Category Archives: iceland

15 Fabulous Airplane Shots

airplane shots

I’ve loved to travel for most of my life and in the past few years I’ve made a bit of a job out of it. While it’s not always terribly lucrative, it has been fun. I DO really LOVE to TRAVEL. I like virtually everything about it. BUT I didn’t always love to fly. Now I’ve truly grown to love it. AND, to me, one of the best things are some of the amazing shots I’ve gotten from the window seat of an airplane. I hope you enjoy the view!

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Flying over Miami Beach. One of my favorite views.

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Up in the friendly Thai skies. Aren’t the clouds so gorgeous?

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Catching sunset over the Atlantic Ocean. What a sky!

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Descending over Londontown. Ello River Thames.

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Leaving beautiful Bali. What stunning blue water!

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Sunset somewhere between Mongolia and China.

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The stunning south coast of Iceland.

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Brrr! Greenland below.

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Coming in for a landing. Welcome to Jamaica, mon.

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Sunrise goodbye to India.

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My pretty hometown of Boston!

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Last bit of land before the English Channel en route to Paris.

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Pink sand beaches of Harbor Island, Bahamas. Wow!

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Seeing the Midnight Sun in Iceland!

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Saying goodbye to the mighty Mississippi River in New Orleans.

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Filed under airlines, bahamas, bali, boston, iceland, india, jamaica, london, miami, mongolia, new orleans, travel

The Buzz about Iceland

Iceland is my favorite place in the world I’ve visited so far. In fact, it’s really a favorite amongst many travel writers and there’s a very good reason – it is absolutely stunning and so much more. I read constantly how it should be on any travelers ‘to-do’ travel list. I agree.

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Listed on Forbes as one of The Coolest Places to Visit in 2015 – um, yes, and last year and next year and always – if you have visited, you know just what I mean. Iceland produces repeat visitors. I alone visited twice last year. I actually put the question out to some fellow travel writers “what makes you a repeat Icelandic offender?” 😉 Some of their responses:

Candice from Candice Does the World – “Because Iceland is rad.”

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Josh from Engineer on the Road – “The elves made me do it.”

Yishyene from Small Crazy – “It’s the lamb soup.”

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Katie from Viator – “No where else that makes me as happy. There’s no where else that feels so comfortable yet continues to surprise me.”

There are so many people in love with this incredible country and no time like the present to visit. Iceland is only 4.5 hours from Boston, 5 hours from New York and 7 hours from Denver – there really is no excuse. And let’s not forget Icelandair allows a free stopover on your way to/from Europe up to 7 days.  But if that’s not temptation enough, read some different writers’ reasons here.

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Candice tells us about Eating Puffin in Iceland.

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Yishyene has all kinds of fun posts about Winter Fun in Iceland.

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Katie, four time offender, gives us 15 Incredible things to Do in Iceland.

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David & Auston of Two Bad Tourists tell us about Gay Iceland: Your Guide to Reykjavik Pride.

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And then there’s Inga, Iceland’s *BEST* ambassador and the lady behind Tiny Iceland – a website full of Iceland resources. Here she shares What to See and Do in South Iceland – a very popular destination outside the capital.

Talk about BUZZ…BuzzFeed gives 32 Reasons Why Iceland is the Best Country Ever and, just this week, Fare Buzz wrote about fare deals and why Iceland is A Must See Destination with Amazing Sights.

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I think Owen Gaddis, interviewed by Forbes, said it best. “Traveling to Iceland is like being transported to a parallel world where every waking moment is filled with adventure, incredible landscapes, folklore and understated pleasures. It will make you believe in the magical again.”

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Filed under iceland, travel

#IcelandStopover Best of the West

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I had the good fortune of visiting Iceland for a second time this year. I just love that country & cannot get enough. This trip, I took advantage of the Icelandair Stopover Program that’s simply brilliant. (I’ll be using that travel strategy again for sure) I had a few extra days before I needed to get to London and so I visited my lovely friend Inga, of Tiny Iceland, and we went on a road trip to the West of Iceland. A part of the country I didn’t see in March. I’m sure all of Iceland is gorgeous in the summertime but WOW, West Iceland is out of this world.

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What you can expect to see in West Iceland are fantastic views of mountains, glaciers, rivers and lakes as well as fjords and picturesque bays. In the summer, the animals are left to roam freely only to be collected again in the fall. It makes for interesting driving with the random sheep crossing but it’s really fun too. West Iceland is also known as Sagaland because most of the Icelandic Sagas were written there. So you can imagine West Iceland is full of wonderful folklore and tales of adventure!

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Here’s some of the eye candy that West Iceland offers!

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Beautiful fjords

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Sheep roaming free in the fields AND roads

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Gorgeous mountains

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PUFFINS!!

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Erik the Red’s hideout island

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Beloved Icelandic horses

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Majestic waterfalls

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Amazing vistas

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Precious ancient Icelandic goats

This visit was sponsored by Sixt Iceland, Icelandair, Icelandair Hotels, Hotel Edda, Fontana Spa BUT as you know, I love Iceland and no sponsorship in the world will change that!

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Filed under iceland, travel

Next up for Lola: #IcelandStopover in Iceland!

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I’ve made it NO SECRET how much I loved Iceland. Soooo when I knew I had to get to the UK for the Mongol Rally in July, I thought to myself, why not take advantage of that awesome stopover option with Icelandair to go to Iceland in the summertime and see my lovely friend, Inga, of Tiny Iceland fame as well. I mean, I did fall for Iceland in the wintertime so I can only imagine how smitten I will be with her in the summer.

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I’m thrilled to be going back and not only returning to some of my favorites from my March visit but also focusing on a new part of Iceland that I was unable to see before. This visit I’ll be going with Inga to West Iceland and the Westfjords. I absolutely loved the fjords in East Iceland so I know I’m going to be in for a treat. The Westfjords in Iceland are often overlooked by travelers because it’s sometimes inaccessible (i.e. roads closed in the wintertime). Our plan is to take four full days to see this area in a relaxing & stress free way and really taking in all that Mother Nature has to offer. We will have the pleasure of staying Hotel Edda Laugar in Sælingsdalur, with a fantastic central location for the area and are partnering with the fabulous Sixt to give us a safe, sweet ride for those Icelandic roads. I cannot wait!!

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BUT to kick off our little tour, first, we will revisit Laugarvatn Fontana Spa. Remember how I said the geothermal waters have restorative powers? Well how better to ward off jetlag than having a relaxing soak? We’ll be staying at Hotel Edda ÍKÍ, a summer hotel about an hour from Reykjavík and located right next to Fontana Spa. Another cool thing to note about this location is that it’s in the Golden Circle (Þingvellir national park, Geysir hot spring area and Gullfoss waterfall) which is always of interest to visitors of Iceland.

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After touring and sharing the best of the West of Iceland, Inga & I will spend my final night back in Reykjavik and at my favorite – Icelandair Hotel Reykjavik Marina. I’m sure we’ll find lots of good fun in the capital city, maybe even some new discoveries. It’ll be like returning home for me. So excited! AND a perfect send off before the craziness ensues with my Mongol Rally journey.

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You can follow us on our journey from July 11-15 at:

TinyIceland: TwitterInstagramVine App & Facebook AND introducing Snapchat (add @TinyIceland) to give readers and followers the chance to see real, authentic, unedited and behind the scene footage!

Lola: FacebookTwitter & Instagram

Our Official Hashtag is #ICELANDSTOPOVER

A bit about Tiny Iceland – Those who have followed me around for the past two and half years know my passion to promote Iceland, interact and meet travelers, share photos and videos via social media, and that all with personal, informative and fun touch! I really appreciate all the friends, followers and success I’ve gained since starting Tiny Iceland april 2012 and I can’t wait to share this trip with you guys. Make sure when visiting Iceland to use my official hashtag #TripInIceland so I can follow along via social media.

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And more on Icelandair’s awesome stopover program: Traveling from the US to Europe or vice versa you can stop in Iceland for up to 7 days, free when flying with Icelandair. Click here to read all about it! The Icelandair stopover is a brilliant way to get a taste of what Iceland has to offer.

TAKK to our partners: IcelandairSixt car rentalHotel EddaIcelandair Hotels and Laugarvatn Fontana. We can’t wait to share more of why Iceland is so special!

 

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Filed under airlines, hipster hotels, iceland, travel

Travel Brand Shout Outs to Sixt and Flytographer!

Over the past year I have been so fortunate to discover and work with these two travel brands and I wanted to take the time to give them the credit they are due. Both Sixt and Flytographer are consistently professional and a pleasure to work with. Here’s a quick run down of my experiences with both brands in the United States and abroad! Proof positive that consistency in business and customer satisfaction can be universal.

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As a frequent traveler, I rent cars quite a bit. It’s usually fine but not above and beyond. With Sixt, all three instances were just that, above and beyond. Truly, hands down, the best car rental experiences of my renting career.

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In Seattle I tried one of Sixt’s luxury cars – a sweet BMW, perfect for a drive into the countryside for a wedding. Not only was the process painless but the staff were extremely helpful. AND upon return, it could not have been easier. Pull up and pass off the keys, that is it!

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In Iceland we rented an SUV for our Icelandic roadtrip. It was perfect for the time of year and road conditions. I particularly loved Sixt’s concern for us as they followed our progress on our journey. Again, upon return, the process couldn’t have more simple.

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In Miami I had the pleasure of cruising around in one of Sixt’s fantasy cars – an ombre neon pink Mini Cooper, perfect for Lola and SoBe. The rental process was a piece of cake and the staff ensured I knew where I was going and then upon return it was just a matter of handing over keys and getting an emailed receipt. Nothing could be easier. Parting with that little baby was the hardest part!

Founded in Germany, Sixt is one of the oldest, most prestigious car rental companies in all of Europe and the world. Renowned internationally for their quality customer care and low rental rates, Sixt has recently opened branches in the United States. Now you can experience the benefits of a great car rental from Sixt both stateside and worldwide. Sixt has locations in 105 countries across the globe.

Lola Approved Flytographerlola_blackpink

My favorite travel photos in the past year have been those with Flytographer. Alyson Aliano for Flytographer captured fun moments in California for a girl’s glam weekend. Acting like a fly on the wall, she was able to get truly wonderful candids.

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Soon thereafter, we found ourselves in Amsterdam having a tour of the city and getting some great action snaps with Flytographer’s Traci White of the girls enjoying learning all about Amsterdam’s neighborhoods. Again, non-intrusive and professional. I love these photos showing what it is like to be on a tour and not just of the things you learn but your reaction to it all.

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Finally, my most recent time working with Flytographer was in my beloved Miami. They had just found a local photographer, Daniel Lateulade, and I happened to be there and loved the idea of getting photos around various highlights of South Beach. It was amazing! Some of my very favorite pictures of myself. You can see why.

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The highly acclaimed Flytographer captures travelers around the globe every day whether it’s special romantic trip, family vacation, girlfriend getaway or a reunion & more! Capture memories in over 100 cities worldwide with their hand-picked list of over 170 professional photographers. It’s like strolling the streets with a local friend who shares insider tips, all the while discretely chronicling unforgettable vacation memories.

Disclaimer: all of my experiences with both of these brands have been complimentary but they are still my favorite travel brands I’ve worked with over the past year. Customer satisfaction and professionalism are priceless and that’s why they are Lola Approved.

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Filed under amsterdam, car rentals, iceland, los angeles, miami, seattle, travel, travel photography