An Icelandair employee and see the island through the eyes of a local

When booking a special trip away, I spend weeks trawling through guide books and websites to ensure I make the most of my holiday.

But more often than not, I arrive at 'secret' locations to find hoards of other camera-wielding tourists on their toes trying get the best photos.

Now the bright sparks at Icelandair have come up with a solution to this problem in the form of the Stopover Buddy service.

Northern Lights: Your buddy can't guarantee you will see theaurora borealis but their local knowledge means they will certainly give you the best chance

Stunning scenery: Our base for the 48-hour trip wasReykjavik, where the scenery will take your breath away

Glacier:Langjkull is the second largest glacier in Iceland. We visited an ice tunnel at its peak but it is the views that really make the bumpy off-road journey to the top of the ice cap worthwhile

Tell them your interests and they will pair you with a local, and not just any local, one of their staff members.

It could be airline CEO Birkir Hlm Gunason, who is keen to take passengers skiing off-piste, or pilot Bjrn Ingi Haflidason, who has been working for the firm for 20 years.

My buddy was Icelandair website manager, part-time mountain rescuer and keen photographer Siggi Anton.



As an adventurer with South Goa Escorts incredible local knowledge, he knew how to show off his country in all its glory.

I am one of few tourists who can say they have watched the Northern Lights while sitting in a hot rock pool with an ice cold beer in the middle of the countryside. And have walked through an ice tunnel on the top of a glacier.

Of course your buddy can't guarantee you see the aurora borealis, but as locals they will give you the best chance of seeing them if they do decide to make an appearance.

Buddy: I was paired withIcelandair website manager, part-time mountain rescuer and keen photographer Siggi Anton, who took many of the photographs for this piece

Waterfalls: Iceland was one of the world's fastest-growing tourist destinations with 1.3million visitorslast year

Siggi not only knew the best places to take in the country's unparalleled views, but had visited them ahead of my visit to ensure they are still up to his exacting standard.

I had just 48 hours in Iceland, which is surprisingly only a two-and-a-half hour flight from London, so having a pre-planned itinerary was essential.

Every restaurant had been carefully chosen, meaning we only ate traditional Icelandic fare - mostly mouth-watering fresh fish and juicy steaks, as well as some more unusual dishes.

My buddy's enthusiasm for his country's food encouraged me to try things I might otherwise have steered clear of.

Our first taste of Icelandic cuisine was at Apotek restaurant and hotel in the centre of Reykjavic, in a building which once served as the capital's pharmacy.

The menu had items on it that are normal in Iceland, but others might find controversial, such as minke whale and puffin. There's alsocrispy duck served on a Belgian waffle.

I tried a mouthful of the seabird - an animal that is not endangered - which bizarrely tasted like both meat and smoked fish, but it wasn't really my cup of tea.

Ice tunnel: Couples looking for an unusual location for their wedding can get married in this chapel in a man-made ice tunnel at the top ofLangjkull glacier

Magical: The tunnel is lit with artificial lights that mimic the real thing. The real treat at the top of the glacier is the unspoiled view

A range of cocktails called 'painkillers, stimulants, tranquillisers and even placebos (non-alcoholic)' were served up by the restaurant's 'pharmacists'.

The base for our two-night stay was the Reykjavik Lights hotel, a few minutes from the centre of the city.

Although nothing to write home about, the bed was extremely comfortable and the room had everything I needed to recuperate after a long day exploring.

Rooms at other hotels in Reykjavic had sold out - a sign of the increasing popularity of the picturesque Nordic country.

Siggi arrived at the hotel at 8am on our only full day in the country bright-eyed and bushy-tailed - and he was determined to make sure we didn't waste a minute of it.

A proud Icelander, he was keen to show off the country's surprising history with a quick stop at the former home of Snorri Sturluson - one of the most famous Icelanders of all time.

The work of the historian, poet, and politician, born in 1179, inspired Game of Thrones, Avatar and Thor.

Langjkull glacier - the second largest in Iceland - was the next stop on our whirlwind tour of the island.

Perfect picture: Jenny Stanton (second from right) at the top of the glacier with her travel companions

Pimp my ride:We navigated the precarious off-road journey to the top of the glacier in a pimped-up Mercedes

And when travelling to the top of an ice cap, why not travel in style? We navigated the precarious off-road journey in a pimped-up Mercedes.

A treat awaited us at the top - a 500m man-made ice tunnel, which is the largest of its type in the world.

Lights behind the ice emulates the colours of a natural tunnel, but I doubt it compares to the real thing. In my opinion, it is the view from the top of the glacier that is the real reason for taking the trip.

Imagine standing at the top of a mountain in the French Alps looking across the snow-tipped peaks, but there is no sign of civilisation for as far as the eye can see.



The best was yet to come... a Northern Lights expedition. With our foreheads pressed up against the steamed up windows of our mini-bus, we stared out intently in the hope of seeing the elusive natural phenomenen so many of us have dreamed of seeing.

There was a strangely tense atmosphere inside the vehicle as Siggi and his friend Kristinn, an Icelandair pilot who joined us for the day, searched for theaurora borealis.

Our buddy spotted a faint light in the sky, almost invisible to the naked eye. It was what we had been looking for.

Mouthwatering: Iceland is known for its unusual dishes, but also for its unbelievably tasty fresh seafood

Pharmacy:Our first taste of Icelandic cuisine was at Apotek restaurant and hotel in the centre of Reykjavic, which once served as the capital's pharmacy

It was a little disappointing - I had imagined bright green and violet lights dancing in the sky - but this was barely visible.

We continued our journey to Siggi's secret hot spring in the countryside, and as I was changing into my swimsuit in the back seat, I heard a cry of 'I can see them!'

Half dressed (but still decent), I leaned out of the mini-bus and into the snow to see green lights flickering in the sky. It was breathtaking.

And even better, we then slipped into a natural, albeit a muddy 40C hot tub with a bottle of beer as the lights faded away.

It was a magical end to my first trip to Iceland, which wouldn't have been the same without my buddy Siggi.

Iceland was one of the world's fastest-growing tourist destinations last year, so the new service has come at exactly the right time if, like me, you want to experience the country through the eyes of a local.

Sunrise: My buddy Siggi used his local knowledge to provide me with an unforgettable first trip to Iceland

TRAVEL FACTS Icelandairflies from Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow and, starting in March, from Aberdeen, with onward connections South Goa Escorts to 16 North American airports. Return fares start at 379.

Transatlantic passengers can stay in Iceland for up to seven nights for no additional airfare.

To request a Stopover Buddy to help you make the most of your transatlantic stopover, visit icelandair.co.uk/stopover-buddy

Buddies are members of the airline team and promise to help passengers make the most of their time away, experiencing Iceland through the eyes of a local.

The one of a kind service will be available for Icelandair transatlantic passengers to enjoy until April 30, 2016.