Stuck in Iceland Travel Magazine is seven years old – meet the co-founder

Stuck in Iceland Travel Magazine is seven years old. How time flies! When it was launched back in September 2012, I had no idea how much fun it would be to run the magazine. I have met people from all over the world and made quite a few friends. It is a testament to the joy the magazine gives me that it is still running after all this time. This has always been a side project for me, and I’ve been super busy with my career. Over 655 thousand people have used my site since it was launched. I hope that they have been inspired to visit Iceland or at least learned something more about the country. I hardly have the words to express my gratitude for the magazine’s success.

Here is to the co-founder of stuck in Travel Magazine

The magazine owes a lot to its co-founder Sigurður Fjalar Jónsson. We were working together at the IT company Advania when we had the idea for a travel magazine. His WordPress skills enabled us to set up the magazine quickly. He wrote the second-most popular article, the one about Gljúfrabúi, the beautiful waterfall hidden right next to the popular Seljalandsfoss waterfall. Sigurður is a fantastic photographer, and his photography stands out compared to my amateurish efforts. He is also a guy who gets around; he keeps posting impressive pictures from wonderful places here in Iceland that I didn’t even know existed.  

Sigurður Fjalar is probably a much more focused guy than I will ever be. When the magazine started to take ever more of our time, he decided to focus on his calling as an educator for students with special needs. He is currently the marketing director of the Iðan Education Center.

But we have remained good friends, and it is high time I interview him to get his perspective on traveling in Iceland.

Hey Sigurður, and welcome to the interview. Can you tell me what your favorite places are in Iceland and why?

I have so many favorite places, it’s very hard for me to choose one over another. But if I’m pressed, I would say the fishing village of Bakkafjörður in northeast Iceland is my favorite. It’s probably not the most breathtaking place in Iceland, but it’s a very personal choice. Other places I find fascinating are the Icelandic glaciers and the waterfalls. 

What challenges do photographers in Iceland typically face, and how do you overcome them?

I’m primarily a landscape photographer, and being one in Iceland is actually pretty fantastic. Sometimes, though, I wish the weather were more predictable, not necessarily sunny all the time, just more predictable. The increase in tourism has also made many great locations much more difficult to photograph. But my answer is finding other, more secluded places, and fortunately, we have plenty of them.

Are there places here in Iceland you have not visited yet but are on your must-see list? 

Yes, many. Mostly in the highlands. I definitely need a bigger car!

What advice would you give to someone visiting Iceland for the first time?

Get out of Reykjavík and explore!