Iceland, a small country in the middle of the North Atlantic has become famous for its unique landscape and natural beauty. Tourists that visit always go home with a special appreciation for the exotic experience that they get in Iceland. However, most tourists will realize too that it is a bad idea to go to Iceland without a proper plan for the trip. It has been reported that every tourist that comes to Iceland spends at least 10,000 USD for the whole trip. For the budget traveler, I have an insider´s guide to traveling cheap and smart in Iceland.
Why is Iceland so expensive?
Iceland is an island in the middle of the ocean. It does not have plenty of manufacturing industries. Most products are imported and for this reason, consumer goods are expensive. The costs for the shipping, customs duties and etc. adds up to the final retail price of a product. You may also find out that there isn´t a great selection of items at the grocery stores in Iceland.
The country has a small population of about 330,000. Taxes are very high in this country, for example VAT and income taxes. Service costs are therefore also really expensive.
Some things are cheap though, like electricity and water (thanks to the many geothermal activities all over the country). The cold water that comes out of the tap is free and as clean as water could get.
How to travel cheap in Iceland? (For summertime travel)
Major traveling expenses: Transportation and Accommodation
1. Rent a Car - A car is an essential part of your travel in Iceland. The bus from the airport goes straight to Reykjavik or to the Blue Lagoon. These buses operate more frequent times in the summer than in the winter. You have to plan this part well because in the winter time, the last bus from Reykjavik to the KEF Airport can be as early as 16:00 or 14:00!
Check out Wheels and Tours for a great deal in cars. Most car rental companies jack up their price in the summertime. (Law of Supply and Demand) However, Wheels and Tours remains to offer reasonable rates and have rates that are cheaper than other car rental companies.
2. Traveling by bus - Traveling by bus is not something I would recommend especially if there is 2 or more of you. I guess it is because not a lot of people use buses (population 330,000) that the bus fares are so high. Except for schoolkids, most, if not all, people living in Iceland has his own car. It is a necessity. Because of the cold, people don´t want to be waiting for the bus.
If you really want to travel by bus, you can find some information online about it but I would really discourage this idea. If you miss the bus for example...there might not be another one that would come by for an hour or so especially out there in the countryside.
3. Taxis - Never ever get on a taxi. I have only gotten in a taxi twice because my car´s battery got drained while in the garage (because I left the doors open) and the other time when I had to pick up my husband´s car at another spot. I paid about 30$ for a 7km ride to work. If you want that, sure go ahead. But as for me, I would rather use that money to buy souvenirs to take with me back home or pay for accommodation. From the KEF airport to Reykjavik, it could easily cost 200$ at least for the taxi ride. I have heard some stories of disbelief from tourists about the taxi fares. They are just shocked to find out how much they have to pay at the end of the trip.
4. Camp - The summertime months of June - September sees the highest peaks in hotel rates. I have worked for a hotel before and have seen reservations made a year before the guests come into the country. This doesn´t give them any more discount than if they had booked 3 months before. The prices have been set for the whole year and unless you stay at an AirBnB or bed and breakfasts/hostels, you will have to shell out at least 150,00 EUR a night.
Camping would probably be the cheapest option. Campsites are located all over the country. With your car, you can drive around, stop at a campsite, take out your tent and sleep for the night. Rough it out for a few days when the weather is good and go for the bed and breakfasts when there is bad weather. I love camping and I can say that it is really safe in Iceland. We sometimes drive out into the countryside, camp at a foot of some hill (whenever legally possible) and then drive on in the morning.
Campsites are all over the country. You can buy a camping card for 105,00 EUR that you can use in 42 campsites in Iceland. You may also choose to just pay about 1.000 ISK per person whenever you go into a campsite. There is usually a person who knocks on your tent and asks for the payment if there is no cashier station. It is convenient to be in a campsite because they have showers, toilets, water and electricity. Some campsites even have wifi connection. These places are also safe. Campsites are closed in the wintertime.
5. Daytours - I would recommend purchasing daytours if you don´t plan on hiring a car. Most daytour companies offer a pick up and drop off service. That alone can save you about 5.000 ISK (2 pax) for the bus fare to get from the airport to Reyjavik. Renting a car is the cheapest option by far though. Wheels and Tours offers daytours and free travel advice services to tourists.
6. Food - Buy groceries at Bonus and/or Netto. Both are the cheapest options for food. Restaurants cost a but more but remember, you don´t need to tip in Iceland for service. It is not required nor expected but of course welcomed.
7. Water - Don´t waste your money buying bottled water. Iceland has one if not the highest water qualities in the world. The water from the tap is cold and fresh and free! Literally free. Icelanders don´t pay for the cold water. They only get a bill for their hot water consumption.
Lastly, check out free events held in Reykjavik from the Reykjavik Grapevine at grapevine.is
Saturday, June 6, 2015
Friday, March 6, 2015
Visit Iceland... Now!!!!!
Here are some of the places that I have been to in Iceland. The first 3 places are part of the Golden Circle. The 4th one is in the southeast coast. I will be posting more photos of places I´ve been to in Iceland.
The best way to get around Iceland would be to hire a car. I recommend Wheels and Tours for travel advice on car rentals and day tours. With the cars rental, taxes and insurance are included in the price. You get unlimited mileage too. The convenience is the most important part though, they bring the car to the airport and they will meet you at the airport when you are returning the car. You may drop it off in reykjavik also. They have two offices, one near the airport and the other in reykjavik.
I suggest going on the Golden Circle tour. You can start in Reykjavik or from the airport and go around the golden circle. With a rented car, you may go on the ring road, a road that runs all around Iceland along the edge of the country. This may take at least two weeks on a tight schedule with very little time for stops. If you want to enjoy the sceneries a bit more and if you don´t want to be in a hurry all the time, I would suggest spending at least 18 days to go all around Iceland.
Here is Strokkur. A geyser in Iceland that erupts frequently (every 10-15 minutes). One of the must sees in Iceland. This is one of the sights that visitors can see when doing the Golden Circle Tour.
Still part of the Golden Circle. Þingvellir (Thingvellir) is a natural phenomenon that is to me both amazing and strange. The European plate and the North american plate meet at this point in Iceland and are actually pulling away from each other. In a few thousand years from now, Iceland will be halfed into two parts. One belonging to Europe and the other one to North America.
The most amazing stop of the Golden Circle tour is the Gulfoss. A huge waterfall that looks very powerful and overwhelming. A story goes that an Icelandic woman, threatened to throw herself into the waterfall if the government (or some private company) would continue with their plans to make a hydroplant at Gulfoss. A discussion started about whether it was worth it to turn something so beautiful and grand into a dam and destroy all that beauty. Luckily the dam project never pushed through and we were able to see this beautiful rough nature.
A gem in the southeast coast of Iceland. It is about 3 hours away from Reykjavik. A wonderful sight to behold. This would really give you the Arctic feel.
Some photos of other places:
Svartifoss - very beautiful
Camping in Skaftafell
*tip: you can camp anywhere in Iceland for one night for free. But of course, if you want the convenience of fresh water and toilets, there are plenty of camping sights all over the country for a minimal fee.
Need to shower? go to a local swimming pool!
On top of Stóri Dimon, we camped at the foot of this hill.
Our campsite at the foot of Stóri Dimon. All we needed was a car and our tent. Check out Wheels and Tours for great value for your money. The owners are very accommodating and friendly.
Icelandic horse. A tough breed.
Kvonn. A summer bloom in Iceland.
The midnight sun over Reykjavík.
Seljalandsfoss...you can walk around and under this waterfall. When you walk down you will get a bit wet from the mist so cover up if you don´t want a shower.
The countryside in the summer.
Svinafellsjökull. If you have seen the move Interstellar...Matt Damon was on this glacier! This is in Snæfellsness.
This is a viking house preserved and is now a museum. Þjórsársdalur.
Skogarfoss: warning! lots of tourists here! Sometimes it is hard to get a photo without all the other tourists in it. This is one of the famous waterfalls in Iceland. Another must see.
Wild mushrooms. I would´t eat this but I have heard that you cannot find anything that´s poisonous in Iceland. I am not suggesting that you eat the mushrooms.
I´ll post more photos later on.
*These are photos taken by me, except for þingvellir which was taken from the internet.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Frekar Anrikur Dagur / Rather Busy Day
Dagurinn minn byrjaði snemma. Ég fór í skólann í Reykjavík á köldum og dimmum degi. Ég lenti næstum því í umferðar óhappi út af snjónum á veginum. En ég var að keyra Skodann þess vegna var allt í lagi.
Tímarnir í skólanum gengu vel. Það var áhugavert og skemmtilegt að læra eitthvað nýtt. Eftir skólann, fór ég út á Kleppsveg að heimsækja vinkonu mína sem heitir Ahn. Hún er frá Vietnam. Við töluðum í nokkra mínútur. Barnið hennar var skemmtilegt og brosti mikið. Hann vex mjög hratt. Í dag var afmælið hennar Ahn. Ég vissi það ekki og kom þess vegna ekki með neina afmælisgjöf. Ég baka kannski köku handa henni á morgun.
Eftir heimsókninna, fór ég á bókasafnið á Tryggvagötu við hliðina á Kolaportinu. Það heitir Borgarbókasafnið. Ég fór inn og spurði móttöku konuna hvernig maður fengi bókasafns skyrteini. Þar voru tvær konur sem voru mjög almennilegar. Ég fór á fimmtu hæð og leitaði að bók um Íslenska Goða fræði. Ég fann bók og ég fékk hanna lanaða. Ég get haft bókina lánaða í einn mánuð. Ég ætla kannski að kaupa bókasafns skýrteini fyrir heilt ár. Það kostar 1.700 krónur. Ég hitti líka Kínverskan mann á bókasafninu og hann heitir Dong.
Svo keyrði ég heim. Það var mjög bjart frá sólini á leiðini heim.
Ég kom heim klukkan þrjú. Maðurinn minn var heima þegar ég kom heim. Ég borðaði kartöflur í karrí. Mér finnst það góður matur. Það var Indverskur matur.
Við keyrðum út í Nettó að kaupa mat. Nettó er matvörubúð. Allt í einu, ákváðum við að fara að veiða. Við veiddum mjög mikið af fisk en við slepptum þeim flestum aftur. Við tókum tvo fiska með heim og elduðum í kvöldmatinn.
Það næsta sem gerðist í kvöld var það að Sjönni hringði og sagði okkur frá norðurljósum á Selfossi. Við keyrðum til Grindavikur að sjá norðurljósin. Þau létu ekki sjá sig. Svo við fórum aftur heim.
Og núna er ég upp í rúmi að skrifa um daginn í dag.
Ensku:
My day started early. I went to school in Reykjavik on a cold and gloomy day. I almost had an accident because of the snow on the road. But I was driving the Skoda so it was all right.
My classes went well. It was interesting and fun to learn something new. After school, I went to Kleppsvegur to visit my friend Ahn. She is from Vietnam. We talked for a few minutes. Her child was fun and smiles a lot. He grows very fast. Today is Ahn´s birthday. I didn´t know it and I came without a birthday gift. I will maybe bake a cake for her tomorrow.
After the visit, I went to the library in Tryggvagata next to Kolaportið. It is called Borgarbókasafnið. I went in and asked the receptionist how I can get a library card. There were two women that were very nice. I went to the fifth floor and searched for a book about Icelandic Gods. I found a book and borrowed it. I can keep the book for 1 month. I will maybe buy a library card for a whole year. It costs 1.700 krónur. I also met a Chinese guy in the library and his name is Dong.
So I drove home. It was very bright from the sun on the way home.
I arrived home at 3 o clock. My husband was home when I arrived. I ate a potato curry. I found it a good food. It is an Indian food.
We drove to Nettó to buy food. Nettó is a grocery store. Suddenly, we decided to go fishing. We caught a lot of fish but we released most of them. We took two fishes home and cooked it for dinner.
Next thing that happened tonight was that Sjönni called and told us of the northern lights in Selfoss. We drove to Grindavík to see the northern lights. We didn't see it. So we went home. And now I am on the bed writing about the day today.
Tímarnir í skólanum gengu vel. Það var áhugavert og skemmtilegt að læra eitthvað nýtt. Eftir skólann, fór ég út á Kleppsveg að heimsækja vinkonu mína sem heitir Ahn. Hún er frá Vietnam. Við töluðum í nokkra mínútur. Barnið hennar var skemmtilegt og brosti mikið. Hann vex mjög hratt. Í dag var afmælið hennar Ahn. Ég vissi það ekki og kom þess vegna ekki með neina afmælisgjöf. Ég baka kannski köku handa henni á morgun.
Eftir heimsókninna, fór ég á bókasafnið á Tryggvagötu við hliðina á Kolaportinu. Það heitir Borgarbókasafnið. Ég fór inn og spurði móttöku konuna hvernig maður fengi bókasafns skyrteini. Þar voru tvær konur sem voru mjög almennilegar. Ég fór á fimmtu hæð og leitaði að bók um Íslenska Goða fræði. Ég fann bók og ég fékk hanna lanaða. Ég get haft bókina lánaða í einn mánuð. Ég ætla kannski að kaupa bókasafns skýrteini fyrir heilt ár. Það kostar 1.700 krónur. Ég hitti líka Kínverskan mann á bókasafninu og hann heitir Dong.
Svo keyrði ég heim. Það var mjög bjart frá sólini á leiðini heim.
Ég kom heim klukkan þrjú. Maðurinn minn var heima þegar ég kom heim. Ég borðaði kartöflur í karrí. Mér finnst það góður matur. Það var Indverskur matur.
Við keyrðum út í Nettó að kaupa mat. Nettó er matvörubúð. Allt í einu, ákváðum við að fara að veiða. Við veiddum mjög mikið af fisk en við slepptum þeim flestum aftur. Við tókum tvo fiska með heim og elduðum í kvöldmatinn.
Það næsta sem gerðist í kvöld var það að Sjönni hringði og sagði okkur frá norðurljósum á Selfossi. Við keyrðum til Grindavikur að sjá norðurljósin. Þau létu ekki sjá sig. Svo við fórum aftur heim.
Og núna er ég upp í rúmi að skrifa um daginn í dag.
Ensku:
My day started early. I went to school in Reykjavik on a cold and gloomy day. I almost had an accident because of the snow on the road. But I was driving the Skoda so it was all right.
My classes went well. It was interesting and fun to learn something new. After school, I went to Kleppsvegur to visit my friend Ahn. She is from Vietnam. We talked for a few minutes. Her child was fun and smiles a lot. He grows very fast. Today is Ahn´s birthday. I didn´t know it and I came without a birthday gift. I will maybe bake a cake for her tomorrow.
After the visit, I went to the library in Tryggvagata next to Kolaportið. It is called Borgarbókasafnið. I went in and asked the receptionist how I can get a library card. There were two women that were very nice. I went to the fifth floor and searched for a book about Icelandic Gods. I found a book and borrowed it. I can keep the book for 1 month. I will maybe buy a library card for a whole year. It costs 1.700 krónur. I also met a Chinese guy in the library and his name is Dong.
So I drove home. It was very bright from the sun on the way home.
I arrived home at 3 o clock. My husband was home when I arrived. I ate a potato curry. I found it a good food. It is an Indian food.
We drove to Nettó to buy food. Nettó is a grocery store. Suddenly, we decided to go fishing. We caught a lot of fish but we released most of them. We took two fishes home and cooked it for dinner.
Next thing that happened tonight was that Sjönni called and told us of the northern lights in Selfoss. We drove to Grindavík to see the northern lights. We didn't see it. So we went home. And now I am on the bed writing about the day today.
Friday, January 17, 2014
Rainbow connection
My husband and I were driving around just exploring the towns near us. I believe this rainbow appeared in the town of Garður. We drove towards the coast and the rainbow´s end was in the sea! The pot of gold must be underwater. I probably would have dove for it if the water wasn´t too cold.
This was the second full rainbow that I´ve ever seen in my life. These are apparently common in Iceland during the summer time. Looking at the photo it seems like the rainbow is a gate to another world, maybe a wormhole to another dimension or time!
Fields of lava
We walked on some lava fields and tried to enjoy the last few days of summer before the winter comes. Here is a typical Icelandic landscape of rock and moss. The photo is not so nice (I have other photos) but in real life, one would be amazed at these rocks. Holding one and just thinking about how it got to the surface (by volcanic eruptions and magma flowing and hardening) gives one a special feeling of being brought back in time.
If you come to Iceland (especially in the summer) I would recommend that you walk on some lava fields. You can just walk a bit from the main road and then you will find yourself lost in some amazing raw, natural wonders of nature. Watch out for the elves though.
Garður and low clouds
On the map of Iceland, one can see the southwest part as a boot shaped area. We drove to the very tip (on the toe area of the boot) and came to a place called Garður. This is the harbor and that day was such a nice day, except for the strong wind. I have never seen clouds this low. It looks like I can just get on a chair, jump up and grab some of it.
Reykjavik marathon
Pick berries, it´s good for the soul
So my husband and I went to pick some blackberries in a lava field. It doesn´t take a lot of effort to go there. You just drive to a lava field (in Reykjanesbæ, should take less than five minutes to get to the nearest lava field), park your car and then walk and look for the berries. These berries are what make Icelandic sheeps so tasty. The sheeps graze and eat these during the summer.
We didn´t really have a particular idea about what to do with the berries. When we came home, we tried to make a jam out of it. But it failed since we didn´t put the stuff that makes it like jelly. I believe the jam we made is still in the fridge.
And here is a photo of a blueberry. If we would wait a few days, the black and blue berries would be in its full stage, all ripe and ready to be picked.
We spent hours doing this. It was fun. It was very relaxing. It made me feel light and calm.
So we will be doing this again next summer!
Blóm
My husband´s mother brings with her flowers on her visits to us. These roses are beautiful.
This flower was from my husband´s parents first visit. It was a bunch of blue flowers. They were beautiful and lasted for weeks!
The flowers made the room look bright and cheery.
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