Iceland: Tips and Tricks

Happy New Year, I hope you had a lovely holiday season, however you choose to celebrate!

I have had so many people asking about my Iceland experience, what I did, what I budgeted, etc. Since I did quite a few tours but also learned a lot along the way I am going to break my experience up into different posts so they're easier to navigate and to return to for future reference: Tips and Tricks (this one!) For the Adventurer

For the Northern Lights Hunter

Welcome to the first post where I'll be sharing generic tips and tricks of my experience, things I learned and if you have any questions about things I didn't mention or want more information on. feel free to message me, I'd love to chat!

Before You Go I'll start by touching on things I recommend getting sorted before you get there so you are fully ready for the adventure without having to worry about the little things once you're there.

Budgeting

Everyone has a different perspective om budgeting so do your best to check flight times, days of the week and vacation packages. I found a great deal through Icelandair for a Northern Lights specific trip that allowed me to play around with my budget and upgrade hotel, length of stay, etc as I could afford. Here is quick access to Icelandair packages page: https://www.icelandair.com/en-ca/vacations/

While booking tours there are multiple companies for each tour I looked at, I took the time to book according to my budget but also what I was hoping to get out of the tour (length of time, pick up and drop off, large or small group, etc.) are all things to consider. Check back shortly for my "For the Adventurer" post for more information on this! Food

When it came to budgeting, I did a lot of research on cost of food in Iceland since I had heard so many people mention how outrageous the food prices were there. I decided I could save approximately $100(CAD) at least per day if I brought my own food which is what I did and did not purchase one full meal while there. Thanks to my camping and backpacking experience I was confident in portions but to give you some ideas for each meal:

Breakfast - my hotel had a continental breakfast but I wasn't sure what this included so I brought a thermos, instant coffee packs and oatmeal. It ended up being a full breakfast spread but I was glad I had my thermos and instant coffee because the time I did purchase a plain coffee with a splash of milk, it was 8oz and $7.50(CAD.) It was also convenient to bring hot tea and coffee on tours to help fight the chill.

Lunch - I brought variety for lunches including a protein bar per day, trail mix, dried fruit bars, oat bars/energy bars and I purchased a few apples from a market ($2.50 ... EACH!) Due to being busy throughout the days and with a hearty breakfast, I found I was never hungry.

Dinner - I brought 3 premade sandwiches from home which I ate for the first three nights, it was easy to keep them in the hotel mini fridge, I brought a pack of quinoa rice cakes with a small jar of peanut butter which I used as a main meal for a few nights (or as a lunch) and 2 cups of dried soup/pasta that were very light and I just had to add hot water to for a filling and cozy meal. I only had one night where I was sick of peanut butter and rice cakes, looked at a few restaurant menu prices and decided really quick that rice cakes sounded divine.

Snacks - Besides the already mentioned, I brought dark chocolate almonds, smart sweets, and dried apple rings. I packed travel packs of Reds and Greens to add some more vitamins and minerals to my diet since I don't often rely on so much processed foods. There is a bakery that I read about where I purchased 2 cinnamon buns on my second day and those were perfect to cut in half and a great treat.

If you are planning on going cheap when it comes to food, I also recommend bringing reusable sandwich baggies to pack food when you're on the go and a spork or reusable cutlery set since these cannot be found in Iceland.

Apps Self driving - especially in the fall/winter and early spring months, download "Safe Travel - Iceland". With limited daylight hours and unpredictable weather, you will be prepared for road closures and conditions before you hit the road.

Transportation - if you're relying on transportation within the city, the bus system is very well fun and straight forward. There is also a taxy company called HreyFill that has an app. It makes it seamless to book and pay for taxi services.

It is not normal etiquette to hail down taxis in Iceland and often times they won't stop. There are designated Taxi points throughout the city where you can hope to find one or you can let the app do the work for you no matter where you are. Just be warned that the taxi services are quite expensive so be sure to budget approximately $20(CAD) per ride and that was only for around 7-10 minutes of service in one direction.

It is also worth noting that everything in Reykjavik is within easy walking distance so it's possible to go your entire trip just exploring on foot within the city!

Electronics Ensure you have an outlet converter and don't bother bringing any hair styling tools since many won't even work with a converter.

When You're There

Entertainment Almost everywhere I went had access to free wifi, including tour buses, the bus station and even boats! I did not buy a SIM card, just used wifi or turned on data if I was in a pinch. Bars close at 530 in the morning and there were people everywhere, always. I would be heading back from a Northern Lights Tour at 130am and people would be just leaving the hotel to head into the city.

Shopping It isn't just food that's expensive, souvenirs, clothing and items all have high ticket prices. There are souvenir shops every few feet but most of them carry identical items, however, 'The Viking' was the cheapest I found with the best selection and could save you quite a bit of money if you are buying basic souvenir items such as chocolates, teas, shot glasses, magnets, etc.

Tax Refund - I didn't find this out until my last day but if you spend more than 6,000ISK on hard goods (no food, lodging, fuel, etc.) ask for a tax refund receipt. When you get to the airport you can submit the receipts and get 14% of what you spent back! Everywhere I went accepted apple pay and major credit cards so I didn't any converted currency with me and I'm happy I made this decision since it was one less thing to worry about keeping safe or trying to keep track of when paying.

Photography

I used my Iphone 12 Pro for most photos, I had my Nikon D3100 with me but have yet to find time to edit anything I took. I also used my GoPro Hero 9 for snorkeling (which I absolutely recommend if you're going to do this adventure since the photos the tour company took that were included were not anywhere as good as what I was able to capture on my own.) I also used my gopro for the Northern Lights photos and after playing with settings, found this took the absolute best photos with the least amount of frostbite.

Museums

There were more museums than I realized and did not have time to get to any of them since my schedule ended up being so busy. Ensure you take the time to check out their hours and which ones are "must sees" before you go so you can plan enough time to get to them! Hopefully this gave you a head start and some inspiration into planning and packing ideas for your upcoming trip!! As I mentioned earlier if you are wondering about anything I didn't touch on, please reach out!! Stay tuned for more details of my Northern Lights experiences and other adventures.