Vacation time spent anywhere is precious, and most of us have the urge to pack in as much activity and excitement as possible. This was my dilemma when traveling to Iceland last fall for the first time. I wasn’t going to have a lot of play time and I wanted to find some great day tour or activity to do while I was there, but what? How was I going to make the decisions about spending this precious time? I needed these ideas.
I like outdoor activity, and not having a great deal of international travel experience, I had determined that a day tour or other guided tour or activity would be good for me, but which? In the past, my what-should-I-do-on-my-vacation pattern has been:
1) Search online, confidently expecting to find something that ‘clicked’ with me that looks fun and is in my budget, easily
2) Realize that the problem isn’t too little information, it’s too much
3) Try to figure out a smart way to choose among options that all seem similar
4) Wing it when I get there
Step 4 isn’t the best plan! Ideally, I’d have a friend that knows the area and knows me and can help me shortcut to a ‘just-right’ solution. In the absence of that, here are some approaches. This is written about my next Iceland trip and links to a resource I like, but also applies to any vacation:
Read travel forums
Search for travel forums about the country, city or even the local activity you’re considering and read the comments. Post questions and maybe get answers from fellow travelers. This is similar to using ratings and reviews when shopping online – it’s great to hear from people but there’s no guarantee that you’ll agree with their tastes and experience. Compared to nothing, there’s a lot of information here and occasionally you’ll find a link to a resource in another category (local pros), like Iceland Activities experts, Icelandic Travel Market.
Pros: Detailed information from real travelers
Cons: You won’t know what you might be missing and you’ll have to read in many different places
Good for: Research junkies, as a supplemental source of info or a tiebreaker for particular activities. You can contact people and ask them questions also.
Talk to a Travel agents
Talk to a travel agent that you know or a local one. Unlike web references, these will vary by location and you may speak with someone who actually knows Iceland and you may not.
Pros: In-person conversation is unbeatable for some
Cons: Experience and knowledge is hit-or-miss and breadth of experience is limited to that person or a few people
Good for: People primarily interested in top level travel logistics, planning to stay in the city and not have any real local Iceland activity
Talk to locals
Find people online who live where you want to go and strike up a conversation. These aren’t ‘people like you’ who travel there, they are residents. You’ll get a different kind of response and maybe some insider info. (The author has used this approach is a maverick info-seeking approach for lots of things, even via phone. Before ubiquitous access to weather reports via web, phone and SMS, the author would call information in (any town) and ask for the phone number to McDonalds on Center street. Then, ask whoever answers what the weather is. It worked almost every time.)
Pros: Provides real insider info
Cons: Requires some boldness and it’s all subjective
Good for: People who really like talking to strangers and learning the inside scoop. You’re not shy.
Talk to local pros
Talk to people who know all the options and work in the local travel industry. These people have talked to travelers coming to the area for years and know how to match people up with the right activities. In Iceland, the Iceland Day Tours experts are at the Icelandic Travel Market in downtown Reykjavik.
Pros: Experience, one-stop shopping, ability to say: I like this kind of thing, and get solid recommendations for similar activities.
Cons: Doesn’t satisfy the research junkie’s needs for multiple sources of info, may need corroboration from another source for some people.
Good for: You got your loan from a broker for the best deal, you shop comparison sites and prefer the ‘one-stop’ approach whenever possible. You like getting guidance from a pro who can give you info on Iceland activities with industry-level oversight.
Have a great trip! Please comment with other ideas.
