Taking a uniformed group away on an international adventure is a great experience for all involved. The opportunities that these trips offer for boys and girls, young men and women and their leaders are many – the chance to gain confidence, learn leadership skills, socialise, meet new people and become more independent. We will always try to provide the opportunity to meet other Guides and Scouts in Iceland, to undertake service or community work and to try to open doors for the future.
From experience, we know that being an adult leader planning an international trip requires a significant commitment in terms of time and energy! But the benefits of overseas travel are huge and we are equally committed to helping to make it all happen. We understand that in general, Scout and Guide leaders are unpaid volunteers and so it’s even more important that we make the whole planning and organising process as straightforward as possible, knowing that we are working with people who also have a day time job.
Because we understand the challenges and benefits of taking uniformed groups on international adventures from first-hand experience, our expeditions cover everything necessary to create a successful and safe trip:
- Introductory ideas to help leaders pre-select a variety of adventures from which their Guides can choose
- Sensibly-priced itineraries to meet your budget
- Opportunities to work on a service project during your stay
- Presentation materials for your parents
- Fund-raising plans to help with the costs, or the extras
- Budget planning over a period of 1-2 years
- Package of introductory activities for meetings
- Thorough understanding of, and help with, completing the paperwork
- An activity pack for day and evening use
- The services of a tour guide with a current International Licence (if required – Girlguiding only)
What is there to do in Iceland?
Just seeing and travelling through the landscape at any time of year is an unforgettable experience – the many thousands of photographs taken during a trip are evidence of that. Mountains, waterfalls, volcanoes and glaciers provide the spectacular backdrop to pictures of everyone having a great time, made even better when the Icelandic wind is blowing you about, the sun is bouncing off the ice or you are up to your knees in snow!
Whatever time of year you choose to visit, we can offer something for everyone from horse-riding, glacier-hiking and swimming, to knitting and wood-carving or simply relaxing in a hot tub. Summer is a great time to go hiking (maybe to a hot river), camping, take a bike tour or a boat trip to see puffins or whales. Although summer is also good for snorkelling, it has also become something of a winter sporting challenge! When the sun hardly dips below the horizon, the long daylight hours offer endless opportunities for outdoor pursuits. During the winter season, the lure of the Northern Lights is a great reason to visit Iceland, and watching for them to appear makes a great addition to any winter wonderland adventure!
Where do we stay?
We know that moving around from place to place can prove something of a challenge with any group of youngsters. Although this is perfectly possible and a great way to see more of the country, we have developed holidays based at either one or two locations where there may be the opportunity to become involved in a community project during the stay. Accommodation is in guesthouses, hotels or cottages. Catering is always available, although there is the option to pitch tents and/or to do some cooking of your own.
How do we travel?
Iceland has no trains, so all travel is by bus or plane. Generally our groups are met at the International Airport on arrival and stay with the same bus and driver for the duration of the holiday. If one of us has flown out with you, then we will accompany you for the whole trip. A direct bus service is now available to North Iceland so please ask us about expanding your horizons further towards the Arctic Circle.
What makes us different?
Although most groups want to see and do roughly the same things when they visit Iceland, it’s having Girl Guiding experience and knowing what works well that makes us different.
With almost 20 years of travelling in Iceland and with first-hand knowledge of the activities we recommend, we’ve also built up very strong friendships with our business partners and learnt a great deal about less-visited places and more unusual things to do.
While we appreciate that many leaders are ready to travel without a local tour guide in Iceland, we always ensure that a group is not left to go solo. Having a tour guide for all or part of the trip allows the leader to focus on making the holiday the best it can be for each person while we – or one of our small team of fully-qualified tour guides – take care of the detail.
Choosing an accompanied tour means, for example, that it’s often possible to respond to some of those “I wish…” comments that young people make when they see or think of something they want to do. It needn’t be an expensive thing, it wouldn’t be a dangerous thing but it would be a special thing – something as simple as watching the sun go down or trying liquorice ice cream for the first time! We can’t guarantee to make every dream come true, but with someone with you who knows where to turn, at least we can try.
Our priorities
Your safety comes first and, with that, full enjoyment for everyone involved. This means that we will take the time to find out about the expectations of the group, their abilities and their limitations. Within any group these will vary, so we ensure that each person is included and considered when discussing and planning the aims and challenges of the trip.
Financial protection
As a member of the Travel Trust Association (TTA), Iceland Traveller provides 100% protection for client funds and a financial guarantee. It does this through the use of a Trustee bank account into which all client monies are deposited, and through the production of a financial guarantee certificate that is issued at the time of booking. If we book your flights, you will also be protected by our ATOL (Air Travel Organiser’s Licence), a national scheme operated by the Civil Aviation Authority which offers protection when you book a holiday with a UK travel company that includes flights as part of the package.
Want to know more? Please complete our group enquiry form to start the ball rolling. We look forward to hearing from you.
