Iceland

Iceland entered the travel imagination through waterfalls and volcanoes, and with hot water that comes straight from the ground, and swimming pools heated by geothermal energy that function as social centers year-round. The Ring Road quietly dictates how most trips unfold, stitching together glaciers, lava fields, fishing towns, and occasional stretches where nothing interrupts the view for miles. Reykjavik, compact and opinionated, operates less as a capital and more as a base camp, while the countryside does the heavy lifting.