ICELAND

Why Iceland?

For me, Lisa, Iceland has been on my bucket list since I was a teenager. My dad had spent 1 month in his twenties with a friend of his backpacking across Iceland, and I still remember the little plastic diapositive slides with all the incredible photos. 

So in 2021, for my birthday, Jesse surprised me with a trip to Iceland - and put me in charge of the itinerary (big mistake). What he thought to be a short weekend trip, quickly turned into a 2.5 week road trip and I was spending hours and hours each day researching, planning and eventually booking everything one could possibly do and see in Iceland. 

Decisions you should make before going ahead and booking your trip

What do you want to see in Iceland?

If you want to experience 24hrs of sunlight, go in the summer. However if you want to see the Northern lights, we would recommend to go in the winter. We chose to go in October, as we were hopeful to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights as well as seeing whales. Neither of those is guaranteed, so don't go giving anyone a hard time if things don't work out as you expected. Nature has a mind of its own!

Northern Lights - Winter (Between September and April)

Whale Watching - Summer (Between April and September)

Suggested Apps & Websites (all of those are free!)

• Wanderlog - this app really helps you visualise and plan your roadtrip. It allows you to set pins and it automatically calculates the distance between each attraction and automatically populates attraction details and pictures from the web. A premium version of this app is available, however we never felt the need to upgrade from the basic version as it's very comprehensive as it is.
• Strætó bs - The official Icelandic public transportation app. You can check timetables, plan routes and buy tickets.
• Google Sheets - use this alongside Wanderlog to keep track of spending, booking confirmations, 
• https://safetravel.is/ - if you're renting a camper, this is an essential website (or you can download the app!) to check regularly. You can sign up to free travel alerts, meaning you're always up to date with current recommendations. If they advise against travel, take that advice. Don't be one of the tourists who get stranded in dangerous conditions, as you'll also be putting the locals who have to come to your rescue in danger.
• https://www.lightpollutionmap.info - if you're hoping to see the Northern Lights, this app is essential. It allows you to see light pollution for specific areas, and whilst Iceland generally has low light pollution you want to make sure you spend the odd night in a low Bortle zone.
• www.xe.com - useful tool to calculate exchange rates and in turn the cost of things
• https://guidetoiceland.is/ generally a super useful website with information about 99% of attraction and points of interest.

Finding a campervan at a reasonable cost

Finding a suitable campervan (at a reasonable cost!) was proving challenging as Jesse is 1.93m (6ft3). So when searching the many campervan rental sites and comparing (not just cost, but also additional features, accessories, insurance etc), we quickly notice that a "more comfortable" and larger campervan would be twice or triple the price of a smaller one. We discussed and agreed that since we're going on an adventure (in the words of Bilbo Baggins), we're not going to spend an awful lot of time inside the actual camper so opted for a Renault Kangoo Maxi. And you know what? l.ooking back, I wouldn't change it for the world! It was compact, but still have enough room for Jesse to stretch out.

Here it is:

Cost for 2 weeks  - 142,320 ISK - approx. £840 or 950€ We chose to stick with basic insurance (CDW insurance) which is the basic collision damage waiver and most rental companies include this. 

However, the recommendation generally is to add gravel protection/insurance, which  covers all the damages that the car may suffer due to the impact of gravel and stones, including the windshield, headlights, and windows. It may seem unlikely that a stone will impact your car during the trip, but it happens much often than you think, even on paved roads. While this insurance is recommended, it’s not mandatory. However, if you don’t buy it, you will have to assume the costs of repairing the vehicle.

There are multiple other insurance add ons, for example SAAP (Sand and Ash protection) so we recommend to do some independent research depending on where you plan to travel.

The one we would say is completely unnecessary is Theft Protection. Iceland is a very safe country, one of the safest in the world indeed, and your car isn’t likely to be stolen.

Random facts and guidance

• If you're renting a campervan, pack flip flops. Not only will they come in handy for trips to and from the campsite showers, but also for hot springs, and generally to wear in and around the camper when you don't want to put your hiking boots back on.
• Be flexible. Yes, we had a super detailed itinerary. But sometimes things don't always go to plan, especially weather wise.
• Book in advance if possible. Sky Lagoon, Blue Lagoon (we didn't visit there) and many other attractions get sold out quickly if you leave it too late. Plan, prepare and book as many as you can. If your plans change, most providers are very accommodating with regards to changes especially as they respect tourists adhering to weather related travel advice.
• Don't just visit all the popular lagoons, but make an effort to seek out wild hot springs and hot pots. Many of those are maintained by the locals, so always leave them clean and tidy, don't leave rubbish behind and most importantly leave a little donation in the donation boxes to ensure others can continue to enjoy them.
• If you're on a budget, cook meals in your campervan as often as you can. If you're not restricted, you'll find restaurants in most areas, however we found it quite adventurous to buy unusual foods in the supermarkets and cook them at our leisure. You can't quite  beat enjoying breakfast in the back of the camper whilst looking at Skógafoss!
• Always park and camp in a designated car park or camp site. Wild camping is not allowed anywhere in Iceland unless you are on foot with your tent on your back. Campsites in Iceland are generally really cheap and well equipped.

Itinerary

Here you can access our full itinerary along with approximate costs. This was about 30+ hours of work, and all we're asking for is you to give us a follow on Instagram and Tik Tok for more useful advice!

We actually had to skip the Westfjords due to some severe weather conditions (thanks to https://safetravel.is/ we were aware early and were able to adjust our travel plans accordingly without causing too much disappointment) and a couple of other attractions we also skipped. We were not prepared to rush from place to place, and often found ourselves so in awe of certain places that we just decided to stay that extra bit longer. One of those places was Kvernufoss, which is around the corner from Skógafoss in South Iceland. It was magical, there were no people and the sun just came out, and we spent a good hour there just sitting behind the waterfall and enjoying our surroundings.