Exciting Iceland Vacations?

Is there any Asian community in Iceland?

• I am becoming interested in the Republic of Iceland which is known as the "most developed country" on the planet. However, I am a Korean-American living and working in U.S. I think there is an Asian community in Iceland since it looks like there are more Chinese citizens than American citizens in Iceland. I would like to know what Asian community is like in Iceland, and how it's seen from the rest of Iceland. Does being minority cause any strains and are the icelanders racially tolerant?

• Answer:

  I visited Iceland in September and October of this year, and I found the people there to be very racially tolerant. One of the best friends I made there (I was in an international volunteer group) was a girl from South Korea and she had no problems as far as I know. Asian-Icelanders are the biggest racial minority there, but the community is still rather small. I believe they are mostly from the Philippines. Remember that the total population of the country is around 300,000. If you venture outside of Reykjavik you are likely not to find many people of Asian decent, but you won't find a lot of people, period. (Maybe in Akureyri, I was unable to visit north iceland as the whether was too bad.) As far as I know, you shouldn't have any problems, the people are very kind and helpful to travelers. Whether you intend to travel there for a short time or to work there, be prepared to spend about 3x as much for everything - yes, everything - as you would here in the States. Be prepared for lots of rain and snow. I absolutely loved Iceland, but it drained my wallet quickly! Edit: The gas prices aren't that bad if you're used to the prices in the States. It's about what it costs here or perhaps a little bit more, but it's not 3x like everything else.