Adam stole me away to Iceland in May of 2017 and was one of the most breath taking experiences I have had my entire life. I had never left the country before and was extremely nervous about leaving the comforts of American society, however, Iceland was a great way to ease myself into the out-of-country traveling experience! When I told everyone I was going to Iceland, everyone would ask me the same question: Why? What's there to do in Iceland? And I'll tell you what, we were there for 8 days and I cannot wait to go back and see what Adam and I missed out on the first time around.
TIP #1. Skip the guided tours. All of Iceland's national parks are free and open to the public. You can go to every waterfall, every geyser, every volcano, every beach, even a glacier for FREE! Do not buy a tour to get on a people filled bus for $300 for the Golden Circle when you can just rent a car and do it yourself! Trust me, being able to see things on our own terms, pull out to the side of the road to eat whatever we wanted and even feed some local horses were some of the most memorable and amazing parts of the trip that we never would've had if we hopped in a tour bus. TIP #2. Rent a car. Do it. Just do it. We rented a car the last 4 days of the trip so we could explore a little more of Iceland outside of the city limits and let me just say, you will not regret it. While gas was a bit expensive, having a car offered us freedom from walking in the freezing, snowing cold in the evening and let us wonder off the beaten path whenever we felt like it. On our way to Vik's black beach, we saw many tour buses just passing by some really cool photo spots while we got to pull over and see waterfalls and even a volcano crater filled with water! What was even more awesome was we could simply drop the car off at the airport before our flight home! Easy peezy. TIP #3. Visit the Blue Lagoon. While I was planning the trip to Iceland, I saw so many articles saying to skip the Blue Lagoon. That it was not worth the money and filled with tourists. While the latter may be true, I was so glad I followed my instincts and forked over the money for one of the most relaxing moments of my life. I honestly do not know why people said not to visit this amazing geothermal spot because it was heavenly. We spent 3 hours in the blue waters and I came out a bit sleepy, a little tipsy and very, very happy. While it is on the expensive side of experiences in Iceland, it was so worth every single penny. TIP #4. Do not tip. The tip is included in your meal so do not worry about tipping your wait staff. We tipped once and we learned very quickly soon after that you do not have to, though it is appreciated! The waiter's and bartender's every where you went made sure you knew and it was very sweet considering most could have said nothing and taken the money. We were sure to tip our bartenders though out of thanks for dealing with the drunken crowds. TIP#5. Bar hop. Let me just say that Iceland's bar scene is wicked cool. There are so many different types of bars with different atmospheres to choose from. From a Gay Dance club to a Whiskey Tavern and everything in between, you could spend days trying to get through them all (and we tried). ROK was our favorite place and had the BEST bartenders. Hangout at one place, have a drink or two, then go to the building right next door and you'll have another whole experience. And everyone is extremely friendly. All the bartenders will talk to you for hours and give you a local's insight on places to visit all around the island!! TIP #6. Layers, layers, layers! We went in early May and were still hit with plenty of rain, snow and shine alike. Be aware that is is chilly most of the time and you should really layer up! The weather in Iceland is crazy and can be raining one hour then bright and sunny the next. Wear wool sweaters, light jacket and then a heavy jacket to help keep the cold out and the warm in! I also wore Duck Rain-Boots for all of the trip and they were perfect for hiking the muddy trails or walking down the snowy streets of Reykjavik. TIP #7. The Grocery Stores. If you will be grocery shopping (which everyone should do! Saves money!) shop at the store BONUS! Any other store will be much, much more expensive! We had a BONUS right next to our hotel that was 2 minutes walking distance and it was wonderful to have a place to grab food. However, the alcohol store is completely different because booze is not sold in grocery stores. Also, anything else like a hair brush, medicine, extra socks, toothpaste, etc will be at a pharmaceutical store. TIP #8. Split a meal or two. Adam and I saved quite a bit of money by splitting some of our meals in Iceland. Nobody is kidding when they say Iceland is expensive. The food can get price-y after a while which is why I recommend grocery shopping or splitting your meals! Their portions would be a decent size so Adam and I could split a burger or a pizza. Their food is extremely westernized however there are a couple places that serve the Viking cuisine. Do not miss out on shark, whale or puffin! Grab an appetizer and an entree to split and you'll be set! TIP #9. Icelandic Tongue. Worried about trying to learn one of the hardest, most specific Nordic languages? Don't be! Everyone, and I mean everyone, speaks English. The locals will try and help you learn the language, but usually it ended with plenty of chuckles. We only learned one word that we didn't completely butcher which was "Takk" which means Thank You. It came in handy. Adam and I are both very blonde, so we'd usually walk into a restaurant where the staff would begin talking to use in Icelandic, but the second we opened out mouths we would be outed. TIP #10. Stop & Look. You will want to stop literally every five seconds to explore and take pictures. And you should. Stopping and taking in everything was some of the best moments on our trip. When planning your road-trips to other parts of the island, give yourself time to stop and adventure. We stopped at a local dinner and pizza restaurant, pet the island horses, and saw some waterfalls we did not even know existed when planning our adventures. Some things though are so amazing a camera does not do it justice. Just take it all in as much as you can because some of the views should be a desktop wallpaper. And that's it! 10 tips to help you with your Icelandic adventure! I hope these are helpful and add some insight when you are planning your trip! We had such a wonderful time and we cannot wait to go back and explore more parts of the city and the island that we missed.
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Meet me!Hey I am Marley and I have decided to take my partner Adam on this crazy blog ride! We are just two kiddos exploring the beautiful earth one passport stamp at a time. Here I'll be writing about the meaningful moments in my life. Always Explore
November 2018
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