If you don’t have time to read all of it….
1. Planning , planning & planning. Don’t assume that you can plan it on ground after starting your trip. Details and back up plans needs to be in place weeks, months before starting your trip. Check weather and road conditions daily before and during your trip
2. Have multiple back up plans. Even after detailed planning, there will be days where your plan might be messed up based on weather & other scenarios. Accept that things will happen and be ready to improvise. If you can, build in a couple of buffer days so you more easily adapt to changes. Have a plan B, C D and maybe E.
3. Don’t bother changing money. The only place we needed cash was for a shower at a campground, and they just added it to our bill and gave us the coins. Use a credit card (not debit) for everything. If you feel the need to have some krona just in case, only change 20 bucks or so. They seriously use cards for everything here.
4. Have an international wireless plan. You will pay for parking pretty much everywhere and there is no cash accepted- you’ll need to download at least three apps (Parka, Easy Pay and Checkit are the most common) and pay via your phone. So might as well either get an electronic SIM for Iceland or verify your carrier’s policies for international travel. I use Verizon, which is $10 per day of usage, but Melinda uses Spectrum which charges by data amount used. We used her plan and it cost about $9 total for our trip. Oh, and they take pictures of your license plates when you enter and leave, so not paying will result in a fine applied to your rental car, so you might as well pay. It’s around 1000kr per park, or roughly $7.50 at current prices.
5. Use a credit card and have a PIN. You won’t often need a PIN, but if you’re low on fuel and the benzine (gas) station requires one, you’ll be stuck. And use a credit card instead of a debit- when you fill up with fuel they will often put a substantial amount of money on it as a “hold” and they can take a few days to clear off and be replaced by what you actually spent.. Not a big deal on most credit cards, but on a debit card you can “run out of money” pretty fast and then not be able to use it anymore.
6. Take some medicine with you. What we consider “over the counter” medications are ONLY sold at pharmacies in Iceland- and they close early on Friday and stay closed all weekend. While we always travel with a basic first aid kit we don’t carry things like Nyquil or cough syrup. So if you have necessary or favorite medications, take some with you, just in case. When one of us got sick, we wish we had brought even a few days worth of Nyquil.
7. Be cautious about the wind. There can some very strong gusts that can flip over a tall camper van, rip a car door from your hand and bend it, or even cause you to lose balance as you lean over a cliff to take a picture of a puffin.
8. Don’t block the road. Never stop on the open road to take a picture, find a pulloff. If you are driving slower than everyone else then put on your right blinker when you see it is safe for people behind you to pass. Be a good tourist!
9. Wear layers & raingear. Temps can change really fast, you can go from short sleeves to needing a jacket with a few minutes. Short sleeve shirt, wool underlayment on top of that, then a fleece vest/puffy jacket and make sure you have waterproof jacket and pants. You’ll need a warm hat. Bring a backup pair of gloves
10. Hit a grocery store. Food, especially at restaurants, is very expensive and not always easy to find. Buy some easy to make foods, snacks and beverages. If you want anything consumable that they sell in duty free- like alcohol or chocolate- you might as well pick it up here and save a substantial amount of money. We like to have an adult beverage in the evening and while we like supporting local businesses we aren’t always going to be near a local brewpub. We bought some Brennivin, which is an Icelandic liquor- think liquorice in the flavor. You may or may not like it.
Any other tips? Leave a comment below!