The following has been provided by Hey Iceland for promotion to our members. Given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions, INLNA recognizes the uncertainty of planning travel at this time and is in no way affiliated with Hey Iceland or responsible for any changes in travel availability that would interfere with this promotion.
Photo by Stefan Jonasson
Hey Iceland is offering a special discount to Icelanders from North America for self-driving tours in Iceland during the coming year. A 20 percent discount on their My Own Self Drive package is available to members of the Icelandic National League of North America, including its clubs and associate member organizations. Hey Iceland’s aim is to get as many Icelanders from North America to their ancestral homeland this year as possible.
My Own Self Drive is a package with different lengths of stay that provides a rental car, accommodation, and use of Hey Iceland’s custom Driver Guide tablet. Itineraries are tailor-made for each guest, which makes it possible for people to spend extra time in the areas where their ancestors lived. “In my experience,” observes Sandra Gunnarsdóttir, “those with Icelandic ancestors coming here do have some idea of where they want to go, but if someone with limited or no ideas needs help, we would simply assist them with itinerary making.” Let’s face it, most Western Icelanders are looking for something more than an “off the rack” tour when they visit their ancestral homeland. And self-guided tours are easier than many people think because Iceland is such a tourist-friendly land – arguably the easiest place for any North American to travel, even on their first foreign adventure.
Hey Iceland has a heritage corner on its website featuring many of the most popular places to visit for Western Icelanders.
“Most people who emigrated from Iceland to North America in the 19th century lived and worked in the Icelandic countryside. Hey Iceland is rooted there, too, in the farming community of Iceland’s countryside. The buildings may have changed over time and the people living on the farms today may not be your relatives, but the valleys, mountains, rivers, and creeks are just the same as when your ancestors left for the New World. Now imagine spending a night or two in the same valley, or even at the same farm where your forefathers (and foremothers) lived before deciding to emigrate!”
Formerly known as Icelandic Farm Holidays, Hey Iceland is a travel service associated with Bændaferðir, which hosts the tours led by Jónas Þór that bring our cousins here to North America each summer.
The 2021 discount for Icelanders from North America is available for bookings made before April 1, 2021. Contact info@heyiceland.is and mention the discount code HEYINLOFNA21. Hey Iceland’s heritage travel specialist, Sandra Gunnarsdóttir, an expert guide and reservation representative, can be contacted directly at sandra@heyiceland.is. Sandra will be familiar to many members of our community from when she attended INLNA conventions in Brandon and Seattle a few years ago.
For more information about Hey Iceland and its services, go to: www.heyiceland.is.