I suppose many people are suffering from wanderlust after having been cooped up in lockdowns for the past year. So I believe that many of my readers are planning a trip to Iceland. If you are considering going on a road trip in Iceland, consider getting the book Moon Iceland: With a Road Trip on the Ring Road by Jenna Gottlieb. She is a New Yorker, guidebook author, and journalist who now lives in Iceland. We interviewed the author of this new Iceland ring road guidebook to get her great travel advice.
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Thank you
Jon Heidar, Editor of Stuck in Iceland Travel Magazine
Hello Jenna, and thank you for taking the time for this interview. Can you tell me a bit about your background?
Sure, I‘m originally from New York City and I‘ve been living in Iceland for almost nine years. In New York I was a business journalist, writing about everything from mutual funds to private equity. When I moved to Iceland, I switched gears and started writing Iceland-related news for a variety of magazines, newspapers and the Associated Press. You can see some of my published work at www.jennakgottlieb.com.
How did you find yourself living in Iceland, of all places?
My first trip to Iceland was in 2007. I loved it, but had no idea at the time that my life would be here. My attachment to New York was quite significant, and my career as a journalist, but I kept returning to Iceland as a tourist, and life has a funny way of happening. I met my Icelandic husband during a trip, and I settled here in 2012.
What are the pros and cons of being a writer and a journalist living in Iceland?
Living in Iceland has given me unexpected opportunities as a writer. I‘ve had the chance to write about diverse topics, whether it‘s an article about DesignMarch for a magazine, or breaking news for the Associated Press, or how to view the northern lights for CNN Travel. In New York, I was a beat reporter for business publications so the topics I wrote about were quite narrow. Iceland gave me the chance to branch out for the first time in my career. I can‘t think of a con. This is a fantastic place to be a writer.
You have reported on news stories on Iceland for leading international news outlets. What kind of stories makes the international press show interest in such a small and remote country?
It varies. When I wrote for the Associated Press, some big stories surrounded the Panama Papers, the rise of the Pirate Party in Iceland, as well as the men‘s football team playing in the World Cup for the first time. Interesting places to travel to in Iceland has been the focus of much my magazine work. The majority of work I‘ve done has been for the US market. Americans have been quite interested in travelling to Iceland the past several years. Iceland is no longer an unlikely travel destination. The world is paying attention.
Can you tell me about the process of writing a Iceland Ring Road Guidebook?
The first edition of Moon Iceland was published in 2016. It took about a year to research, write, and edit the Iceland ring road guidebook. When I sat down to write the outline, the book was broken down into regions and I started with the most obvious natural sites before focusing on off-the-beaten path attractions. There‘s so much to see here. After the first draft of the manuscript was completed, I submitted photos, helped with the maps and waited for the edits to come back. It‘s a much longer process than magazine or newspaper writing, and it was a learning curve. But, it was a great experience as a writer and the publisher is fantastic.
Your book is about road trips in Iceland. Do you have a favorite Icelandic road trip route, and why is it your favorite?
My husband has a family summerhouse in Drangsnes (the house where his mother grew up) and I love driving up there (it‘s about 3 hours from where we live). It‘s a very scenic drive with endless coastlines, jaw-dropping cliffs, and gorgeous mountain landscapes. And Drangsnes serves as the gateway to exploring the Westfjords, my favourite region in Iceland, by far.
What advice would you give to people who are coming to Iceland for the first time?
Don‘t try to see „everything“ your first trip. While the Ring Road is heavily marketed, and it‘s a worthwhile trip, it‘s not essential to drive the loop for a great trip. Think about what you want to do and see. For summer trips, you may want to spend a lot of time hiking, or spending time off the Ring Road, in Snæfellsnes or the Westfjords. You don‘t have to stick to the Ring Road. You could do what the locals do and follow the sun. For winter trips, don‘t make northern lights the sole reason for your trip. You could be disappointed as seeing northern lights comes down to luck. Winter can be a fantastic time to visit for guided outdoor activities like snowmobiling and visiting ice caves, and if you‘re lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the northern lights, consider it a bonus to a great trip.
