My Top 5 Tips When Visiting Iceland

Iceland, the land of fire and ice. It's beautiful, clean and full of all sorts of nature experiences like the iconic Blue Lagoon. But how is the best way to explore this island? and can you use points and miles? I just returned and I'm going to share my top five tips when visiting Iceland. 

You can go to Iceland and spend a million dollars, but that's not how I like to travel. So I'm going to share the way I like to travel and you can use some of my tips or all of my tips, whatever fits your travel style. 

I will share with you that 99% of the people we met on our visit to Iceland were using these same tips. Before we get started, points and miles are not easy to use in Iceland. Outside of Reykajavik, there are no hotel chains. But you can always erase travel with the Capital One Venture X card. You can see how to do that here. You can also use Capital One or Chase Ultimate Reward points to book guest houses. If you can't use points to book, you may be able to maximize the points you earn by booking through the travel portal. 

Now that we got points and miles out of the way, let's get to the fun part! 

Tip #5

Book everything early! The summer months are busy in Iceland so if you are planning to visit during this time, book early. Not only book your tours early, but book your car rental and accommodations. There are only 370,000 people living in all of Iceland AND 300,000 of them live in Reykajavik so that means there are only so many options once you get outside the city. Also make sure you use the right credit card to book your car rental so you are insured. The weather is real in Iceland so are the dirt and gravel roads. 

Tip #4

Check out guesthouses with shared bathrooms and breakfast. These are super cute bed and breakfast type accommodations. I preferred these over Airbnb because they included breakfast and wonderful local hosts. Now if you are travelling with a group, Airbnb may be more cost effective. 

Tip #3 

Bring waterproof everything! Pants, jackets, hoods, shoes or an extra pair of shoes. An umbrella is nice, but the wind is also strong in Iceland so waterproof clothing is better. This is the land of the foss or waterfall plus it rains a lot! If you can't bring it with you, head to a thrift store in Reykajavik and buy it all there. Then maybe you could even sell it back to the store when you leave. 

Tip #2

Buy staples at Costco, gas stations and grocery stores - Food in Iceland is expensive and not very good. So it's a better option to just cook for yourself. There is a Costco outside of Reykajavik. And it sells most of the familiar items including peanut butter and almond butter. So it's a great place to load up on snacks, sandwich makings, muffins and other items you can eat in the car or in the Airbnb. You can also stop at Bonus to pick up groceries. And believe it or not, the gas stations in Iceland are a great place for breakfast, sandwiches and souvenirs. 

Tip #1 

Budget Airline - It used to be WOW Air and now it's called Play. It's a budget airline that flies a few times a week from Boston, Washington DC and Baltimore to Reykajavik. My round trip ticket cost approximately $350 round trip. I used my Southwest points and companion pass to get us to Baltimore. It's a budget airline so seats, drinks, snacks and baggage cost extra so plan accordingly. The airline also doesn't fly everyday. But if it works with your schedule and travel style, it's a great way to cross the Atlantic. 

So there you go, my top 5 tips when visiting Iceland. I'll leave you with one more. If you have one week, don't try to see the entire Ring Road instead spend some time on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula and maybe check out the Lava Cave in Husafell and then stick to the Southern Ring Road. If you have two weeks, then travel the entire Ring Road. 

Enjoy!