But the history of Iceland and Icelanders is as fascinating and unique as anything else. Did you know that Iceland hosted the first parliament of the world, Althing, that was established in year 930 in a beautiful area not far from the modern capital of Iceland Reykjavik with the name Þingvellir and now saved for the future as Þingvellir National Park – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Remark the special Icelandic letter Þ, expressed ‘th’. Icelandic language is a very original version of the Nordic language family that has been preserved on Iceland as a rather isolated island far out in the Atlantic Ocean. The Althing was an annual functioning judiciary and legislative parliament, founded as the political hub of the Icelandic Commonwealth.

During our short travel to Iceland in April my wife and I visited the Þingvellir National Park in a hired car.  The Þingvellir National Parkthat has many interesting attractions for the tourist. Besides the historical sites nature is showing some impressive signs of the moving geology as Iceland is situated on the moveable zone between the two huge continental tectonic plates of the North Atlantic Ocean. See the location of the Þingvellir National Park at the map below:

I love vacation on islands but it is a fact that we tourists are not only bringing some wealth to the island, we are also increasing the environmental impact on the island, and on the environment in general when we travel.

Learn what you can do to minimize the environmental impact during your stay on a beautiful island.

Transportation to the island

One of the bigger environmental impacts during a vacation will often be the air pollution and use of natural resources during the transportation to the island and back again. Far away islands like tropical islands will often imply that you have to fly to reach the island. In other cases a combination of driving with a car and going on a ferry might be the needed transportation form. Many small islands don’t have an airport or are too close to the mainland.

Reduce your impact from your transportation by some of the following tips:

- Going by car:

* Go together in the same car and don’t use a bigger car than needed for the number of people and goods.
* If possible use public transportation.

- When flying

* When flying, plan the vacation of the year to stay longer time and travel less times. This way you might be able to reduce your environmental impact to half of what it would be else.

Reduction of your environmental impact during the stay at the island

You will have an impact through
- your consumption of natural resources during your stay on the island
- your generated pollution from your activities and consumption during your stay at the island
- your use of the natural environment.

Consumption of natural resources on the island
Fresh water is often a scarce resource on islands as smaller islands have less resources of clean ground water compared to the mainland.
* Use the shower thoughtfully – it is easy to reduce your water consumption through your shower behavior to the half of normal without missing anything.
* Don’t let the water run in the sink or elsewhere.
* Check if the toilet is running – call for technical assistance if needed.
* Don’t have your towels and sheets wasted everyday as washing is having a big impact on the local resources.

Waste and pollution on islands
Systems of recycling and hazardous waste is often missing on islands
Many islands are missing even the most basic systems to handle waste in an appropriate way. The waste is being burned or dumped in the environment without the needed technology and concern in place. Please take that into account when you through something in the wastebasket:
* Especially hazardous waste is what you can help with.
* Bring your used batteries with you home again and make a proper deposit of them well back at home.
* Don’t leave any electronic outdated device as waste at the island – take it with you home.
* Don’t through any poisonous liquids or medicine into the toilet or wastebasket – take it with you home.

Using the natural environment
When we use the beach and other parts of the natural environment at the island we should be careful not to make any impact from our stay and activities.
* Don’t break corals when swimming or diving.
* Bring all waste with us from the outdoors
* Do not harm wild plants and animals.
* Follow the restrictions, explained by CITES etc. about which kinds of threatened animals and plants to take into consideration especially at that island / in that country. CITES about Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora)
* Follow the instructions in using trails and parks to minimize your impact and helping the environment, so also the place will be nice when you visit it again.

Appreciate any progress of environmental clever management

* Tell the responsible people how happy you are with new initiatives at the island to reduce the environmental impact of the stay of tourists.

* Ask for measures to combat environmental problems when adequate to the right people. Communicate your concern to the local media.

* At home write to your local media about the environmental situation at the island.

Please add your comments about what we can do to reduce our environmental impact during island vacation >>>  CLICK HERE

Island vacation is truly a very special offer. You have to cross water to go to an island so you will have to fly or to go by boat or may be just cross the water on a bridge by driving.

Be well prepared for your first travel abroad and remember a number of things. Some are essential for your safe travel. Other items and things to remember might just help you to get the most out of your first travel abroad.

If you haven’t found your choice of island to visit you will still have a lot of options to get good travel information and vacation tips here at IslandVacationTips.com and at our partner site Island-Vacation-Tips.com (Opens in a new window).

But do not forget the packing checklist:

Print and keep the packing checklist and bring it with you to the island – check off the list at home to remember everything. Use it again when your stay abroad is coming to an end and you prepare for leaving the island. This is my best island vacation tips today.

___ Travel tickets – check beforehand the date and time, and keep informed about changing schedules. If online booking remember booking numbers etc.

___ Passport – and valid in long time enough. Some countries demand at least 6 months.

___ Photocopies of your passport as backup and kept separately, for example in your suitcase or by a fellow traveler

___ Travel payment documentation

___ Phone numbers of travel agency and accommodation

___ Hotel vouchers or the like and their addresses

___ Local money for the island and may be transition countries

___ Some back up money in your own currency

___ Credit cards – make sure you remember the needed pin codes

___ Visa or other needed admission document to the country of the island

___ Needed vaccinations and proper documentation

___ Travel insurance – make sure it covers all risks of health hazards

___ A hard suitcase with code lock or other safe lock

___ Leave your itinerary and information about addresses where you stay at the island to people you trust (family or a friend)

___ Bring your driving license – an international diving license if you expect to drive on the island

___ List of phone numbers and addresses on paper – your mobile phone list isn’t enough if you loose it.

___ List of phone numbers for reporting problems with your credit cards on your travel

___ Your prescription medicine

___ Medicine to prevent seasickness or the like

___ Some emergency medicine and tools if you get problems with your stomach or infections.

___ List of addresses you want to send postcards from the island for friends and family

___ List of the emails you might need during your island vacation

___ Insect repellent and treatment of insect bites

___ Sun lotion with a high protection factor to prevent sunburn – often a big problem during an island vacation.

___ Cloths for the relevant kinds of weather conditions – often a big difference of the temperature from midday to late night on an island.

___ Different equipment for the different kinds of activities you expect to take part in: swimming, snorkeling, running or other kinds of sport etc..

___ Cloths for special occasions: parties, may be churches, mountain walking, running, dancing shoes …

___ A notebook – no, not the computer, I mean an old fashioned notebook of paper as you will often like to make some notes of people you meet during vacation, addresses for good eating places, booking numbers, or to tear a page to give some information to a person you have met at the island etc.

___ Electric adapter to fit your own electric equipment with the local options

___ Digital camera and memory card, battery and battery charger. An extra battery might be very helpful depending on the situation of electricity on the island.

___ Your iPod or what you use for music.

___ A good up-to-date guidebook about the island with travel tips. Find lists of many good travel guidebooks at Island Vacation Tips.

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Such a travel checklist is partly a list of essential items to include and partly a personal choice, but I recommend that you go through everything and make your final decision. Every packaging checklist need to be extended by your own extras. Here I just mark for 3 extra travel accessories but I am sure you have more.