Since discovering overseas travel in her 50s, Haliburton’s Darla Searle has fully embraced the idea that the world is her
oyster.
After organizing trips for highschoolers to popular European destinations like France, Germany and Italy and more exotic locales like Costa Rica, Searle has planned a seven-day excursion to Iceland in July 2028 – and she wants to bring members of the Highlands community along for the ride. Searle, a teacher at Hal High, is working with EF Tours for the trip – the same group she partners with for the biennial student vacations. She said people pay a flat rate, which covers airfare, hotel, daily excursions and morning and evening meals. Planned
for July 6 to 12, the trip will cost around $6,000 per person.
“This is one of those trips for couples or solo travellers who don’t want to make any decisions, don’t want any stress. Once we get off the plane, I’ll be taking us where we’re going for dinner. When we get up in the morning, I’ll make sure everyone knows what the plans are for the day and that there’s a bus to take us where we need to go,” Searle said.
While Iceland wasn’t necessarily on her bucket list when she began her jet-setting ways a decade ago, Searle was convinced
after watching several prominent travel bloggers gush about the unique experiences on offer on the island nation.
“This is where the Vikings lived. The historical part of this trip is going to be amazing,” she said.
The group will fly into Reykjavik, the Icelandic capital, spending their first day at Viking World, a popular ship museum, and touring the city. On day two, they will travel to Hvolsvollur to visit Thingvellir National Park, where they’ll spend time at the Gullfoss waterfall and Geysir geothermal area.
There will also be time to mingle with Icelandic horses and visit a traditional village in Vik. Searle said she’s also looking forward to what will be a new first for her – walking on Solheimajokull Glacier. “I’ll be going for, literally, the coolest walk of my life,” Searle said.
On their penultimate day, guests will visit a new state-of-the-art lava centre in Reykjavik to learn about the inner workings of volcanoes.
The country is a hotbed for volcanic activity. Over the past 15 years there have been two major eruptions, at Eyjafjallajokull in 2010, which ejected roughly 250 million tons of ash into the atmosphere, wreaking havoc on global travel; and the 2023 eruption of Fagradalsfjall.
The last day will be spent at the Blue Lagoon, a natural geothermal spa that has been named one of the 25 wonders of the world by National Geographic.
Searle is hosting a community presentation June 16, where people can learn more about the trip. It’s taking place at the Haliburton
Curling Club at 6:30 p.m. Anyone who signs up early will get $300 off their package, which can be paid for monthly, Searle said. For the trip to go ahead she needs to register at least six people.
“I watch a lot of travel shows and bloggers and Iceland is one of the few places that I’ve never heard a single person say ‘well,
that wasn’t worth it’,” Searle said. “This is your chance to immerse yourself in history, culture and stunning natural beauty – it’s
going to be magical.”
