer is in Iceland and so people feel the need to enjoy every moment of sun and green grass.

Although the summers in Iceland can be short, the days sure are long during summertime. As early as May and as late as August – the time of the breathtaking midnight sun – the nights are bright. After a dark winter this season of more or less 24/7 daylight gets your energy up. Moreover, it is great for sightseeing as you never need to worry to ‘get there before darkness’.

In the end, the best thing about travelling in Iceland is that no matter the season or the weather it is always spectacular and a sequence of diverse landscapes you will not see anywhere else in the world.