Michaela and Scott

We absolutely loved our visit to Iceland, and I have no doubt we'll be back again! There are so many hidden magical places here, and everyone seems to have brilliant stories, hints and secrets to share about their visit. One thing we also found was that it is mighty expensive! On the way home I jotted down a few pointers to make the most of your trip (and save some pennies!)

- If you're going to buy a jumper, buy it on the first day. You'll probably end up wearing it the whole time. The Nordic store seemed a lot cheaper than some other places.
- Pick up a copy of the Reykjavík grapevine newspaper - they tend to have it in the airport and at hostels. It has some nice articles for tourists as well as a guide to what's going on around the country.
- If you plan to drink alcohol either bring a bottle with you or pick something up at the airport before you leave.
- To save a few pennies, you can bring your own drinks into swimming pools, both the public ones and the tourist ones like the blue lagoon as long as they are in plastic bottles.
- If you are planning to visit the Blue Lagoon and you care about your hair, either tie it up and try desperately not to get it wet or bring a really good shampoo and conditioner. Three washes later and its still feeling a bit like straw.
- At the Blue Lagoon the free face mask sells in the shop for a hefty amount, so slather yourself in it whilst you're there!
- If you're planning on travelling round the ring road, book your accommodation in advance. We were travelling in low season and trying to book somewhere at a reasonable price on the night with sketchy 3G wasn't so much fun
- We planned our trip by putting stars on google maps, and use different markers for places to eat, see and stay. Download the maps so you've always got your map when the signal gets sketchy.
- Don't do the tours, rent a car and explore off the beaten track. Wherever you seen a looped square symbol on a road sign, theres's probably something amazing. Our favourite moments were at some of the lesser known spots down winding side roads.
- Make sure you get a four wheel drive and if you have a choice, choose one with the most ground clearance. If you can afford it then one with heated seats is very nice to have. I got soaked on multiple occasions from waterfalls, rain, and by the sea whilst standing on icebergs. Without the heated seats and a nice warm car getting wet would have sucked. It was definitely an enabler for getting up close to waterfalls and icebergs! If you can afford a proper off-road truck, do it.
- Bring a usb car charger for your mobile / camera / go pro. One which has a radio/Bluetooth adapter will let you play your own music if the car doesn't have it already.
- Eating out can very quickly get very expensive. If you want to maximise the time exploring and save some pennies, stock up on snacks and drinks at a supermarket. Pizza breads and Skyr were my top picks. Bring a flask to fill up with coffee in the morning and a water bottle.
- The fish here is delicious! For a cheap way of enjoying it, you can often find fish soup on them menu and you can always ask for more bread.
- You can claim the tax back on any goods you buy at the airport. You need to ask for a special receipt when you buy the item, and you fill out a form to drop in at the airport on the way home.Read more