Arnar Steinn Thorsteinsson
I am the sales manager at Nonni Travel since May this year. I´ve been in the travel business in Iceland since 2006 and watched it grow first hand. I emphasize promoting places and experiences away from the crowd, trying to give people a glimpse and taste of what Iceland is really about: beauty, serenity and one-ness with nature.
What places and activities do you specialize in?
"I specialize in Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. These countries are what we call the West Nordic countries. I´m not an adventure traveller, although I love racing on snowmobiles over glaciers and frozen fjords in Greenland. When I travel, I look for beauty in all it´s forms, good local food and communication with the locals. I want to experience places with all my senses and create long lasting memories. This is what I try to create for my customers as well."
How did you get involved in travel?
"I have always loved travelling myself, both in my own country and especially in East and Southeast Asia. After graduating from university in China, I came back home and was looking for a job and was presented with an opportunity with an inbound tour operator that needed someone who could speak Chinese. I accepted and learned my trade as I went along. Over the years I have travelled all over the world promoting Iceland as a destination, making so many friends along the way!"
Please share a unique travel experience you will never forget.
"One of the most memorable experiences I´ve had was in Vietnam. I was in Ho Chi Minh city and it was time to leave. My girlfriend at the time had a late night flight at around 11 pm and I had a flight the next morning at around 7 am. We went to the airport and said our goodbyes and then I found myself a comfortable place, grabbed a book and sort of settled in for the night.
Time went by and the airport gradually became empty and the security guards had been eyeing me for a while. Finally, when there was absolutely no-one except me and security guys left, they approached and told me that the airport was closing for the night. I was quite surprised and told them I had a flight in a couple of hours and asked if I could stay.
No way friend, go find a hotel. I explained I didn´t really have any money left and had nowhere to go, and begged them to let me stay. The group of security guards held a meeting and in the end, they let me stay outside, breaking all the rules, with one of the guards who spoke a bit of English. So we spent the night together, walking around the parking lot, drinking tea and talking. By sunrise, we knew all about each other and had learned a lot about each others cultures, desires and dreams. It was a night I´ll never forget and as a result, I think Vietnam is hands down the friendliest country in the world to visit."
Featured trips & expertise
A Week in Iceland: 4 Unique Road Trips Filled with Highlights & Hidden Gems
With 7-9 days in Iceland, we recommend you hit the road and explore the incredible wonders further afield from Reykjavik. We’ve put together these unique one week Iceland itineraries which let you explore a variety of landscapes: volcanoes and lava fields, green pastures and farmlands, scenic vistas above fjords, beaches of every color, glaciers and ice caves, and the rugged interior. Here are our recommended drives, an option for all travelers and seasons.
Reykjavik and the Snaefellsnes Peninsula - 4 Days
If you have 4 days in Iceland you can enjoy Reykjavik's city life and then leave the masses behind by heading north to explore beautiful Snaefellsnes Peninsula with its waterfalls and volcanoes. This way you'll get a great sampling of all Iceland has to offer. Day 1: Arrival, Reykjavik Day 2: Glymur Falls, Borgarnes, Snaefellsnes Peninsula Day 3: Snaefellsnes Peninsula, back to Reykjavik Day 4: Blue Lagoon, Departure
2-Week Ring Road Self-Drive Itinerary: Highlights of Iceland and the Remote Westfjords
With 2 weeks in Iceland, you can complete the entire ring road and add some great detours. This grand tour will take you to all the best places giving you plenty of time to hike, explore, and soak it all in. This 14-day itinerary covers all the major regions except the highlands, which you can see with a couple more days or by spending less time in some of the areas below.
8-Day Ring Road Itinerary: Explore Iceland’s Top Places Along Its Most Famous Road
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 journey.
Iceland in Winter: How to make the most of limited daylight
Want to spend your holidays in a winter wonderland, see the northern lights, take a dogsled or snowmobile tour, hike on a glacier, or climb through ice caves? Iceland is the perfect place to spend some time this winter. While daylight is limited and the nights are long, you can experience some truly unique adventures without the big crowds of the peak season.
7 Self-Drive Trips to Explore Iceland in 5 days
Have only 5 days to explore Iceland? Most people stay in and around Reykjavik and do day trips, While there are plenty of great things to see and do in that area, staying near Reykjavik will have you experience Iceland along with all the crowds and tour buses.
Recent trip reviews for Arnar Steinn
2017 iceland, Iceland - Dec 12 - Dec 16, 2017
This was overall a really well planned trip! It was a really amazing adventure that we will cherish for the rest of our lives.
Day 1: arrived and went straight to Blue Lagoon. This was a great and relaxing way to start the trip. I wouldn't have wanted to start the trip any other way. After we drove into Rrykavic. Foss hotel was great and easy to navigate from... The front desk worker was slightly rude but they had our room ready early which was very helpful. The rest of the day spent... read more
Hi Jennifer and thank you so much for the valuable feedback. I am really glad to hear that it was an overall success, but we will be sure to make note about your points regarding the itinerary, I agree that it could have been clearer and my apologies for that.
Best holiday wishes from all of us at Nonni Travel!
Northern lights and see iceland, Iceland - Oct 11 - Oct 18, 2017
I would definitely look to Kimkim again for traveling overseas. The trip was very well organized and the team did a great job working with my budget and making arrangements, communicating with me and answering questions.
There was only one thing that wasn't 100% but still not bad. 2 tour companies merged in Iceland and my voucher said one company would be picking me up but it was actually the other companies bus that came and he was a bit late. That one 2-day tour had a young... read more
Hi Pamela and thank you for your kind words.
I´m really glad to hear that overall, the trip was successful and you had a good time. I am really sad to hear about the inexperienced guide on one of your tours and I would like to pass that on to the tour company and discuss the matter with them, which tour was it? +
In my mind, the quality of the guide is of paramount importance and I get really upset when people have this kind of experience when travelling in Iceland.
4 day iceland 2017, Iceland - Sep 17 - Sep 21, 2017
The rental car reservation was wrong and the itinerary told us to wait for thrifty to pick us up but they never came because they apparently do not do that ever. Communication was not great with thrifty overall which set our trip back an hour.
Caroline didn't do anything for us, we really just worked with Chris.
I am sorry to hear that there was a problem with the car rental pick up at KEF. The pickup policy for car rentals at KEF Airport has recently changed and we had not been notified to these changes. We work very closely with KIMKIM to deliver a great service to clients, Chris is an initial contact at KIMKIM and then the given specialist sets everything in place for clients. The final itinerary and bookings set in place were all made by me and apart from the slight delay at the beginning of... read more