Taking Iceland off the travel agenda? Hold up one second. Despite the poor choice of name by its founder (really, Hafnar? Iceland?) this tiny island vestige of Viking culture is piping hot. With a landscape dominated by lava fields, you won’t merely look on at the sleeping, fire spewing giants we know as volcanoes: with hundreds of natural hot springs, you’ll get to feel the heat too—minus the skin-smoldering, bone-melting nature of actual lava. Iceland also offers an excellent respite from all those bustling, mainland European countries in need of a massive tourist-ectomy. In the most sparsely populated country in Europe, and one of the least touristy, the air will taste sweeter as you tour the mythically scarred landscape, as will the rich cuisine that allows adventurous carnivores to finally get a taste of raw or cooked whale (without those pesky legal restraints). Still hesitant? Consider a few more things: Icelanders are 25% percent happier than the rest of the globe; possession and consumption of alcohol by "minors" is legal; and for all those would-be imperialists scouring travel guides for a new North-Atlantic invasion, Iceland is the only NATO country without a standing army. We will warn you, however, that when duty calls, Vikings are pretty good with a battle-axe. Pease refer to the pillage- and plunder-fest of the Dark Ages for further information.