If I can give you only one advice regarding your visit to Iceland it would be: Shhh, be quiet in the sauna.
Born and raised in Iceland I often go to my local geothermal swimming pool. I also work in tourism in Iceland, I will tell you more about that a little later on. Us locals at the swimming pool go there to exercise at the gym or swim a few laps in the warm pools. After that we enjoy sitting in the hot pools, chatting to friends or acquaintances we may only know from the pool. But in the sauna, it is a different story. There we relax and even meditate, so be sure you are quiet. So, shhh in the sauna.
Inspired by my father traveling to film erupting volcanoes and wildlife in Iceland on actual film, I decided to study tourism as a teenager. That was in the 1990’s when whale watching had not been founded in Húsavík and back then I had to use a modem to access the Internet. When the University of Akureyri first offered tourism studies as a business degree I was one of the first to sign up. A lot has changed since then in Icelandic Tourism, both the infrastructure in tourism as well as the Internet access.
In the gig economy post Covid I have continued to work freelance in Digital Marketing working on websites and content creation for Social Media but I also went back to my roots in tourism.
The best job in the world
Hosting guests who come to Iceland, is in my humble opinion the best job in the world. I will give you a few examples.
With Criss Cross Food Tours, a travel agency specializing in slow travel I have worked as a Food Tour Guide on private Reykjavík Food Tours. Educating my guests about Icelandic culture and cuisine while we enjoy good food from local ingredients as well as the traditional dishes like harðfiskur, hákarl and brennivín, the Icelandic hot dog and the Icelandic lamb. Answering interesting questions about Iceland and its people is an honor.
With Drive and Dine, keyrtogkokkad.is a chef turned driver guide, I have had the opportunity to cater gourmet three course meals at an outdoors pop up restaurant in the wilderness in the Highlands. An unforgettable experience for our guests.
With Eskimos travel agency, driving to Þórsmörk to set up a private luxury picnic, for the guests to have a great lunch outdoors in the remarkable nature before exploring more with their private driver guide.
With Ad Astra Travel, a luxury travel agency tailoring itineraries to meet our guests expectations and needs I have managed bookings and double and triple checked the plan for their private guide. We make plan B and plan C because when it comes to tours in Iceland you need to be able to pivot, due to weather conditions on the road or in the air, or because of volcanic eruptions and the safety of our guests always comes first.
After a busy day at work, providing excellent service to my guests enjoying Iceland, I like to go and relax in the sauna at my local geothermal swimming pool. The whole culture of the swimming pools in Iceland has been nominated to UNESCO as a living heritage.
So, if you please, shhh in the sauna.
From Iceland with love
Dögg Matthíasdóttir
Travel Professional – Local Food Guide
#100storiesfromiceland #inspiredbyiceland #icelandiccuisineandculture #vegirliggjatilallraátta
Also published: https://www.enewswire.co.uk/2024/04/29/shhhh-in-the-icelandic-sauna/
And in German: https://www.explorermagazin.de/island/isl242.htm
