Trip Profile: Iceland

Excited to be starting off my first blog post talking about one of my most favourite places in the world - Iceland! This unforgettable adventure took place in April 2018 and I fell in love instantly. This destination is every photographer's heaven; there were too many Instagram-worthy sites to recall (it was EXTREMELY difficult to stick to my own rule of not posting more than six times a day to IG stories). Though I would consider Iceland a slightly pricier destination, there are definitely ways to make this destination affordable for any budget. Today, I'm sharing five key takeaways that will make your Iceland adventure just as memorable and mine!

SUMMARY

Cost | $$$

Budget per Day | $150 CAD

How to Save | group travel, cooking, bringing food

Solo Travel | not recommended (gets very expensive)

Accommodations | mostly Airbnb and hotels, hostels limited

Transportation | car rental is a must, public transit very limited

Suggested Time to Visit | depends.

Suggested Duration of Stay | 7-9 days

Activities | landscape photography, hiking, waterfall chasing

Technology | wifi accessible but a SIM card is strongly recommended

1. SNAG THE BEST FLIGHT DEAL

My friend, Jen, and I booked our flight during a WOW air sale during Cyber Monday 2017 and scored roundtrip tickets for $225 CAD (FYI - this is an AMAZING price). I was keeping an eye out for flight deals for about a year, and this is the lowest I've ever seen them at. So, I highly recommend paying attention to flight deals around Black Friday/Cyber Monday.

When booking with a budget airline like WOW, be mindful of baggage restrictions! Basic fares with WOW air only come with a personal item, so I decided to split a checked luggage with Jen - much more cost-effective than paying for two carry-ons.

2. TRAVEL WITH A COMPLETE STRANGER TO SAVE $

When Jen and I first booked our tickets, we knew we could probably make the trip more cost effective if we travelled with one and two additional people. Unfortunately, no one from our closer friend group could join us, so we got creative!

Using the power of social media, we decided to post a callout for additional travellers in our local travel Facebook group (aka asking strangers to join us) and on our personal social media accounts. Doing a mass callout for strangers to join you on a trip across the world may not be for everyone, but Jen and I were comfortable with it given our past travel experiences (cue multiple solo trips in Southeast Asia and we're still alive)...and it worked for us! We ended up successfully meeting a lovely young lady our age to join us (Lina), as well as an acquittance Jen and I went to school with! Our first encounter with Lina was actually at the airport, but we chatted over Facebook messenger before the trip and she seemed cool (and not a bot). Our friends thought we were insane for travelling with a complete stranger without meeting them in advance of the trip, but Jen and I were truly not worried. However, this is all based on comfort level, and again I admit this approach may not be for everyone. Though, it did work well for us as we got to split the cost of our car rental, accommodations, and food between four people instead of two.

Depending on your comfort level, there are so many ways to find additional travellers to any destination to split expenses. The safest would probably be posting on your personal social networks! You'd be surprised how many people within your networks are looking to explore the world. If you are considering the "acquiring a travelling partner via social media callout" approach like I did, I would recommend posting in a local Facebook group with people you share common interests with - the group doesn't have to be a travel-related specifically, but it does help.

3. HOW NOT TO HAVE YOUR RENTAL CAR BREAKDOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF ICELAND

Yes this happened. Long story short, we decided to go off-roading to see the Skaftafell Mountains a little more closely. We turned off our extremely-capable-of-off-roading Suzuki Grand Vitara when we got to our view. After taking plenty of pictures and decided to continue on with the rest of our road trip, OUR CAR WOULD NOT TURN ON. Best part, we had no signal on our phones so we had to walk out back to the main road. We ended up calling our rental company for a tow. When the car got towed to the main road, it magically worked again *insert eye roll*.

Lessons here: beware if you decide to go off roading. It was a costly "mistake" to fix - and for me, staying budget conscious is everything when travelling as a Millennial. Leave your ignition running and don't turn it off. If your car does breakdown for some reason and you are trying to get a tow truck, language will probably be a barrier (ie. you might have trouble pronouncing Kálfafell properly) so use GPS coordinates to communicate your exact location via text message.

Yes, I brought and wore my winter coat. And I have no shame in that at all.

4. WATERPROOF, LAYER UP, and SUN PROTECTION

The weather in Iceland is quite unpredictable, so be prepared to dress for all conditions; especially the wet stuff (ie. rain and buckets of mist from waterfalls). Easiest way to pack for these types of destinations is to bring layers! During our trip in April, we had days where we would go through all four seasons in a day. Crazy!

Also, SPF and sunglasses is quite necessary.

5. REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS

Jen and I booked our flight for early-mid April because it worked with our work schedules and there was still a possibility to see the Northern Lights, according to my hours of research. However, when we got there and booked our accommodations with the best viewing spots, we were quite disappointed with the fact that we did not see the Northern Lights in any of our six nights in Iceland...and this is where I'd like to mention realistic expectations.

No matter how much you plan, sometimes things are just out of your control. Weather, language barriers, road conditions, Northern Lights, cars breaking down for no reason, the list goes on. In recent years, Iceland tourism has boomed - and with that, so has its frequency on my Instagram feed. For me, this sort of set the expectation that Iceland was going to be a PERFECT trip for me - I was going to see the Northern Lights, I was going to go off roading with no issues, and I was going to comeback with a thousands of breathtaking pictures. Only the latter turned out to be true. Be prepared with the fact that Iceland isn't always going to be perfect just because the pictures are so beautiful. Road conditions will be treacherous at times, plans might get derailed or need to change at the last second, and you will battle painful wind storms. So, set realistic expectations of your trip and be flexible when in Iceland! This isn't the destination to plan every single second of the itinerary and you will soon realize, many things will not go according to plan. That said, I promise you will come back home with amazing pictures to showcase your Instagram!

There's so much more I could share about my adventures in Iceland but these five tips are ones I found the most significant and relevant to planning the ultimate journey! Looking for more insight? Want to share your experience? Comment below!