Terry Stanley
I am Icelandic-Canadian, working remotely from the west coast of Canada (only a non-stop flight away). I have emphatically embraced my Icelandic heritage, continually learning, and experiencing, more of Iceland.
As an ambassador of travel to Iceland, I make it my responsibility to showcase the fun and the fabulous, the odd and the awe-inspiring, the memorable and the magical of this amazing country.
My affinity is to include as many experiences as (reasonably) possible when I travel so that I get a well-rounded view of the destination I'm visiting. I can not sit still when I travel ( which is probably why I don't do beach holidays)! Good thing that I specialize in Iceland then.
What places and activities do you specialize in?
"All of Iceland, with a particular affinity towards the North and East. I create self-drive trips that showcase the best and the unique of Iceland. If you're of Icelandic heritage, I can also add in a genealogical component to your self-drive."
How did you get involved in travel?
"I fell in love in high school - with the geography projects I was assigned in Social Studies class. I wanted to not only learn about more countries but experience them first-hand myself.
So upon graduation, I enrolled in a 2 year post-secondary travel and tourism program after which I supplemented this with certification as a travel counsellor.
After short stints with both an airline and a cruise line, I spent the majority of my 15 years at a national vacation tour company and a national travel agency (all of this in Canada).
I am now putting my Icelandic expertise to good use, working for Iceland Offbeat."
Please share a unique travel experience you will never forget.
"One of the many unique experiences that I've had while travelling throughout the world is when I went snowmobiling on Myrdalsjokull glacier in the south of Iceland.
It was a gorgeous day as we wound our way up Katla volcano in the glacier truck to the ice cap on top. Once there we got on our snowmobiles (I was driving solo) and set off for some photo stops - views of neighbouring Eyjafjallajokull glacier (of 2010 eruption fame), the south coast and the North Atlantic Ocean. As luck would have it, we were only able to see the glacier as visibility was decreasing.
While we were driving around on the glacier, a storm blew in. Soon the wind-whipped snow had made it a white-out! To make a long story short, we used GPS to safely traverse the ice cap and return back to our starting point. It was an experience like none other and one I'll never forget.
That being said, I still want a "do over" so that I can experience the views and the tour of the glacier the way it was meant to be.
"
Terry's favorite itineraries and travel advice
Top itineraries and travel advice
With seven days in Iceland, hit the road and explore the incredible wonders farther afield from Reykjavik. Explore a variety of landscapes: volcanoes and lava fields, green...
With 10 days on the road, you can discover a variety of regions and landscapes as you loop around Iceland's famous Route 1 (Ring Road). This moderately paced self-drive...
This itinerary packs a lot into 8 days, but if you have limited time and have your heart set on driving the entire Ring Road, then this guide will be your best friend for the...
Road trip itineraries
With 10 days on the road, you can discover a variety of regions and landscapes as you loop around Iceland's famous Route 1 (Ring Road). This moderately paced self-drive...
With seven days in Iceland, hit the road and explore the incredible wonders farther afield from Reykjavik. Explore a variety of landscapes: volcanoes and lava fields, green...
This itinerary packs a lot into 8 days, but if you have limited time and have your heart set on driving the entire Ring Road, then this guide will be your best friend for the...
Recent trip reviews for Terry
Terry helped make this trip stress-free and easy to plan. I had a great time in Iceland.
Iceland
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May 19 - May 27, 2023
I had a great time on the trip that Terry helped set up for me throughout Iceland. She was very responsive to my questions, had a lot of insider knowledge of the locations and activities, and made the process very easy. I'm generally an independent traveler, but having someone with local knowledge is invaluable. I got to see many sights that I would never had known about otherwise. The hotels selected by Terry and KimKim were very comfortable and, as much as possible, conveniently located.... read more
Thank you so much for the lovely review, Anthony! I am so glad that you had such a great trip, especially indulging in many of the baths this time around. Good luck with your future travels.
Warmest regards, Terry
Be prepared for the unexpected.
Iceland
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Apr 22 - Apr 28, 2023
Lots of back and forth in creating the trip to Iceland . Packed what were quite a few stops on the self driven tour putting on 1650km in essentially 6 days. The driving instructions along with the commentary was well thought out and professionally done. Weather conditions changed dramatically through the days there and the weather reports essentially were pretty erratic. On our way back from Vik we got hit with a storm that the car rental folks said was only the 4th time in the last 75 years... read more
Hi Alex,
Thank you so much for the 5 stars. I am so glad that you had such a great time. The weather was definitely weird when you were there!
It was a pleasure planning your Icelandic adventure - thank you so much for booking with me.
Warmest regards,
Terry
Second trip with Terry was wonderful!
Iceland
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Mar 23 - Mar 30, 2023
Terry did a great job guiding our not quite winter and not quite spring trip. We loved being in the northern part of the country for a time- soaking and going dog sledding.
In the south we had terrific winds so our glacier experience was cancelled but the natural beauty along the coast did not disappoint.
Our itinerary was ambitious and Terry really helped map it all out and helped us get to all the places we wanted to see.
One small critique- Europ-Car did not have the Wi-Fi... read more
Thank you so much for your wonderful review, Christine. And the critique about Europcar - very helpful and we'll, of course, relay these issues to them. The wild weather in the south was unfortunate, especially since it meant one of your tours was cancelled, but I'm so happy that you had snow in the north for your dogsledding experience. What fun you had! Thanks again for booking this second trip with me. Perhaps a third!? LOL Best wishes, Terry
Working with Terry to plan this trip was just great !
Iceland
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Feb 25 - Mar 5, 2023
Working with Terry to plan this trip was simply above expectations, she cattered to all our needs even when we were demanding. We'll re-use this formula on the next trip.
It was my pleasure to put this adventure together for the two of you. Thank you for your kind words, Simon!
All my best,
Terry
My May trip was one of the best and most exci...
Iceland
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May 13 - May 25, 2022
My May trip was one of the best and most exciting adventure travel I have had in many years and it was all because of Terry! She was an amazing trip guide, counselor and expert. Nothing went wrong, she was always available to help with clarification or make suggestions. I will use Kim Kim again for planning - their thoughtful and thorough knowledge of the country (and other place) makes them a go-to resource for travel and adventure!
Hi Christine, I'm so glad to hear that it turned out to be just as exciting as we'd planned! It was a total blast creating this for the two of you! Thank you for the wonderful review. All my best, Terry
Terri and Kim Kim made all our dreams come tr...
Iceland
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Jan 10 - Jan 19, 2023
Terri and Kim Kim made all our dreams come true! Trip of a lifetime made easy with their help and service. Every wish granted… every desire met, and done so with kindness and grace. Thank you for everything! Couldn’t have had such a fabulous trip without Terri and crew! If I could hug a company and a travel planner extraordinaire, I would! read more
Thank you so much for the lovely review! It was so much fun putting this together for the three of you. And you all were such a delight to deal with! All my best, Terry
Amazing trip to Iceland!
Iceland
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Nov 14 - Nov 21, 2022
We visited Iceland in November 2022 and our trip was planned by Terry. Terry was extremely helpful throughout the planning process and provided us with great suggestions to make our trip memorable. She was extremely attentive and provided prompt responses to our queries. She gave us all information to help us prepare for the trip.
We were also given a local contact Sigurdur who sorted out tour cancellations quickly making our experience less stressful. We would like to say a big thank you... read more
Thank you so much for the lovely review, Sejal. I am so glad that you enjoyed your trip even with the multiple snowmobile tour cancellations. Persistence paid off and I'm happy that you were eventually able to experience this "must do" activity. The surprise engagement was fun to be a part of and I'm thrilled for the two of you. Thanks.
Best Trip of Our Lives
Iceland
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Sep 2 - Sep 12, 2022
This was the best trip of our lives! The travel agent, Terry, was amazing and planned our trip to the fullest extent possible! We will use her again in the future! read more
Thank you for the kind words, Jacob. It was a lot of fun putting this adventure together for the three of you. I'm glad you had such a wonderful time!
My wife and I had the most amazing trip to Ic...
Iceland
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Nov 22 - Nov 26, 2022
My wife and I had the most amazing trip to Iceland, and that was because of KimKim and our specialist Terry.
Having never travelled to Iceland, I contacted KimKim to help us with our travel. I could not have been more pleased. They assigned us our very own specialist (Terry) and she was communicative, eager to help, professional, and super, super nice. I gave Terry some broad-stroke ideas about the types of things we wanted to do as well as the parameters (like days there, activity levels,... read more
Thank you very much for the great review, Scott! It was so much fun putting this adventure together for the two of you and I'm glad that it surpassed your expectations.
Warmest regards,
Terry
Iceland did not disappoint and Kimkim as well...
Iceland
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Oct 16 - Oct 23, 2022
Iceland did not disappoint and Kimkim as well. The entire process of selecting dates, tours and accommodations was pleasant and seamless. My specialist Terry was very responsive to my questions and provided information that I specifically was interested in, in a professional and friendly manner, so I felt confident embarking on the trip. My 7 day vacation saw me reaching most of the sights and experiences that i shortlisted, and then some, in an unhurried, safe and comfortable manner. The... read more
Thanks Kim for the wonderful review. I'm so glad that you had such a great trip. It was too bad that we didn't receive notification sooner from the tour operator about the cancellation, however, I am glad that we were able to re-book you so that you could experience this tour later in your trip. Thanks again.
Absolutely Amazing Experience!
Iceland
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Oct 9 - Oct 17, 2022
Terry was absolutely incredible! We could not have imagined a more magical time in Iceland. The entire process was effortless. We simply told Terry what we wanted, and she put EVERYTHING together. From the restaurant recommendations to the hotels to the excursions - it was truly perfect. I have never had a vacation run so smoothly and seamlessly, nor have I ever had as much fun. My husband and I could not have asked for anything more from Terry and the Kim Kim team!
Thank you so very much for your amazing review; I was definitely blushing as I read it! And I am just so happy that you and George had such a great time - that is always my ultimate goal. Enjoy your memories (and your photos)! Warmest regards, Terry
The perfect first foray into a country we would love to return to!
Iceland
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Oct 2 - Oct 11, 2022
My husband and I just returned from an amazing 10 days in southern Iceland. The stunningly beautiful landscapes together with the detailed itinerary that Terry put together for us made for a trip that exceeded all of our expectations. We wanted a trip that was hiking based and Terry had wonderful suggestions that kept us happy and wanting more! We started in the Reykadalur Valley which was beautiful and an introduction to Iceland's many hot springs. Our Super Jeep trip to Thorsmork was... read more
Thank you so very much for the wonderful review, Rachel! I greatly appreciate it. Most of all, I'm thrilled that you had such an amazing trip! It was such a pleasure working with you while creating this itinerary.
KimKim did a great job of planning our Iceland trip
Iceland
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Sep 17 - Sep 24, 2022
Our Iceland trip was amazing. Terry did a great job of putting together a great itinerary with a good mix of planned and optional activities. Some of my favorite things were: Vatnshellir Lava Cave Tour, Husafell Canyon Baths and Jokulsarlon & Diamond Beach. The Geldingadalir volcano hike was really interesting.
The best meal we had on the trip was Narfeyrarstofa in Stykkishólmur. Amazing scallops. The food was presented interestingly and it was all very tasty. We also enjoyed... read more
Hi Suzanne, What a wonderful review - thank you very much! I'm thrilled that you enjoyed everything and especially Husafell Canyon Baths. It was a pleasure putting this trip together for you and Heather. Thanks again. Terry
Terry did a great job of managing things we w...
Iceland
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Sep 17 - Sep 24, 2022
Terry did a great job of managing things we wanted to see, downtime and our route. We enjoyed having a couple things planned the first few days then relaxed into our own schedule and our own pace for a few days. It was perfect! read more
Hi Heather, Thank you for leaving me the lovely review. I'm so pleased that you had such a great time. Cheers. Terry
Iceland in September
Iceland
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Sep 6 - Sep 13, 2022
My husband and I went to the Golden Circle, Snaefelsness Peninsula and the Westfjords on a self-driving trip arranged by Terry Stanley. Terry was amazing from start to finish and our trip was wonderful and went very smoothly. I strongly recommend a self-driving trip with access to Wifi in your car as you can balance between having an itinerary with some flexibility. We went from 9/6-9/13 and were lucky to have had excellent weather. We loved the scenery, especially in the Westfjords and... read more
Thank you for the lovely review, Ilana! I am so happy that you had such a wonderful time - and great weather too. If there's a return trip to be planned, let me know. HaHa!
Cheers.
Terry
10/10 The Perfect trip to Iceland
Iceland
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Sep 12 - Sep 17, 2022
We had the most incredible trip to Iceland. 10/10, i can't really imagine anything going better. The process of working with Terry was super smooth and easy. I have never used any kind of agency or travel service before and think of myself as a good trip planner, but having the whole trip so thoughtfully planned with excellent, vetted services, hotels and guides saved us a ton of time and metal bandwidth. It totally exceeded my expectations. Terry was great about working within our budget to... read more
Hi Katherine,
Thank you for your glowing review! It was absolutely my pleasure working with you and I am just so thrilled that it exceeded your expectations.
And I look forward to helping you plan a return trip to Iceland - this time with the whole family!
Terry
Everything was spot on...
Iceland
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Aug 20 - Aug 29, 2022
Everything was spot on. Considering we were a last minute booking, six in the group and traveling with a wheelchair, Terry did an awesome job in getting us accommodations in all the right places on the Ring Road in Iceland. Siglufjordur was a must and the hotel there was the best!
I am thrilled that everything worked out so well, especially with all the challenges that we faced. It was somewhat of a unique itinerary with Siglufjordur included in it; I'm so glad that I could make this wish list request a reality for your husband. Thank you, Aimee.
Awesome planning, flawless execution and a fantastic trip to Iceland!
Iceland
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Jul 26 - Jul 31, 2022
Terry spent almost 9 months helping us plan a 7-day and a 6-day trip, before and after 18 days in Norway and Svalbard. We were involved as much as we wanted, providing feedback on the numerous options available. We made our way through the various COVID restrictions put in place by Iceland last year and earlier this year and all of them were thankfully lifted a month or two before departure.
We’ve travelled a lot, having spent almost 30 years living overseas, but this trip has us... read more
Thank you, Tina, for the stellar review! It was so much fun planning your pre & post cruise adventures in Iceland and I am thrilled that you had such a fantastic time. Happy travels!
A seamless and unforgettable adventure
Iceland
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Jul 14 - Jul 24, 2022
We had the best time in Iceland! Every single attraction Terry set on our daily itinerary and paid adventures were so beautiful and fun.
We decided to book our trip through a travel agency, which we've never done before, because our Iceland adventure was part of a larger travel plan that we were already overwhelmed with booking. All through our time in Iceland, and since we got back, we've been congratulating each other on what a good idea that was!
We heard from Terry, our travel... read more
Thank you so very much for your glowing review ; I'm blushing! I'm thrilled that you had such an amazing adventure but even more so that we were able to keep the proposal a secret. That was so tough for me (but so exciting as well)! Congratulations, you two!
Terry was great to work...
Iceland
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Jul 23 - Jul 30, 2022
Terry was great to work with and very patient as we tweaked our plans. Her advice was helpful and she made great suggestions we might not have discovered on our own. We had a relatively short time before jumping on a cruise in Reykjavík and Terry helped us make the most of it. We even squeaked two days on the Westman Islands, which was fantastic. We appreciated having all the arrangements made for us and there were no glitches or lost reservations. read more
Thank you so much for the wonderful review, Phyllis. I had great fun planning your Icelandic adventure with you!