After coming back from my trip from Iceland I learned a ton about the best ways to get around, to what to pack, and staying safe! I decided to write a post on things that other people told me and things that I have learned to make this trip even more wonderful!
Airport/Rental Car:
- The International Airport is about an hour south of the capital city. If you are not renting a car, try and jump on a tour company that goes from the airport and drops off in the downtown area of the city.
- Blue Car Rental is my preference! They were super easy to use and when I had a question, I emailed them ahead of time and they responded super quickly.
- Shuttle Bus to Rental Cars: this bus gets you to all the rental cars, but they pack it full of people before they leave and people are always getting on. Jump off at the first stop and walk the rest of the way because the “stops” are all super close together so no need to feel cramped on the bus! Also the bus only comes ever ~20-30min so plan for that when you arrive and leave.
- Pick a car that you’ve driven before or similar to one you have. I’ve only ever driven a Toyota Corolla and I got a Toyota Aguyo which is just a little bit different gear wise and I was very panicky as my first time renting car.
- Don’t forget your drivers license! Your passport will not work to rent a car make sure you have both!
Getting Around:
- Getting a GPS with your rental car is very affordable and I think totally worth the money! Although do be aware that many of the locations are in the Icelandic language not English so make sure you adjust your settings!
- Google Maps : When I felt very used to the roads with the GPS, I used my google maps to help guide me pretty much every where. Before I left I starred all the places I wanted to visit. While in the airport, I put my google maps into “offline” mode where it could use Location Services to find me even if I was driving through he country side not on wifi and it worked great! Make sure you don’t close out the app though!
- Each house/town has it’s own road sign with little icons on it to tell you what is there. For example, if they have WiFi then you’ll see a wifi icon. If they have beds then you’ll see a bed icon. If they have food, gas, info, whales, etc…there will be icons for all of that. Since it’s warmer and getting busier, as you’re driving around you can generally stop at any of these houses/guest centers and get info/food/etc. Check out https://www.arctic.is/traffic-signs/ to see them all and take a screen shot on your phone !
The “point of interest” sign for sights in Iceland
- You can generally stop on the side of the road for any pictures you want to take. There aren’t a ton of cars and there are a lot of turn-offs so that you’re out of the way.
- People drive REALLY fast. Most people drive over the speed limit because I don’t think I saw a “police” once my whole trip. But they do drive on the right side of the road and follow normal passing rules.
What to Pack:
When I visited Iceland it was in June so the weather can obviously vary if you go during the winter time but this is the list I formulated based off visiting in the summer:
- 3 Pairs of Shoes: Waterproof, Hiking Boots, Your choice. I brought my Chacos, my hiking boots and my gym shoes as my comfy shoes. My Chacos were great when I went to a lot of the waterfalls because they could get wet or dirty and it wasn’t a big deal. The hiking boots are super important if you do the Thermal River because it is about an hour long hike.
- “Waterproof” Clothes: I’ll be honest, the only time I really got wet was when I walked through a puddle and went close to a waterfall. I packed mainly workout clothes that were dry fit like yoga pants and workout leggings. I wore cotton shirts and dry fit shirts and even if I got wet I was dry very quickly after. I didn’t go out and buy any clothing to prepare for this trip and I don’t think you should either! Jeans would be just fine as well as long as they are stretchy to get through hiking.
- Fleece Lined Rain Jacket: This was the only layer I brought and it was perfect. When I went to the waterfalls or it got a bit chilly this was the best item to have. I found a great one at Walmart of all places for about $20 and it lasted me 5 years!
- Eye Mask: Because it is the summertime, the sun really never sets fully so you really need at night eye mask to get a full nights full of rest! I got a new neck pillow and combined my purchase with the eye mask.
- Travel Towel: Most hostels and budget hotels do not provide a towel for you and neither does visiting the Thermal River.
- Money Belt or Casual Bag: Iceland is such a safe country, I left my bags in my car every time I visited some where from 10 minutes – 3 hours and never had an issue. But if something were to get stolen, I wouldn’t want it to be the items I really need like my passport, credit cards, phone. Have a money belt on you or a casual women’s sling bag to keep those on you at all times.
Money:
- You really don’t need cash! Almost every where in the country accepts cards so that is all I brought. I used my Capital One Venture card so that I would have no foreign transaction fees.
- Bring Debit Card as back up for Gas. At both of the gas stations I went to, my credit card didn’t work because I didn’t have a PIN for it. {I didn’t realize I had a PIN for my credit card}
- Excess Charges on Your Card: Both times I went to the gas station, I got charged like double or triple of what I paid at the station which made me as a penny pincher panic. Thankfully they were always pending transactions and my bank Wells Fargo never charged them, but something to know that might happen to others as well when you go visit.
Hopefully these little things will get you more prepared for your journey to Iceland in the future!
