The Iceland volcano situation is pretty amazing whichever way you think about it.  On the one hand, this is a volcano that hasn’t erupted for over 200 years.  So at least we had 200 years without all the ash and evacuations.  But still, you gotta admit the video is pretty amazing.

The ash from this volcano has not just caused evacuations of the area…it has caused thousands of people to be stranded in airports all over Europe.  This is due to safety regulations because the ash impedes visibility and could cause internal damage to a plane’s engine. 

Being stranded would totally stink, let me tell you, especially if you don’t speak the language and are running out of money.  I studied abroad in Spain, and when I was coming back to the US, I had nothing but my luggage, expecting to arrive back somewhat on time.  I can’t imagine being told that I wouldn’t return that day…or five days later for that matter.  Yes, I fortunately speak Spanish, so would have hopefully made some sense out of the chaos.  I would have probably first tried to check into a hostel, along with the 654,6897894,708790 other people stranded (I exagerate..I hope), but with luck?  And then the money thing would be an issue, expecially when you can’t budget a volcanic eruption.  But most importantly I would have pretty much been alone.  So this has got to be a scary for people in a similar situation.

The chaos continues…with many people spending insane amounts of money to rent cars and drive across Europe or pay someone to take them (cause all the rentals are gone).  Spain was one country not affected by the ash, and has been the hub trying to get people moving.

If anything, I would want to be more safe than sorry.  I think the safety regulations in place are necessary since safety should come first.  But for all those travelers out there stuck, I hope the volcano takes a rest and you can get to your destination soon (ish) and safely.  And maybe someday…you can look back and this will be the most hilarous vacation story ever…but we’ll give it another 200 years for that.