Iceland | Travel off the Ring Road: Part 1

WHY VISIT ICELAND?

Iceland has gained more popularity lately and honestly; I didn’t want to go at first because it seemed like an overcrowded tourist destination. If you start researching Iceland, you’ll see a lot of research revolves around the “ring road”. This is basically the main road around the perimeter of the island and tends to be what a lot of people base their Iceland trip around. You can see all of the main photography spots and main attractions this way. It’s also where you’ll find the more expensive food and Airbnbs.

If you’re reading this because you want that experience, more power to you! This just might not be the blog for you, if that’s the case. I highly recommend checking out Iceland with a View if that’s the trip you want! Her name is Jeannie and she is extremely knowledgeable about all things Iceland, and can even customize an itinerary for you.  She was also a main source of information for my own research.

Iceland has so many things to do and see including countless waterfalls, volcanos, glaciers, highlands, fjords, beaches, hiking trails, hot springs, etc. We didn’t scratch the surface and genuinely can’t wait to go back. My “off the beaten path” research led me to what I honestly think is the most beautiful town in Iceland: Dalvik. Dalvik is in the north part of Iceland and is surrounded by mountains, green fields, rivers and the ocean. It’s the perfect fishing town for nature lovers and although it’s a five hour drive from the capital, Reykjavik, it’s a short forty minute drive to the largest town in North Iceland: Akureyri. I’ll be honest, getting to Dalvik seems overwhelming at first.  It is about a five hour drive from the Keflavik airport.  In the end, it was more than worth it to escape the crowds and have more of an authentic and magical trip.  

WHEN TO GO

I always try to avoid peak seasons for travel at any destination so we booked our trip for early September (3-11). We chose this weekend because of Labor Day – always take advantage of a holiday at work!! Less PTO time used! I would say most people go in the summer months for better weather and more sunshine! It can be very brutal in the winter months so just make sure you do your research if that’s what you’re leaning towards.  They also experience total darkness during the day during the winter months so watch out for that. For us, we knew we wanted to do a lot of sight seeing, eating and hiking, so didn’t mind at all that the weather was around 45 degrees fahrenheit with some light, misty rain most days. The week after we got back from our trip, they got a lot of snow and winter storms so just make sure to keep that in mind if you plan to travel in September. Go early!

GETTING THERE (FROM DTW)

Our flight details from Detroit (DTW) aren’t too important anymore because IcelandAir just introduced a nonstop 6 hour flight direct to Keflavik airport!! What was a 15 hour journey for us (we had a crazy, unexpected layover story), could now be only 6 hours! The main airport is Keflavik, which is about forty five minutes outside of the capital, Reykjavik.

I knew we needed a car so I followed Jeannie’s advice and booked through Blue Car Rental. They are located right outside the airport and they’re a local Iceland car rental company. We didn’t have any issues with them at all and the rates were normal! I would also really recommend reading Everything you need to know about renting a car – Iceland with a View. 

CULTURE & TIPS

I was a little bummed because we didn’t (actually couldn’t) learn the language before we went. I think it’s always a nice cultural thing to do – at least to know the basics. Icelandic language is one of the hardest languages and it was just not happening for me. But that’s ok! Pretty much everyone speaks English as one of their languages and you will have no problem getting around or even driving.

The currency is the Icelandic Króna, which at current rate is 1 Króna = 0.0071 United States Dollar. This is actually very important to remember. *Funny story time: my dad bought a few handmade wool sweaters from the local café in Dalvik. He was fascinated by the story of the owner who makes the sweaters and didn’t look for a price tag before buying… he sat down after the purchase and showed us the receipt. Long story short, he thought he spent $65 and in reality, spent about $650. Watch out for those decimals places when converting! *

You’ll need an adapter for all of the outlets in order to plug anything in. Speaking of, make sure your phone plan is set to international so you can use it without the insane roaming fees!

As for the rest of my planning, google maps is always my best friend. I scour the map for things nearby that I want to see or do. I also find it’s way more reliable than Apple Maps when traveling international but maybe that’s just me. I’ll talk more about all of those places we ended up visiting in Iceland in my next post!

WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT ICELAND

• No, it is not cold all the time or covered in snow all year round!!
• Yes, you can see the northern lights (some months)
• There is way more to do than the blue lagoon!! I cannot stress this one enough!!! Find a natural hot spring on the side of the road instead
• They drive on the same side of the road as in the US
• Almost all people speak English as one of their languages
• The air actually smells fresher – we could breathe better
• The waterfall water is the best water you’ll ever have but I’m not sure if you are actually supposed to drink it from the stream? We did..
• The beer is way better than any beer I’ve ever had
• Yes the food is a little overpriced – it’s an island
• You need a EU adapter for your wall plugs
• Bring a rain jacket
• Iceland has 13 Santa Clauses (they are mean) and most natives believe in elves
• Tipping is not customary but appreciated
• No animals or insects in Iceland are dangerous or poisonous
• It is extremely safe and home to some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet