540 days. Thanks to COVID, that's how long it was between trips to an airport. I had vacations to Georgia, India and Malta all canceled due to the pandemic, so when Iceland announced it was opening up to vaccinated travelers, I jumped at the chance to pack a suitcase and get traveling again.

 

I chose a tour with Nordic Visitor... and while pricey, it was worth every penny. Glaciers, waterfalls, volcanoes and midnight sun were just some of the highlights of this amazing remote island in the North Atlantic. In many of the places we visited, we were the first tourists to come through since the early days of 2020, and we were greeted warmly everywhere we went.

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It was a trip that served as therapy after months of lockdowns, quarantines and stay-at-home orders. It felt like a reward for masking and vaxxing, and though the tragedy of COVID would be with us for another 18 months, my glimpse of Iceland felt like the light at the end of a very dark tunnel