[Travel] Planning for the trip – Iceland

We purchased our tickets 6 months before the actual trip, and lucky us, because we got a huge discount since the airline had a promo during that time. I’m a fan of skyscanner and that’s where I’ve been monitoring air fares.

We have been eyeing this trip for quite a while that I think I have already bookmarked all the possible websites about Iceland! Kidding aside, since I have been reading about the place for months even before we purchased our tickets, the actual planning wasn’t that tough. And besides, planning for a vacation is always fun! (To be honest though, this was the very first trip that I planned, ever! I usually just choose one or two sites that I want to see and just let G do all the planning, and I just usually go with the flow and enjoy)

Here are some things that could be helpful when planning and things that are good to know before going to the land of fire and ice:

VISA

Iceland is part of the Schengen area, and since we were only visiting Iceland for this trip, we lodged our application at the Norwegian Embassy in Manila (they represent Iceland in the Philippines) through VFS. Application and processing time was quick. We submitted our application on a Tuesday and we already received an email and an SMS 2 days after saying that the VISA has been approved. To know more info, including the list of requirements, click here.

GETTING AROUND

Since we were planning on going around the whole country via their famous Ring Road, we rented a car from SADCARS. They have a branch in Reykjavík and in Keflavik – about 10 minutes from the airport. You can choose to get your car from KEF, and they will pick you up from the airport and bring you to their garage to give you the car. Returning the car will be the same – bring the car to their branch/garage and they will bring you to the airport for your departure.

We opted for a 4×4 to give us the flexibility in driving, you know, just in case we want to explore more or add another site to our list and veer off from the ring road from time to time. Not all cars are allowed to drive on every road, and not all the roads are paved as well, there are a lot gravel/rough roads especially if you want to explore the highlands or West Fjords.

Fuel in Iceland is expensive. And apparently, some cards are not being accepted on some gas station terminals. So to be on the safe side, get one of those prepaid gas cards that you can top up on almost around the whole country.

ROAD SAFETY

The weather in Iceland can be pretty wild. It could be sunny when you wake up, and could already be stormy by the time you finish your breakfast. Before heading out to drive, be sure to check this website, it will give you an updated report on road and weather conditions. Here you can find the necessary emergency numbers and other useful information, they even have web cameras!

Take road signs and speed cameras seriously too, we got flashed a few times, still not sure up to now whether or not we got tickets for those. Coming from a country where road signs and traffic rules are merely suggestions or “friendly reminders”, driving in another country was pretty tough for me at first.

Watch this video of Elfis to learn more about driving safely in Iceland. It’s important to keep your eyes and focus on the road, not just because the views along the ring road are absolutely breathtaking, but also because horses or sheeps or deers might suddenly cross the road, seriously.

 

CONNECTIVITY

To avoid expensive data roaming charges, we got a wifi bundle from SADCARS, and we just carried it along with us wherever we went. You can also top it up online, which was very convenient by the way. The SIM that came with the wifi box is from this telco called Siminn – check out their website to see how easy it is to topup your data credits wherever you are in Iceland.

CURRENCY

Current is ISK (Icelandic Krona), 1 ISK = .42 PHP.

We actually didn’t get the chance to have our cash exchanged, I forgot why we failed to do so. But it turned out we didn’t really need cash anyway. Credit cards are accepted wherever you go, even on vendo machines 🙂