Travel
Iceland volcano 2023: Is it safe to travel and is the eruption affecting flights?
An eruption occurred near the town of Grindavik on Monday night.
A volcano erupted late on Monday night (18 December) on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula, weeks after thousands of small quakes rocked the southwest coast.
The latest eruption began at 10:17pm about 4km northeast of Grindavik.
As the eruption spread, magma, or semi-molten rock, could be seen spewing along the ridge of a hill.
The intensity of the eruption decreased into the early hours of Tuesday morning, according to the Icelandic Met Office, though this is not an indication of how long it will last.
“It can be over in a week, or it could take quite a bit longer,” says scientist Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson, who flew over the site on Tuesday morning onboard on a coast guard research flight.
Despite lying just 20 km north of the eruption site, Keflavik International Airport – Iceland’s main international airport – has not been closed and flights are still arriving and departing. The road between the airport and Grindavik is closed, however.
If you are planning on travelling to or from the affected area, here are the full details on advice from European governments and which airlines are still operating flights.
Iceland’s volcano eruption ‘is not a tourist attraction’
Icelandic authorities declared a state of emergency in November after hundreds of small earthquakes shook the Reykjanes Peninsula – the island nation’s most populated region.
As fears of an eruption grew last month, 4,000 people were evacuated from the area. They were only allowed back briefly to collect their belongings.
This meant few people were near the site of eruption went it occurred on Monday night and authorities have warned others to stay away.
“This is not a tourist attraction and you must watch it from a great distance,” Vidir Reynisson, head of Iceland’s Civil Protection and Emergency Management, told national broadcaster RUV.
The eruptive fissure is about 4km long, with the northern end just east of Stóra-Skógfell and the southern end just east of Sundhnúk.
Yet the spectacular natural phenomenon is hard for people to resist. “It’s just [like] something from a movie!” said Robert Donald Forrester III, a tourist from the United States.
For local residents, the emotions are mixed. “The town involved might end up under the lava,” said Ael Kermarec, a French tour guide living in Iceland. “It’s amazing to see but, there’s kind of a bittersweet feeling at the moment.”
Have flights to Iceland been cancelled?
Concerns have been raised over the impact the eruption will have on travel.
Volcanic eruptions can pose a serious hazard to air travel as ash released into the atmosphere can cause jet engines to fail, damage flight control systems and reduce visibility.
Iceland’s authorities have raised their aviation alert to orange, indicating although a volcanic eruption is underway, there is minor ash emission, if any.
Flights are currently still operating as normal to the nearby Keflavik International Airport. There haven’t been cancellations or significant delays due to the eruption. Icelandair says there has been no impact on its flight schedule, and Play says it does not expect any disruptions to its schedule.
Most airlines have said that they will directly contact customers if this changes. Passengers have been advised to keep a close eye on messages from their airline.
The roads from the airport to Grindavik and the Blue Lagoon are closed while the situation is being evaluated.
A major eruption in Iceland in April 2010 caused widespread disruption to air travel between Europe and North America. The quarter of a billion cubic metres of volcanic ash it ejected into the air led to more than 100,000 flights being cancelled over an eight-day period.
Though there had been fears of a repeat, Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted under circumstances that contributed to the immense size of its ash cloud. A glacier on top of it caused meltwater to rapidly cool the lava, creating tiny particles which were launched into the air by the steam produced in the eruption. These were then carried on the wind towards Europe.
The recent eruption took place under very different circumstances lowering the chances of similar flight chaos. In the past three years, three eruptions have taken place on the Reykjanes Peninsula with no impact on air travel.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is also better prepared for a major volcanic ash event.
“In the event of an eruption and development of an ash cloud, the agency will work with other aviation actors to assess the impact for aviation and make recommendations accordingly,” a statement on the EASA’s website from November reads.
The UK Foreign Office has not yet updated its Iceland travel advice but previously directed travellers to the Icelandic Met Office and Safe Travel Iceland for the latest advice.
They have said that the eruption area is closed until further notice and urge people to respect the closure. However they have not advised against travel to the country altogether.
Visitors are advised to stay away from the town of Grindavík and the surrounding area, and to follow the directions and guidance of the local authorities.
Countries have not issued a ‘no-go’ travel warning for Iceland meaning that airlines and holiday companies are operating as normal and travellers who cancel their bookings have no automatic right to a refund.
“We’d like to stress, that if the current FCO guidance remains advisory, insurance coverage stands as normal,” says Jonathan Frankham, General Manager of travel insurance company World Nomads.
“However, if a natural catastrophe such as an earthquake, flood or volcano affects your travel plans and/or injures you must check your policy details. For example, at World Nomads, you need to have purchased your policy before these powerful forces of nature become a ‘known event’ and be on an Explorer Plan for us to consider coverage.”
The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa – one of Iceland’s biggest tourist attractions – temporarily closed on 9 November after being hit by earthquakes. After briefly reopening on 16 December it is now closed again following the eruption.
“All guests with confirmed bookings in the upcoming days will be contacted,” an update on its website reads. “We will continue to monitor the progress and maintain close communication with the authorities, prioritising safety and well-being.”
Surrounding spas, hotels and restaurants will also be closed.
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The discount fares can be purchased this week, until 21 April, on journeys up until 12 May.
If you fancy seeing some of Britain’s top sights on the cheap, this is the month to book some leave.
Travel tech company FlixBus is celebrating its 3rd anniversary in the UK by offering £2 (€2.34) tickets for coach services across England, Scotland and Wales.
The discount fares can be purchased this week, until 21 April, on journeys up until 12 May.
This year, FlixBus added connections to the city of Inverness as part of its Scottish Network, which will be included in the deal.
The company says it aims to make coach travel “as sustainable and affordable as possible”.
It recently launched an electric, long-distance, zero-emission route between Newport, Bristol and London.
Here are five of the best journeys available on the £2 offer.
Escape to the Scottish Highlands
Visitors seeking bracing air and epic scenery can take a four-hour bus from Glasgow to Inverness, stopping on the way in Perth.
The city of Inverness is considered the gateway to the Scottish Highlands.
From here, you can strike out into the countryside and lose yourself in heather-carpeted glens and granite mountains.
Journey back in time to the historic city of York
This route takes travellers from the city of Manchester to the historic heart of York in northern England. The journey takes two hours and 40 minutes, stopping at Bradford and Leeds on the way.
York is one of the UK’s cultural hotspots, home to the UNESCO-designated York Minster, a Gothic behemoth from the 13th century with medieval stained glass windows.
If it’s a sunny day, take a walk around the city walls – a reminder of York’s Roman past.
Harry Potter fans should leave time to stroll down the Shambles, a street of charmingly crooked half-timbered houses that bely its macabre past as a slaughterhouse.
Visit the vibrant city of Manchester
This route travels between the city of Birmingham and the city of Manchester passing through Stoke On Trent and stopping at Manchester Airport.
The two-hour and 45-minute trip gives travellers access to one of the UK’s trending tourist destinations.
Once the hub of the Industrial Revolution, Manchester is now home to a buzzing music scene, warehouses transformed into popups and co-working spaces and the unmissable Gay Village along Canal Street.
Chill out in the Cairngorms National Park
A three-hour bus from Glasgow takes travellers through the attractive Scottish towns of Perth and Pitlochry to Aviemore in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park.
Nature lovers will find ancient forests, secluded lochs and a funicular whisking you up to sublime valley views.
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This Italian lakeside city wants to impose a daily visitor fee.
Lake Como is glitzy, glamorous and engulfed by tourism.
The third largest lake in Italy, it sees as many as 1.4 million visitors a year descend on its shores.
The tourist numbers are proving overwhelming for the holiday hotspot in northern Italy, and one city is now considering introducing a tourist tax.
Mayor of the lakeside city of Como Alessandro Rapinese says he is mulling a Venice-style daily charge with suggestions that it could come into force soon.
Lake Como to introduce a daytripper fee
Rapinese has lambasted Lake Como’s overtourism saying it is “difficult to be mayor when you are fighting tourism”.
“We are already discussing the idea[ofa[ofatourist tax]. Revolutions begin with concrete measures and we are ready for this long journey,” he told UK newspaper The Times.
The fee would apply to daily visitors to the city of Como.
The mayor has not shared any further details about how much the fee will be, who will have to pay and when it will come into force.
If he uses the Venice model, the charge will apply to daytrippers (not those who have booked overnight accommodation in the city) and may be levied only on busy days like weekends and public holidays.
Lake Como battles overtourism
The chic lake has been struggling with soaring tourist numbers in recent years.
Crowds have boomed since several celebrities including George Clooney purchased multi-million euro properties along the shoreline and the lake provided a backdrop for films including Casino Royale and House of Gucci.
“I visited Lake Como last year and said I would never go back. Standards had dropped. Restaurants were disappointing in quality and price. Too many people to enjoy anything about the resort,” one visitor wrote on X.
Last summer, one lakeside villa which appeared in James Bond and Star Wars films was forced to limit visitor numbers.
Villa del Balbianello cut daily entries from 2,000 to a maximum of 1,200 to protect the historic house.
The Italian Fund for the Environment (FAI), which runs the property, called it “a drastic decision” but essential to counter the effect of “an excess of tourism that has an ever greater impact on Lake Como”.
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Applicants are accepted from most EU countries as well as the UK, USA and Canada.
Türkiye has become the latest country to launch a digital nomad visa for foreign remote workers.
The Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry has created a dedicated website where those interested can complete the first application stages.
The country hopes to lure digital nomads to destinations including Istanbul, Dalaman on the southwestern coast and Izmir on the west.
“Thousand years old ancient cities, unique bays hidden between forests, turquoise seas, dynamic people, big cities; Türkiye has all,” the visa promotion reads.
“In addition, this beautiful country is one of the biggest countries of the world in terms of economy and business, with strong infrastructure services.”
Who is eligible for Türkiye’s digital nomad visa?
Those interested in Türkiye’s digital nomad visa need to be aged between 21 and 55. Applicants are accepted from most EU countries as well as the UK, USA and Canada.
Additional prerequisites include holding a university degree, having an employment or business contract and being able to prove a monthly income of $3,000 (€2,800) or an annual one of $36,000 (€33,800).
Applicants can register and upload their documents – including a passport with six-month validity and a photo – on the dedicated Digital Nomad GoTürkiye website.
If the application is accepted, you will be issued a Digital Nomad Identification Certificate which you can then take to a Turkish visa centre or consulate in your place of residence.
The best locations for digital nomads in Türkiye
The digital nomad website also promotes destinations around the country as prime spots for remote workers.
Istanbul is “a business centre with large companies and small start-ups, a metropole of 20 million inhabitants, a meeting point of different cultures [and] a historical centre where the paths of millennia-old civilisations converge.”
Digital nomads will find a strong transportation infrastructure with several metro and bus lines, and ferry journeys between its European and Asian sides, according to the website. It also says it is easy to find fully furnished apartments to rent.
Dalaman, on the Aegean coast, “offers great transportation options, an easy escape from the crowds, an impressive variety of free-time activities, and a strong infrastructure for those who want to work from this paradise on Earth.”
Izmir, also on the Aegean Sea, is ideal for those seeking year-round warmth and Blue Flag beaches.
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