Iceland

Terrified of panic attacks when I swam long distances in competition, I went to Iceland with my swim team to overcome this fear. When I first started training, I estimated I had less than a 5% chance of achieving my goal. Then the thought came to me that even if I failed I would still succeed because I had dared to try. I became calm and my attacks started to subside. In the end, I overcame the phobia, and set a team record for my age group.

There is no place on earth like Iceland, full of hipsters, musicians such as Rokkurro and Snorri Helgason, and the most naked and spectacular waterfalls imaginable. Stay in Reykjavik and take your 12-hour tours each day to such destinations as Jokulsarlon with its bay of icebergs and Lake Myvatn with its bubbling mud pots and quieter version of the Blue Lagoon. And speaking of which, it is best not relegated to a pit-stop going to or from the airport, but is a five-hour event all unto itself. Iceland is epic, and each experience is best enjoyed if treated that way.

Still not convinced? Watch Iceland in Eight Minutes.

Here’s my photo essay on Iceland.