Iceland Insight

Before our trip I read many books and blogs about how to prepare for Iceland. Of course you never really know anything until you experience it for yourself. I've compiled a list of the best advice I could come up with to give someone visiting the beautiful country for the first time.

1. Pack layers

I am so glad I took this piece of advice seriously. Layers really are key. Some mornings I needed gloves and a hat but once the clouds cleared I was starting to sweat in a long sleeve t-shirt. The weather is much cooler than where I live, but it really could feel quite warm. One afternoon we walked through lava formations at a place called Dimmborgir. I was in a flannel shirts, jeans, and boots. I thought I was going to sweat to death. The next day we went to a museum and I needed two shirts, jacket, vest, gloves, and a hat.

2. Pack lotion, sunscreen, and lip balm

It was really warm this day. The headband was to keep my hair under control.

I had sunscreen covered and then didn't wear it the day we went on a glacier and got burned. I had raccoon eyes the rest of the trip. Luckily we experienced gorgeous, sunny weather so I have my sunglasses on in all the pictures. I only packed my tinted lip balms and my poor husband had none. He was man enough to put some on to avoid some terribly chapped lips. The air was much drier than I had anticipated so we were both walking around with shiny, pink lips. Our hands were like sandpaper so we started wearing sunscreen as lotion.

3. If renting a car, make sure it's unlimited miles/kilometers

We originally had a 200 km budget for each day. That wasn't enough for the ring road with all the stops and airbnbs. At first our rental company said we couldn't change to unlimited. We, sadly, cancelled our reservation at the airbnb in the Western Fjords. Of course about an hour later the rental company said for a fee, much smaller than paying the overage fee, to get unlimited mileage. We still decided to forgo the Western Fjords since it would have been an additional six and a half hours in the car one way. I was really bummed about it. Where we stayed in Skagastrond we could see across the water to the fjords so that was neat. But missing them gives us another reason to return.

4. Take proper credit card precautions.

Obviously you should alert your bank and credit card companies whenever travel. It's embarrassing and perturbing to have your card declined. I mean,  really it's good because that means someone else can't use your card. I have a few simple steps about card use in Iceland. First, notify the appropriate parties. Second, call your credit card company to add a PIN number. In Iceland they require PIN numbers at gas stations even with a credit card. Third, check your foreign transaction fees. Depending on the company and your card plan, you could have no fee or about a 3% fee. Lastly, most places prefer cards with chips. They take the traditional swipe method, but sometimes they have to use a different machine for that.

5. You may need bug spray.

There are a ton of flies in Iceland. Well, there were for our trip in June. They were swarming us and then the front of our car was basically black with bug guts. Gross.

6. Keep your eyes peeled on the Ring Road.

Not only for the amazing views and the cool pull-off places, but in the summer when the sheep are grazing freely they cross the road. The mama sheep check for cars first but the lambs, and most sheep have twins, don't. We had one walk right in front of us! Luckily, Hubs has great eyes and saw them and slowed down in time.

7. Get a waterproof camera/phone case.

We had a waterproof phone case and used it at the Blue Lagoon for pictures. We thought we would need it for rain or while whale watching but it was sunny and not needed.

Enjoying a Gull beer in the Blue Lagoon.
Hair tip: I kept mine up with conditioner in it and was fine!

8. Have a real map.

I started with the downloaded Google Maps. That worked great as long as we knew our exact beginning and ending location. On the second day of our trip we bought a map and downloaded Lonely Planet for Iceland. The map we bought was great. It even had the roads color-coded for paved, gravel, off road (the F roads), and tunnels. We rented a Chevy Spark so long periods of time on gravel roads weren't too fun and the F roads were definitely off-limits for us. The Lonely Planet helped when in towns and looking for places to eat. It had suggestions and the town maps. I got to download it for free as a trial use of Kindle Unlimited.

Overall, everything about Iceland was as perfect as people made it out to be. Everyone in Iceland was so warm and welcoming; we only had the most positive encounters with locals and other visitors alike. A big plus was that Icelanders' speak wonderful English. Iceland is a beautiful country and, since we can take our dogs with us, I'd love to think we could live there one day.