There's a pretty good chance I'm gonna be in Iceland for a while.

[PsychedelicDiamond]

With my life going nowhere I'm very much inclined to spend at least six months, should it prove a worthwhile experience perhaps longer, on a Work and Travel trip, away from my current home in Bavaria, Southern Germany. My chosen country would be Iceland, which strikes me as a bastion of peace and quiet in these unrestful times.

Now, I'm gonna try my best to learn the basics of the language before I go there, though it being a nordic country I expect english to serve me quite well, mostly.

Is there anything else I should know before going, aside from the obvious things everyone should keep in mind when going abroad for a longer period of time? I'd hate to be unprepared!

 

[Barbas]

Pick us up some king prawns while you're there, and by the gods, don't go near the hakarl.

 

[Shiver Me Tits]

Give them your seed, they need some new genetic material in the worst possible way. Also do not, under any circumstances, try to keep up with them in drinking unless you're Finnish or Russian.

 

[PsychedelicDiamond]

Pick us up some king prawns while you're there, and by the gods, don't go near the hakarl.

I'm kinda tempted to try Hakarl. How badly would I regret it? Generally speaking, I have a pretty strong stomach.

Give them your seed, they need some new genetic material in the worst possible way. Also do not, under any circumstances, try to keep up with them in drinking unless you're Finnish or Russian.

Nah, I don't drink.

 

[Barbas]

I'm kinda tempted to try Hakarl. How badly would I regret it? Generally speaking, I have a pretty strong stomach.

It reeks of ammonia and is a strong motivator to vomit.

 

[bartholen_v1legacy]

Prepare yourself for the accent. Varies from person to person, but to me the typical Icelandic accent makes me want to shove nails into my ears.

For god's sake, see the nature as much as you possibly can. Iceland is up there with New Zealand in terms of how unique an environment it is.

The weather is extremely volatile. It can change from sunshine and warmth to torrential downpour within 15 minutes. Take warm clothes.

 

[CeeBod]

As someone currently working abroad myself (Japan), I'd say write a big list of things you want to do / places you want to visit, and whenever you find yourself in danger of being caught in a routine, pull out the list and do something off it! - I work with lots of other expats here (teaching English), and so many of them just do the same shit they'd do back home every week: Work, eat, drink, sleep, repeat!

Last month I booked a long weekend off work, hired a car and went to this festival - http://tadaimajp.com/2015/07/soma-nomaoi/ and whilst that burnt through most of what I've earned since I got here, it is so worth it to do and see stuff that you could never see in your home country! )

 

[Calico_Asshole]

Be aware that you're likely to experience a few weeks of excited wonder, then a couple of months of not-quite-at-your-best. After that, you should settle in to your new environment and start to seriously adapt. Don't be too hard on yourself during the adjustment though; you're not fragile or anything like that, you're human and we all take time to adjust to radically new scenes and cultures.

You're going to have a blast, be prepared for that too.