A trip to a new country is not to be taken lightly. Whether it’s your first time abroad or you’ve been around the globe a few times, your vacation time from work and your savings money are valuable. That means you should make the most of your time — so why not Iceland?

In 2018, 2.3 million people visited Iceland, making it one of the most popular destinations in Northern Europe. Since then, the tourist boom has declined a bit, which makes now the perfect time to visit Iceland without any heavy crowds. If you want to have an amazing Icelandic vacation where you feel you’ve made the most of your time and money, keep reading for three great tips.

Decide which of the most popular things you want to do

There are lots of must-sees in Iceland, but if you have limited time or money, it’s a good idea to just choose one or two of those things to do. This means you’ll spend less time standing in lines, crowds, and paying out the nose for expensive tourist traps.

Some popular draws are the viewing points for the Northern Lights, the Blue Lagoon, and the Golden Circle. Just make sure you don’t drain your bank account or your patience by trying to do all of these in one trip. For one, it can make logistics rather hard, as some things such as the Northern Lights are only viewable in certain times of the year.

Additionally, if you spend all your time doing whatever is most popular in Iceland, you won’t have any time left for unique experiences and memories that only you will have. After all, if you leave one of these popular spots out of your first journey, you’ll always have a reason to come back!

Invest in adventure while you are there

While in Iceland, it’s important to have some unique and special experiences that other people may not have while they’re on vacation. That being said, you don’t have to seek these out all by yourself. Consider investing in an adventure tour of a seldom-traveled area. If you go to www.katlatrack.is, you can browse potential adventure experiences based on what you’re most interested in.

By using a service to plan your tours, you can visit ice caves, volcanoes, and other unique areas, all while having a seasoned guide showing you the way. You can even arrange for a custom tour to see only what you’re most interested in seeing. Or you can arrange a private tour for an extra special occasion, such as an anniversary or honeymoon. Seeing Iceland through the lens of outdoor adventure will give you trip a special uniqueness.

Eat and travel like the locals

A top tip when you travel anywhere is to do as the locals do. In the case of an Icelandic trip, that could mean renting a car to travel all across the country. This way, you can make the most of your time there by seeing as much as possible.

Another thing to consider is the local cuisine. Iceland is rich in farmland, and you should eat as much as you can from these farms. Many have restaurants, but even if they don’t, you can always stay somewhere with a kitchen so that you can cook like the Icelanders do. That way, not only are you leaving Iceland with tons of memories, you are also leaving with some new recipes to take home!