My wife and I are headed there next week. Getting things in order. Secured a rental SUV for the week yesterday, so we'll be avoiding guided tours. Thanks to BBI threads and more reading/research, we're gearing up for the adventure.
Couple detail questions.
* We communicated with our banks so they know our spending in Iceland isn't fraud. They said "there may be" fees associated with purchased there. So far no definites. Wanted to ask if any of you Iceland travelers had fees, what you experienced ... etc.
* We've got a couple adapters for phone/camera charging. Wanted to ask about texting, email, Internet access in Iceland. Fees for texting? How is the access? I'm assuming there will be nothing available when we are out away from civilization (we plan to do that often), but closer to humanity, how's it?
* I've been told that doing the money exchange at the airport is a good/convenient thing. Not asking amounts ... curious how anyone balanced what you might have carried (cash vs. debit or credit cards). I don't know that carrying a wad of cash around would be a solid idea.
* Safety - we'll stay in places overnight at times, but we're also winging it, with the "midnight sun" still a big factor ... our sleep patterns will be all F'd up, so we're thinking we'll sleep in our SUV some. Other than the random situation, pretty safe to pull over and take a nap without being accosted? lol
* I've thought about this trip for decades, literally. It's a dream trip for me. Part of what I want to do is simply stop at small establishments, get foods and drinks there, mingle with locals. Anyone have experiences like that? My hopeful side is thinking how great it'll be ... but the realist in me figures we could run into pubs off the beaten path where folks couldn't give a rat's about foreign visitors, no matter how respectful we may be.
Leaving next Wednesday. Getting fired up!
Used my cards for everything.....I don't think I got any cash.
It is certainly safe enough, but I spent a ton of time on the roads and did not see cars/suvs pulled over on the side overnight.
Default car rentals are manual....if you automatic....make sure you tell rental company.
Blackout curtains!
Enjoy....one of the most interesting places on earth!
George ... did you experience anything with the lava flows? Terrible for some areas ... fascinating, though.
I dpo not recall what we did for phone service. We likely paid for an international plan for a month then cancelled it. When we last went to Greece 1.5 years ago, our current plan covered us traveling internationally, up to a set amount of calls and texts.
Ice;and croime is very very low. You should be safe to sleep or nap. You might ask about that when picking up your car rental. On that notes, it was odd for us. We landed, caught a bus to our hotel. The next morning the car rental place was at the hotel to pick s up and take us to physical rental location. This might have changed and veriese upon whom you are renting from. Sorry no recall, as to who we rented from.
Town are few and far between and not all that big. While it has been a dream trip for you, try to slow down and just let the trip unfold. See that large formation off in the distance, head toward it and see what it might be.
My wife and I, while we do plan, we let the day unfold and go where things organically go. We try not to have the day filled with 8 items. Maybe 2 or 3 items we would like to see or do and if we get to 2 of them great, because something will come up. You will be in Icelnad, you might see a visita and want to check it out. Don't, be scared of the prepared sandwhiches at the gas stations. They typically are really freshly made, like a day old. We would use them as a lunch and if that off trial adventure popps up and we can stop and enjoy lunch.
Do chat with the locals and ask for suggestions. Enjoy your trip as Iceland is an amazing placw. We too dream of returning. This time is will be the western fyords and the northern part of the country heading east around the ring road.We have place we wish to see again and new place to explore and see.
I asked me wife, we never called any one. We used local wifi from the hotels or in town and communicated via Messenger. We saved a few $$.
He claims to be the smallest watch company in the world.
Sometimes the watchmaker is in, an old guy who was a pleasure to talk to.
Be careful...he sold me a watch, which I love.
We are these people. We won't rush to anywhere or through anything.
Good reminder.
1st time in 1 lane tunnel with pullovers to allow on-coming traffic to pass.
The waterfalls with no barriers.....you can go right to the edge...needs a little courage.
Every evening we ended up in a hot springs around the island... even some "natural one" that you need to be careful of temperature.....love that part of the culture.
There were definitely active lava flows that we had to navigate around from Keflavik airport to the Blue Lagoon. While scary and devastating for the locals, it was amazing to see up close.
If you have a credit card without foreign transaction fees, use that for all your purchases in Iceland. Everywhere we visited took our Visa card. You will be asked if you want to pay in Icelandic Krona or USD. Pick the Krona (local currency) option. It will be a better conversion rate thru your credit card/bank. I brought a small amount of Icelandic Krona with me but really didn't need it in the towns we visited. I mainly used it for tipping. If you're going to really remote places, having a little local currency is probably a good idea. Go to your bank before you leave and ask them to get you the Krona. I wouldn't do it at the airport if you can help it.
We used travel pass thru Verizon for all our staying connected needs (phone calls, texting, email) and had no issues in any of our locations.
If you find yourself in Grundarfjordur, go into the Harbour Cafe for a beer and try their fish stew! Very friendly staff, and great food. They even give you free Icelandic chocolate.
If you spend time in downtown Reykjavik, try Deig
for a casual breakfast. It's a bakery in the Exeter hotel. Their other restaurant next door (Le Kock) is good as well for beers and bar food. Try an Icelandic hot dog from one of the local street vendors. Very good.
Enjoy the trip!