Time for a trip to Iceland

Schnapps and smoked reindeer. Steaming hot pools. Crisp views of the dancing northern lights. These are a few of the reasons to imagine Iceland for fall or winter travel.


Tempting first-time visitors are off-season discounts and Icelandair's policy of allowing stopovers at no additional fare on flights between the U.S., Canada and more than 20 destinations in Europe.

Yes, it's dark here in winter, but not completely. The shortest days are in mid-December and the first part of January when the sun rises just after 11 a.m. and sets between 3:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. But darkness is the point, especially this year. Astronomers predict that the northern lights will be some of the brightest in decades due to a peak solar cycle. Read more in my post for NBCNews.com.