Husb (82) and I (62) are back form the Ring Road trip- it was amazing but there are points I would strongly suggest to anyone, of any age, before doing this yourself. These are random thoughts and not in any particular order... I had given my feedback a few days ago in the Iceland Forum group but thought some of these would be applicable elsewhere.
1- You do >not< need a guide, other than RS book and perhaps one or two others who are actually based in Iceland, for up to date information to do a "Ring Road" trip around Iceland. We felt totally prepared and enjoyed the freedom to linger, or not, at places along the way.
2- It is crazy expensive... Gasoline (Benzine) let's not even think about the price per gallon but the good news is that it is the same price in the cities as it is in the unmanned 24 hr self-pay pumps in the middle of nowhere. 2 medium pizzas and 2 pints cost $70?? (I was too hungry to do the math before ordering but we did eat the leftovers for lunch the next day, so that kinda works out). Bonus grocery chain is reasonable and having a loaf of bread, cheese and perhaps sandwich meat or PB and cookies covered us for lunch and evening snacks.
3-ALWAYS check the www.road.is road conditions app before heading out and while you are at it, having a wifi hotspot in our rental car was a HUGE helper. We had a most excellent experience with Lotus rentals and a 2-seater, manual shift, Suzuki Jimny. I did all the driving, 1800+ miles in 10 days. The Jimny got very good mileage.
4- Make an agenda for each day (we stayed at different guest houses as we circled the country) and for that plan, have an alternative. You don't know if the weather will close off a certain area, or.... We went from summer to winter and back to early autumn and had to change plans due to ice on the road.
5- When you arrive at KEF, BUY YOUR ALCOHOL before exiting through customs... Cheapest on the island.
6- Pack your own washcloth or bathing pouf. Only one place had these for us but we had also brought our own.
7- Speaking of lodgings, I only booked places that had free cancellation and free breakfast. Icelandic breakfasts tend to be very substantial and filling.
8- We did fine with an LL Bean "boat tote" personal item bag and a small 21" roller duffle each. A soft-sided cooler that I had packed with clothes in a carryon worked great for keeping food and beverages cold.
9- Be prepared for wet weather. I waterproofed and touched up the water proofing on our clothes, rain gear, shoes, etc. Don't let "getting wet" ruin a walk- As they say, there is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing choices...
10- If you want to see our on-line travel diary and some pictures, check it out on our podcast website: www.https://blindhogandacorn.home.blog/iceland-travels/
Posted by
Snohomish, WA
2489 posts
I commented on the other thread, but am glad you had a good trip. I head back there again today:) It is funny, the comment about food being expensive. We are in the Seattle area which is more expensive than many other areas, so the food cost to us is not much different. Thank you for mentioning that you do not need a guide! I see so many questions asking for that and can't figure out why, unless it is a specific excursion that requires one. Anyway, I loved your photos and the report!
Posted by
OP
Missouri
17 posts
mikliz97- Indeed! We rarely dine out so yes- the price for the pizzas was an eye opener. Us Missouri farmers don't get out much. Enjoy your travel today and fingers crossed for excellent auroras!
Posted by
Snohomish, WA
2489 posts
Ima--e don't go out much either, somewhat due to how expensive it has gotten. The last time owe went out it was $60 and we could not believe how cheap that was. We save it all for our Iceland trips, lol!