The wrap up (Part four)
This is the last of our Iceland posts! I'm looking forward to working on videos from the trip and think some might be pretty awesome. As for upcoming trips, I've put in for the time at work at Christmas, we've bought airline tickets, and we're making plans. Now for our final wrap up!
As always, the tips and thoughts are in no particular order. Let's head back to Iceland!
As always, the tips and thoughts are in no particular order. Let's head back to Iceland!
Drone shot of Stokksness lighthouse
Global Entry- You MUST get Global Entry. We got off the plane from Iceland when we arrived in Boston. The line for customs was probably 1.5 hours long, maybe more. The TSA folks pointed us to this long line and we said “Global Entry”. He pointed us in a different direction and we did not get in the massive line to go through passport control.
We walked up to a kiosk with a camera and the outline of a head on the screen. You’re supposed to slide your passport into a reader and line your head up between the lines. The kiosk then compares your information and approves you. I forgot to put my passport in the scanner but it still took my photo and cleared me through customs! Instead of 1.5 hours in line it took a grand total of 30 SECONDS. This is NOT a misprint.
Global entry requires an interview with an officer and is good for 5 years. It costs $105 but if you check your credit card benefits, many cards will cover the costs. You charge it to the credit card and they credit your account for the full amount. I have four cards that will reimburse for Global entry. It also included TSA precheck. Get it.
We walked up to a kiosk with a camera and the outline of a head on the screen. You’re supposed to slide your passport into a reader and line your head up between the lines. The kiosk then compares your information and approves you. I forgot to put my passport in the scanner but it still took my photo and cleared me through customs! Instead of 1.5 hours in line it took a grand total of 30 SECONDS. This is NOT a misprint.
Global entry requires an interview with an officer and is good for 5 years. It costs $105 but if you check your credit card benefits, many cards will cover the costs. You charge it to the credit card and they credit your account for the full amount. I have four cards that will reimburse for Global entry. It also included TSA precheck. Get it.
Riding the Ring Road, south Iceland
Rental Car- We rented our car from Lotus Car Rental, and got a Suzuki Jimny. Before Suzuki pulled out of the U.S. market, these were called Samurais. Basically a tiny 4 wheel drive jeep which we got to go on “F” roads, a road that only allows 4x4’s. Turns out the F roads we wanted to travel were still closed from winter and we didn’t use four wheel drive.
It was not cheap for a rental car, like most things in Iceland. $1350 for 11 days. Do note that this included their best insurance policy which was around 50 bucks a day. This also included a internet hotspot for free with the high end policy. This was handy for using the tablet. Otherwise the hotspot costs $10/day.
It was not cheap for a rental car, like most things in Iceland. $1350 for 11 days. Do note that this included their best insurance policy which was around 50 bucks a day. This also included a internet hotspot for free with the high end policy. This was handy for using the tablet. Otherwise the hotspot costs $10/day.
The ring road, climbing higher in the east
There are a bunch of truly odd insurance situations that the rental insurance on your credit card does not cover in Iceland. These include ash damage, rock damage, and blown sand damage. They warn you to be carful opening your doors as the wind can rip a door right off of a car and no insurance of any kind will cover this. These situations sound odd to those from other countries, but they are very common occurrences in Iceland.
Wind blown volcanic sand can strip the paint right off of a vehicle and will frost the glass. A rock kicked up on the hundreds of miles of gravel roads we traveled can make a dent or take out a windshield. Blown ash can get inside the vehicle or sucked into the engine. If you get the premium insurance you don’t have to worry about it.
Wind blown volcanic sand can strip the paint right off of a vehicle and will frost the glass. A rock kicked up on the hundreds of miles of gravel roads we traveled can make a dent or take out a windshield. Blown ash can get inside the vehicle or sucked into the engine. If you get the premium insurance you don’t have to worry about it.
Arnarstapi Harbor
Iceland Air- This was our first flight with Iceland Air. It was also the first time we’ve paid retail for airline tickets in ten years. We usually fly using credit card rewards, which cuts the cost to very low and sometimes nearly nothing…depending on where you’re flying.
Rewards flights to Iceland just didn’t work. We found they wanted three times the miles to fly round trip to Iceland compared to round trip to Europe. We saved our miles and paid retail for the tickets. Tickets were by far our biggest expense. Nashville to Keflavik round trip for both of us was $2200.
Rewards flights to Iceland just didn’t work. We found they wanted three times the miles to fly round trip to Iceland compared to round trip to Europe. We saved our miles and paid retail for the tickets. Tickets were by far our biggest expense. Nashville to Keflavik round trip for both of us was $2200.
Drone shot of Olafsvik
We found Iceland Air to be a nice airline. The plane staff and airport staff were great. We had no problems or issues and everyone was very courteous. Onboard entertainment was great, with lots of movies and internet if you wanted to pay for it. I don’t remember how much it was, but it wasn’t expensive.
The only negative with Iceland Air is that their carry on sizes are smaller than other airlines, but we managed. We got creative and made things fit within the required sizes. But this pretty much required us to check bags. Flying Iceland Air was a very positive experience and I would definitely fly with them again.
The only negative with Iceland Air is that their carry on sizes are smaller than other airlines, but we managed. We got creative and made things fit within the required sizes. But this pretty much required us to check bags. Flying Iceland Air was a very positive experience and I would definitely fly with them again.
Kirkjufell
Jet Blue- Jet Blue was a new airline for us as well. Service was good, in flight entertainment was good, and the leg room was substantially more than most airlines. They were late getting us back to Nashville, but that was a weather thing, not a Jet Blue thing. I need to get a Jet Blue credit card and start piling up miles. They fly to Europe now. Thumbs up to Jet Blue.
Icelanders- A large number of the people we met that lived there were not originally from Iceland. Our boat pilot at the glacier was from Poland. Our guide at the horse farm was from Germany. Our guide at the lava caves was from Croatia.
Jobs in Iceland paid considerably more than jobs in Eastern Europe. Being part of the EU allows people to travel to other countries within the EU and work without any paperwork/work permit issues. EU citizens can work in any EU country just like it is their home country, giving them a lot of mobility and choices over where they want to live and work.
Icelanders- A large number of the people we met that lived there were not originally from Iceland. Our boat pilot at the glacier was from Poland. Our guide at the horse farm was from Germany. Our guide at the lava caves was from Croatia.
Jobs in Iceland paid considerably more than jobs in Eastern Europe. Being part of the EU allows people to travel to other countries within the EU and work without any paperwork/work permit issues. EU citizens can work in any EU country just like it is their home country, giving them a lot of mobility and choices over where they want to live and work.
Fjallsárlón Glacier
We talked to these people and told them we either visited their country or would like to. They would say that “while it was a wonderful place to visit, it was hard to live there”. They made it quite clear they were in Iceland for the money and that their life was much better in Iceland.
We did meet people who were actually from Iceland. All were very nice and quite courteous. I’ve heard it said that Icelanders are very direct and some may consider them rude when they’re actually just acting like Icelanders. I really didn’t feel that way. All the Icelanders I met were quite nice and very helpful.
We did meet people who were actually from Iceland. All were very nice and quite courteous. I’ve heard it said that Icelanders are very direct and some may consider them rude when they’re actually just acting like Icelanders. I really didn’t feel that way. All the Icelanders I met were quite nice and very helpful.
View from the ring road in the east
Prices- We found prices to be fairly uniform across the country for food, fuel, pretty much everything. Hotels/lodging could be found in the middle of nowhere as well as in the small towns. Expect a dinner out for two to run around $60. Fuel was around $8 a gallon (ouch).
Trip cost- I researched things for a comparison for trip costs. This was probably our most expensive trip ever, but you have to remember, we were there 11 days. We try to book with credit card miles but it wasn’t an option for this trip and for the first time in ten years, we actually had to pay for tickets. That was a big part of the cost. We also had to rent a car for 11 days which was also costly as well.
I did some research on Disney World vacations and I discovered that our costs for 11 days in Iceland would be on par for a six day vacation (air/hotels/food/park tickets/parking, etc.) at Disney World. That being said, our vacation costs weren’t really that bad. If you can get there it is well worth the cost.
Trip cost- I researched things for a comparison for trip costs. This was probably our most expensive trip ever, but you have to remember, we were there 11 days. We try to book with credit card miles but it wasn’t an option for this trip and for the first time in ten years, we actually had to pay for tickets. That was a big part of the cost. We also had to rent a car for 11 days which was also costly as well.
I did some research on Disney World vacations and I discovered that our costs for 11 days in Iceland would be on par for a six day vacation (air/hotels/food/park tickets/parking, etc.) at Disney World. That being said, our vacation costs weren’t really that bad. If you can get there it is well worth the cost.
Iceland horses
In closing- Iceland was an amazing place with hot springs, waterfalls, incredible vistas, and new experiences. We saw fantastic views, ate food that was new and different, and immersed ourselves in the culture of a country that is very different from our own. It was a bold reminder of why we do this.
Oftentimes in our travels, I find myself at an amazing place that I could never have imagined I would see in my lifetime. I grew up in the remote coal fields of western Virginia. International travel was not only uncommon, it was extremely rare. Outside of traveling to fight a war, no one I knew traveled internationally. It never occurred to me as a possibility.
As a college student I read about skiing in the Alps, never believing I would go there. I’ve skied the Alps multiple times in multiple countries. As a child I read about London, the history and culture of England, and the people. I thought it would be so amazing to see. As an adult, I’ve been to London so many times I can’t recall them all.
Oftentimes in our travels, I find myself at an amazing place that I could never have imagined I would see in my lifetime. I grew up in the remote coal fields of western Virginia. International travel was not only uncommon, it was extremely rare. Outside of traveling to fight a war, no one I knew traveled internationally. It never occurred to me as a possibility.
As a college student I read about skiing in the Alps, never believing I would go there. I’ve skied the Alps multiple times in multiple countries. As a child I read about London, the history and culture of England, and the people. I thought it would be so amazing to see. As an adult, I’ve been to London so many times I can’t recall them all.
Laurie being happy on a horse
Eastern Europe, The Balkans, Bavaria, The British Isles, Portugal, Spain, Iceland, The Azores……..I’ve seen so much and traveled so far from where I started. These travels have become normal to me. Exposure to new and different cultures, people, foods, and places has had such an incredible effect on my life, not only changing how I think, but who I am.
At one point, we were looking out on an unbelievably beautiful Icelandic vista. I said “Do you know how I got here?” Laurie really didn’t understand what I was asking. I said “You led me here”. I told her that having her in my life exposed me to the possibilities of this world, and made them seem possible. And she made me brave enough to try.
I cannot express how blessed I am to have her……. not only as my travel companion, but as my partner in this life. She makes me better simply by being with me. I am incredibly blessed to have her and thank her for what she has made me. I love her so.
See this world.
At one point, we were looking out on an unbelievably beautiful Icelandic vista. I said “Do you know how I got here?” Laurie really didn’t understand what I was asking. I said “You led me here”. I told her that having her in my life exposed me to the possibilities of this world, and made them seem possible. And she made me brave enough to try.
I cannot express how blessed I am to have her……. not only as my travel companion, but as my partner in this life. She makes me better simply by being with me. I am incredibly blessed to have her and thank her for what she has made me. I love her so.
See this world.