The wrap up (Part one)
The wrap up has always been one of our most read posts. Usually I do a single long post that may take more than one sitting to read and look at the photos. Iceland was such an incredible place. It was an intense and unique experience that garnered substantially more comments and photos than previous trips. Consequently we have decided to break it up over multiple posts several days apart.
The photos we took are so amazing....it's such a visually striking place. As always, the photos are from both of us. Laurie has separate comments which are included as well. I always write the comments in no particular order, writing when the thoughts hit me. So...........here we go!
The photos we took are so amazing....it's such a visually striking place. As always, the photos are from both of us. Laurie has separate comments which are included as well. I always write the comments in no particular order, writing when the thoughts hit me. So...........here we go!
Reynisfjara, black beach just west of Vik
Tiles- We use android phones so Airtags aren’t an option for us. We bought the android based product called “Tile” and we put one on our checked bags, carry-on, and “personal item”. They worked well via a phone app.
It was very comforting to arrive in a different city and my phone tells me our checked bags are in the same place. Cost is about $25 per tile and the app is free. It feels really nice to land in Boston and your phone says your bag is in Boston. I never liked “baggage roulette” where you’re standing at baggage claim waiting for your bag to appear.
It was very comforting to arrive in a different city and my phone tells me our checked bags are in the same place. Cost is about $25 per tile and the app is free. It feels really nice to land in Boston and your phone says your bag is in Boston. I never liked “baggage roulette” where you’re standing at baggage claim waiting for your bag to appear.
Diamond Beach, south coast
Post COVID travel- This was our first international trip since COVID. It was so nice to experience other places, other cultures, other food. We met people from several different countries, and this trip reminded us how much we enjoy traveling abroad. We have already booked tickets for our next international adventure!
Shoes off- It is customary in Iceland to remove your shoes when you enter someone’s house. This includes guest houses, and even the farm stay. At the farm they had a basket of wool slippers to wear inside the house. You come in and leave your shoes by the door, often on a rack specifically for this purpose.
Glacier lagoon, south coast
Westman Islands- We planned on spending our first two nights on the Westman Islands, a small place that would give us time to recover from the trip over and get on Europe time. We would watch the puffins, fly the drone, take photos, and enjoy a very relaxing start to our trip. This did not happen.
Intense weather scrambled our plans. High seas did not allow us to travel to the islands and left us scrambling for places to stay for two nights. Luckily we were able to find alternative lodging and we adapted. This was an early reminder to be flexible and things don’t always go as planned.
Intense weather scrambled our plans. High seas did not allow us to travel to the islands and left us scrambling for places to stay for two nights. Luckily we were able to find alternative lodging and we adapted. This was an early reminder to be flexible and things don’t always go as planned.
Steam vent, near Myvatn
Trip planning- We were warned by every single source of travel information not to “wing it” and fly by the seat of your pants. We were told that most places would be booked and were told in Iceland that occupancy rates there were at 98 percent during our stay.
Most places we stayed, with a few exceptions, were fully booked. We were incredibly lucky to find alternate lodging when things went sideways, but everything else, we planned. One night we got lucky and got an incredible price. The second night we paid more than I expected but the hotel was quite nice.
Most places we stayed, with a few exceptions, were fully booked. We were incredibly lucky to find alternate lodging when things went sideways, but everything else, we planned. One night we got lucky and got an incredible price. The second night we paid more than I expected but the hotel was quite nice.
Stocksnes, south coast near Hofn
While we did not plan every minute, we booked all of our lodging months before we left. We planned to drive around 2.5 hours a day, which worked out to be around 120 miles. One day we went close to 170 miles, our longest leg but only this far once. This allowed us time between overnight stops to see things, enjoy leisurely lunches, and go to shops.
We had a list of things plotted on maps and kept this on a tablet computer. The map (with markups of attractions) along with a map narrative called out things to see and do. Comments would be “must see”, “see if possible”, and “not really that exciting”. As we traveled, we did as many as we could. Our planning gave us an idea where we were going and what was next.
If you’re going to Iceland, you MUST plan ahead. Some areas are remote with few lodging options. You don’t want to arrive in a small town to find that everything is booked and all the restaurants are closed.
We had a list of things plotted on maps and kept this on a tablet computer. The map (with markups of attractions) along with a map narrative called out things to see and do. Comments would be “must see”, “see if possible”, and “not really that exciting”. As we traveled, we did as many as we could. Our planning gave us an idea where we were going and what was next.
If you’re going to Iceland, you MUST plan ahead. Some areas are remote with few lodging options. You don’t want to arrive in a small town to find that everything is booked and all the restaurants are closed.
Djupivogur Harbor, east coast
Youtube- We watched probably over 100 different videos about Iceland on Youtube. “Time Warp Iceland” was a hilarious Iceland native named Karl. He works as an IT security expert in Reykjavik. His videos struck us as a serious hobby for Karl and maybe a bit of a business…..but he comes across like he really enjoys doing it.
Karl had fun videos, like cooking Icelandic hotdogs with his brother. They went through the ingredients and how they make them there. In one of his videos, he went to the Keflavik airport and talked two just arriving tourists into riding around in his car. Karl took them to their destination and showed them cool stuff along the way.
Karl had fun videos, like cooking Icelandic hotdogs with his brother. They went through the ingredients and how they make them there. In one of his videos, he went to the Keflavik airport and talked two just arriving tourists into riding around in his car. Karl took them to their destination and showed them cool stuff along the way.
Fjallsárlón glacier, south coast
We learned about Icelandic customs, how they get their last names, working in Iceland, local foods, folklore, how to cook waffles, and travel in Iceland. Karl has an incredibly dry sense of humor and his videos are a hoot! We loved watching his videos and even though our trip is over we’ll still watch Karl. He’s really entertaining.
We also watched a more serious Youtube channel called “Iceland With a View”. It was by a woman named Jeannie who is an expat American and has lived in Iceland for something like 8 years. Her videos are more serious and have loads of great information on things to see and do.
We also watched a more serious Youtube channel called “Iceland With a View”. It was by a woman named Jeannie who is an expat American and has lived in Iceland for something like 8 years. Her videos are more serious and have loads of great information on things to see and do.
Kirkjufell mountain, Snaefellsnes Peninsula
Jeannie’s maps and books- While Karl’s videos are a lot of fun, Jeannie’s are by her own admission a genuine business. She makes her living doing videos for Youtube, writing travel books, and putting together travel packages for visitors.
Jeannie’s prices are very reasonable and we actually bought a few things. We bought her ring road book and map which were incredibly helpful and probably the most accurate information we received about Iceland before our trip. We read a bunch of books (Fodor’s, Rick Steves, etc.) but Jeannie’s were the best by far. The best $35 bucks I’ve spent on travel reading in a very long time.
Jeannie’s prices are very reasonable and we actually bought a few things. We bought her ring road book and map which were incredibly helpful and probably the most accurate information we received about Iceland before our trip. We read a bunch of books (Fodor’s, Rick Steves, etc.) but Jeannie’s were the best by far. The best $35 bucks I’ve spent on travel reading in a very long time.
Stykkisholmur lighthouse
Probably the most helpful thing was the map in the ring road package. It wasn’t a paper map….nor was her guidebook. You download them and can take them with you on your phone, tablet, or computer. The map was an overlay to Google maps and you pull the local map up on your phone and use it like a regular map.
Jeannie has plotted hundreds of stops and attractions on the map. She’s also plotted the location of gas stations, restaurants, interesting stores, and things the standard guidebooks don’t tell you. She calls them “Jeannie’s Gems” and we found that she was correct.
Jeannie has plotted hundreds of stops and attractions on the map. She’s also plotted the location of gas stations, restaurants, interesting stores, and things the standard guidebooks don’t tell you. She calls them “Jeannie’s Gems” and we found that she was correct.
Arnarstapi Harbor, Snæfellsnes
If you see something on the map you are interested in, you click on it. A pop up shows the hours, cost to get in or park, and other information that makes it so much easier to visit her adopted home. I can’t imagine how much work she’s done and the Ring Road map and trip guide were well worth what we paid.
Her website is: https://icelandwithaview.com/. If you’re going to Iceland you MUST check it out. Her travel package for the Ring Road was without a doubt our most used and most accurate travel tool on this trip. Simply fantastic.
Her website is: https://icelandwithaview.com/. If you’re going to Iceland you MUST check it out. Her travel package for the Ring Road was without a doubt our most used and most accurate travel tool on this trip. Simply fantastic.
South coast Ring Road
Travel insurance- In the past we’ve bought travel insurance offered by the airlines when we book our tickets. I have good insurance at work and it covers expenses when abroad. We tend to look for lodging with a liberal cancellation policy. We’ve not been overly concerned about trip interruption/lost baggage/etc., but most travel policies have some sort of coverage for this.
This year I decided to buy a stand alone travel policy instead of buying it from the airlines. I bought it from Allianz, the company that sells many of the airline policies. As we are hopefully traveling abroad again within the next year, I bought the yearly policy. It covers both of us and costs $276.
This year I decided to buy a stand alone travel policy instead of buying it from the airlines. I bought it from Allianz, the company that sells many of the airline policies. As we are hopefully traveling abroad again within the next year, I bought the yearly policy. It covers both of us and costs $276.
Icelandic food is exceptionally good
The biggest thing it covers is emergency transportation and our particular policy covers $100,000 for this.. If you have a medical emergency and need an air ambulance to get you home, this is what the coverage is for. It also covers $45k in rental car damage, $1000 lost baggage, $600 travel delay, and $25,000 in life or dismemberment coverage.
Nobody wants to use insurance and we’re no exception. Getting killed or dismembered overseas is not something we want to do….but getting sick and needing transport is not out of the realm of possibility. Rare yes, but it might happen. We think the coverage cost is reasonable and we don’t mind paying for it.
Nobody wants to use insurance and we’re no exception. Getting killed or dismembered overseas is not something we want to do….but getting sick and needing transport is not out of the realm of possibility. Rare yes, but it might happen. We think the coverage cost is reasonable and we don’t mind paying for it.
Rental car I wanted (insanely expensive)
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Rental car I got (marginally affordable) |
Fuel costs- It ain’t cheap. Gas runs around $8.00/gallon. Our fuel costs for the Ring Road trip, a few side trips off the Ring Road and our Snæfellsnes Peninsula trip was a few dollars over $400. As much of Iceland is remote, driving is the best way to get around. There’s no way around this expense.
Remote gas stations- Many of the gas stations we used weren’t gas stations at all. They were a roadside pump that took credit cards. No building, no rest rooms, no coffee. Just a gas pump in the middle of nowhere. I think we probably fueled at these more than half the time.
Remote gas stations- Many of the gas stations we used weren’t gas stations at all. They were a roadside pump that took credit cards. No building, no rest rooms, no coffee. Just a gas pump in the middle of nowhere. I think we probably fueled at these more than half the time.
These yellow sticks are as close to guardrails as you'll find
Guard rails- There are very few guard rails in Iceland. You’ll often find yourself driving along the face of a cliff with yellow fiberglass sticks 100 feet apart marking where the road ends and your demise begins. It is in your best interest to pay attention when driving in Iceland.
Speed limits- Don’t get in a hurry when driving in Iceland. While I would find the locals passing me in remote areas and zipping on down the road, I did not succumb to the urge to follow. The highest speed limit in the country is 90 kph, or 55 mph. Sometimes it drops to 50 kph (30 mph) in certain areas and even 30 kph (18 mph) in some city centers.
Many areas have speed cameras which will take a photo of your car if you speed. It’s billed to the rental car company and they of course hit you with a service charge plus the fine. I’ve heard 3 or 4 mph over will cost you fines starting at around $400 and higher. DON’T SPEED IN ICELAND.
Speed limits- Don’t get in a hurry when driving in Iceland. While I would find the locals passing me in remote areas and zipping on down the road, I did not succumb to the urge to follow. The highest speed limit in the country is 90 kph, or 55 mph. Sometimes it drops to 50 kph (30 mph) in certain areas and even 30 kph (18 mph) in some city centers.
Many areas have speed cameras which will take a photo of your car if you speed. It’s billed to the rental car company and they of course hit you with a service charge plus the fine. I’ve heard 3 or 4 mph over will cost you fines starting at around $400 and higher. DON’T SPEED IN ICELAND.
