5 Places to Go Instead of Iceland

Let’s get one thing straight first: I LOVE Iceland. I’ve been to Iceland three times in the last decade, and often tell people it’s one of the most unique countries I’ve visited.

Iceland has volcanos and and glaciers and black sand beaches and even fjords; in short, it’s a dream destination for a landscape-loving, adventure-seeker like me.

My first trip to Iceland was in early 2012. This was back when there were whispers going around about how cool Iceland was, but it hadn’t yet exploded into Instagram stardom; back then, I still felt very much like I was discovering somewhere “new.”

My second visit to Iceland was also a winter one, in late 2015. Iceland was firmly on the tourist trail by then,…