Living Big Travel Blog

Travel tips, guides, and real life stories to inspire your next adventure. Go explore! 

The 101: planning a trip to Iceland

 

Iceland is on the map in a BIG way. Not a week goes by where I don’t hear of someone visiting Iceland, booking a trip to Iceland, or that it’s on the top of someone’s bucket list. 

Thanks to a major economic rebound, and more direct flights to from the US (helllloooooo Iceland Air Stoppver program!) it’s also easier than ever to get there.

Planning a trip? Heed these top tips before you go.

  1. If you’ll be staying in a hotel, B&B or just about anything other than a camper van or tent, make your lodging reservations ASAP. Supply is limited, and demand is high!

  2. Venture beyond Reykjavik and the Golden Triangle, and you’ll be rewarded with remote sights and incredible beauty.

  3. Do a little food planning if you’re outside Reykjavik. Food options are limited, and the hours can also be limited. So have an idea where you’ll end each day, find out in advance where you’d like to eat, and make sure you get there before they close.

  4. If you plan on renting a car, look really close at the fine print to make sure you understand all that’s included, and excluded, from coverage. A good example: the south coast of Iceland can experience very high winds that can blow sand on your car and damage the paint. Make sure ‘sand damage’ isn’t excluded from the insurance.

  5. Get advanced reservations to the Blue Lagoon. Walk-in appointments are no longer accepted! So plan ahead, and book your visit. And don’t forget to thoroughly condition your hair before going into their dreamy waters. The minerals in the water can wreak havoc on your hair. Take it from me: I couldn’t get a brush through my hair for a week after my first visit!

And if you’d like to join Living Big on a trip to Iceland, click here to learn more about the trip we’re hosting in the summer of 2018. Alternatively, you can work with Living Big to design your own trip to Iceland. Click here to learn more about our custom Travel Design services.

Cheers to travel, adventure and making your way to Iceland before Starbucks, McDonalds and the major hotel chains do ?

Mary
Living Big Founder + Chief Adventurer and Travel Designer