Snorri West is a unique opportunity for Icelanders between the ages of 20 and 30 to follow the trails of their family members who emigrated from Iceland to North America. Nearly 20% of Iceland's population emigrated to North America by the end of the 19th century.
During the four-week summer program, participants will:
During the four-week summer program, participants will:
- Explore Canada and the United States.
- Discover the communities that the Icelandic emigrants built.
- Learn how Western Icelanders are keeping their Icelandic heritage alive.
- Experience local culture, stories and nature of each place they visit.
- Improve their English + Make lifelong friends .
- And much more!
Snorri West is organized and operated by volunteers of the Icelandic National League of North America (INLNA) and the Icelandic National League of the United States (INLUS), in cooperation with the Snorri Foundation in Iceland. Like its sister programs, Snorri and Snorri Plus, the primary purpose of Snorri West is to strengthen the bonds between the people of Iceland and people of Icelandic descent in North America.
The 2025 application date is Monday, February 17.
The tentative interview date is Friday, February 21, 2025.
Applications for 2024 are now closed and the program has been completed.
Please check back in the fall for 2025 program details and applications.
The tentative interview date is Friday, February 21, 2025.
Applications for 2024 are now closed and the program has been completed.
Please check back in the fall for 2025 program details and applications.
Where Will You Go?Due to the vastness of North America, for the purposes of the Snorri West program, the continent is divided into four corridors: Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific - with one corridor visited each summer on a rotating basis.
Program organizers make a great effort to identify, locate, and contact the relatives of the participants in North America. The 2024 trip will explore the Eastern Corridor.
To read more about the different corridors, click here.
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What is Included?
*Travel and Medical insurance is not included but is required for all participants! Click here for more information.
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Keep reading below for more details about each segment of the program.
Click here to see an outline of the tentative upcoming itinerary.
Click here to see an outline of the tentative upcoming itinerary.
Finding RelativesThe Snorri West coordinators work with the genealogists at Icelandic Roots to identify, locate, contact, and facilitate in-person meetings with your relatives in North America. Once you are confirmed as a participant for Snorri West, you will meet with a genealogist to learn more about your ancestors and any family you may be aware of in North America.
All Icelanders have some family in North America! |
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Have more questions? Find answers to many FAQs here.
Past Snorri West Experiences:
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What past participants have said...
"I am so grateful to all the people that did a lot of jobs so this trip was possible for us. This trip is the most fun thing I have done and I owe that to all the great people I met. The host families and coordinators made us feel so welcome and I am glad I got an opportunity to meet all of them. Everybody was so friendly and treated us with a lot of hospitality. " — A participant from Verzlunarskóli Íslands
"It was great to stay with all the host families. They were quite welcoming. Thank you all for making this trip a wonderful experience that I wouldn't have missed for the world. " — A participant from Menntaskólinn við Hamrahlíð
"I had a really enjoyable trip and am really thankful for the kindness, hospitality and generosity we experienced everywhere we went. I will certainly come again to Canada and visit all the great people we met." — A participant from Akureyri
"I would like to thank all those who have something to do with the Snorri West Program. The program is very well organized and well taken care of. It takes a lot of work to do what everyone in the program did and I appreciate it very much. I want to thank my coordinators for doing such a great job in arranging things. I would be glad if you could tell the families that I stayed with how grateful I am that I got the chance to stay with them. They were all so welcoming and showed us hospitality. It was great meeting local people everywhere we went who knew about the places we visited. The people I met throughout the trip were nice to us and were interested in learning more about Iceland - just like we are interested in learning more about North-America." — A participant from the University of Iceland
What is the cost?
2024 Rates - $3,000 USD per person
This low rate is available due to the generosity of individuals and organizations within the North American Icelandic community.
Round trip airfare on Icelandair from Keflavík (KEF) to North American gateway cities is included, as is domestic travel within North America. Domestic travel within Iceland is not included.
Participants will have one free day per week to allow them to select their own activities. Participants may be responsible for costs incurred on those free days. Participants are also responsible for discretionary purchases, such as souvenirs, gifts, other personal items, and fees for events not included in the itinerary, as well as any oversized or extra luggage charges.
Participants are required to carry travel insurance for North America that should cover medical care, emergency evacuation, and cancellation costs. Click here to learn more.
This low rate is available due to the generosity of individuals and organizations within the North American Icelandic community.
Round trip airfare on Icelandair from Keflavík (KEF) to North American gateway cities is included, as is domestic travel within North America. Domestic travel within Iceland is not included.
Participants will have one free day per week to allow them to select their own activities. Participants may be responsible for costs incurred on those free days. Participants are also responsible for discretionary purchases, such as souvenirs, gifts, other personal items, and fees for events not included in the itinerary, as well as any oversized or extra luggage charges.
Participants are required to carry travel insurance for North America that should cover medical care, emergency evacuation, and cancellation costs. Click here to learn more.
