During my time in Iceland, some of the most interesting moments did not happen when exploring the volcanoes or hiking to a waterfall. Instead, many memorable experiences happened when talking to our tour guide, Eythor. Eythor is a 21-year-old who was born in Iceland, lived in America for a few years, then moved back to Iceland in high school. Eythor is extremely knowledgeable about Icelandic history, culture, and environment. He also served as a great resource for asking a ton of questions. Most days, we drove in a van driven by Eythor and would ask him as many questions as possible about life in Iceland.

One memorable thing Eythor gave us insight into was getting a driver’s license in Iceland. For Americans, you are able to get your restricted driver’s license after 6 months of having a permit and taking an education course + three driving lessons with an instructor. However, in Iceland, the expectation is someone can get their driver’s license after a year of having their permit. In order to receive their license, they need to take multiple education lessons totaling 25 hours and around 20 hours of driving lessons with an instructor.

Eythor explained this intensive driving education was to prepare for the driving conditions in Iceland. The weather in Iceland is unpredictable with extreme snow, sleet, wind, rain, and ice. Whereas in America, the weather can stay pretty consistent most of the year, not nearly getting as intense as Iceland’s weather. Driving in Iceland requires a lot of patience and knowledge on how to handle all types of weather. This could make it difficult for an American looking to go on vacation in Iceland without studying their weather conditions first. Without proper research, it could become a very dangerous situation. If I were to ever return back to Iceland, I would need to go during a time of warmer weather since I am not experienced in driving in snow and ice.