Iceland: Packing, Travel, and Tips
Every year for Christmas my husband and I alternate planning a trip for our gift to one another. As an adult, presents seem silly as we are more than capable of buying whatever we want, whenever we want. Since we both share an immense love for traveling, putting our money towards a trip seemed like a great idea. The alternating idea makes it more fun because each Christmas one of us is surprised, while the other one gets the Joy of sharing their trip idea and itinerary.
This is our third year celebrating this tradition, and my husband chose Iceland as our destination. I’m not going to lie... I hate the cold - snow and ice typically aren’t my thing. But I always try to embrace new experiences with an open heart and an open mind, so Winter Wonderland here we come!
I have broken down this blog into three parts because there is so much information. This first part I’ll talk about what to pack, the travel itself, and tips for your trip. In my second blog I’ll talk about hotels and restaurants. In the third blog I’ll talk about different sights and excursions.
**We traveled to Iceland in February, so it was cold. I’m unfamiliar with weather conditions over there during our summer months so keep that in mind when considering the information below. **
What to pack:
Winter gear : I know this seems like the obvious, but I wasn’t really sure how intense the winter gear should be. When I looked at the temperatures before traveling, they seemed pretty comparable to what we were experiencing at home. NOT EVEN CLOSE. Iceland is like the Arctic. When we arrived at 4am at the airport I was in my parka, leggings, sperry boat shoes with no show socks, and a comfy cropped Sweatshirt. (Who doesn’t want to be comfortable on the plane?). We had to walk to a bus to get to the rental car headquarters, and the winds were whipping about in 20 degree weather. I was taken aback. Everyone else on the bus had on heavy duty snow boots, hats, gloves, and snow pants. Here I am trying to look somewhat fashionable while everyone else is dressed for survival. Case in point - bring the heavy duty snow gear: base layers, waterproof pants, boots, hats, gloves, scarves. You will typically need it all. The winds can really pick up and mixed with the colder temperatures it can be brutal. You can also buy spiked frames which go over your sneakers to make walking on the ice much easier.
Comfy warm layers: Bring clothes that are comfortable and warm, but also items you can layer and take off. If you are touring around you will mostly like spend a good amount of time in the car and then want to transition into colder weather with warmer layers. We bought winter pants which we could easily pull over our jeans and leggings once we got to a sight. Then once we got in the car we could take off layers to stay comfortable.
Bathing suits: Iceland is known for hot springs and hot tubs. There are natural hot springs which are free, and ones that are more well known like the Blue Lagoon. Our one hotel also had hot tubs outside of the rooms that we could use whenever we felt up to it. I would recommend bringing more then one bathing suit. I only brought one, and was constantly trying to dry it so I wouldn’t have to painfully put on a cold, wet bathing suit before entering the warm waters.
Bring one nice outfit: This kind of trip is more of an adventure type vacation than an elegant bar scene. Sure you can find high end dining and night clubs, but most of the time people are walking around in sweaters and winter boots. Don’t waste space in your suite case with fancy shoes and dresses. The majority of the time I was donning my Sorel boots and any cute sweaters I packed were covered up by my heavy jacket. I did, however, pack one nice outfit for a fancier dinner we went to - and boy did it feel good to be dressed in normal clothes again!
An underwater phone case: This comes in handy if you decide to go to the Blue Lagoon or any other hot springs. You can purchase an underwater case at the Blue Lagoon, but you can probably find something cheaper at home to bring with you. Things in Iceland are pretty pricey, so bringing something from home will most likely be your best bet. **I put a link to a phone case i recommend at the bottom of the blog.** It can be pretty challenging to try to get those artistic photos while worrying that you are going to drop your phone in the water. Also the blue lagoon is pretty big and crowded and there isn’t a place to put your stuff to the side while you swim around. Of course you could always go sans phone and leave it in your locker and just enjoy the view :)
Sunglasses: This might seem silly, but the sun is bright and you are typically surrounded by snow and ice which provides the perfect landscape for those bright reflections. I had my sunglasses on almost every single day.
A plug converter: If you have ever been to Europe before you will know they the outlets there are different than at home. You can easily buy a converter which allows you to plug in whatever you need. I posted an inexpensive converter at the bottom of the page. **Be careful with hairdryers. Most hotels provide them. I have blown out many of my own hairdryers by using converters because the dryer itself is just too strong.**
Flying to Iceland
We flew on WOW air to get to Iceland. We are loyal United Airline flyers, but during this time of year they don’t fly direct which turned a 5 hour flight into a 13 hour flight. Hence: WOW air.
We payed the extra fees to upgrade to their “first class”. For those of you who are familiar with first class this is not your typical first class experience. On WOW air you are paying for a bigger seat and extra leg room. Food, drinks, bags, and entertainment are NOT included. The airfare itself is pretty cheap, but you will be making up for it with all the extra ad-ons.
There are no TVs on the flight and no WiFi. You can bring your own devices just make sure they are loaded up with your entertainment before you get on the plane. Once you are out of WiFi you can’t download anything onto your phone (lesson learned for the flight home).
The flight attendants were friendly, and the plane was clean. Overall it got us to and from our destination-job well done. We bought food and drinks on the way back in the airport and brought them on the plane which I recommend because airplane food is expensive and typically not great.
Tips:
Be prepared that Iceland is expensive. The food and drinks will cost you every where you go. Even getting two burgers will run you around 50 dollars. I had read this prior to our trip so I wasn’t too surprised when we got our food bills.
Bottled water isn’t a huge thing. Icelandic water is pure and clean, so drinking from fountains or from the faucet is the same thing as drinking from their bottles. Their tap water is good, and it saves you money. Bring a water bottle of your own that you can fill up as you move along.
Rent a car, and make sure to get an SUV with 4 wheel drive. The roads in Iceland can be icy and snowy. There were some days where the wind was so strong it was blowing snow across the road and we could barely see. Some of the smaller roads were complete sheets of ice. Spend the extra dough and get a car that is meant to handle the weather and terrain.
Skip the tours, and explore on your own. My husband and I aren’t tour goers. We tend to like to be adventurous and do things at our own pace and time. Some of the excursions are hours away and there are stops along the way you can see. Doing it yourself allows you the opportunity to see what you want, skip what you want, and stay as long as you want. This freedom can be completely liberating, and you end up discovering things that you may not have found otherwise. For example, we were able to stop and pet the horses on the side of the road, and take pictures of sunsets and things we found interesting. I know this isn’t for everyone, but if you can, try it!
Plan out your maps ahead of time. There are tons of places to see, and Iceland is roughly the size of Georgia, so getting from one end to the other is not something you can typically do in one day. Try to pick and chose which sites you want to see and plan accordingly.
The northern lights are a crap shoot, so give yourself ample time. This is one of the main attractions in Iceland but it is all weather dependent. We were lucky enough that the first night we were there the lights were dancing in the sky. The second night, even though the skies seemed to be clear, the northern lights were faint and barely visible. Nothing is ever guaranteed, so try to at least give yourself a few nights to see them.
This wraps up my first blog on Iceland. This is all based on my own personal experience, and I hope that my information is helpful to you! Keep on the lookout for the Iceland Part 2 where I’ll provide some insight on hotels and restaurants!
xo
P.S. If anyone has any questions please feel to reach out to me on here, or DM on Instagram! I’m no expert, but I love to provide information whenever I can!
