Tips for Traveling Iceland

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Here are some tips that I wish I had known prior to our Icelandic adventure:

1. Pack Waterproof Everything

I don't know if they make waterproof underwear, but if they do, you're going to need it. We travelled to Iceland during the fall and it rained daily; plus, the majority of the sights are water oriented (waterfalls, ocean, etc) which means you are bound to get wet.

2. Pack Colorful Clothing

Both my brother and I have the tendency to wear black on black on black. Iceland has very dark features (black beaches, black rocks, gloomy skies, etc), so if you want to stand out in your pictures, make sure you wear bright colors. We had so many fantastic photo opportunities that didn't turn out because we blended in. Like this one.. where am I? Can you imagine how much better this picture would be if I was wearing a bright color.

3. Pack Things to Do in the Evening

Although we were constantly on the go throughout the day, the evenings were very quiet. We had each brought a book but I ended up buying some pens and a sketchpad to help keep me occupied. I'd recommend bringing cards, a crib board, etc.

4. Focus Your Time on Southern Iceland

We found that the majority of our favorite sites and experiences occurred when we were in the southern portion of Iceland. As we started to travel North & to the West, there were less opportunities (or that we could find), so we spent a lot of our time driving. As I mentioned in my Iceland Road Trip Itinerary post, if I were to return to Iceland, I would honestly skip East & North Iceland and spend more time enjoying the sights that are available in Reykjavik, Southern, and Eastern Iceland.

5. Get a Decent Camera:

This isn't a must, but its something I wish I had. I didn't get my DSLR camera until after our trip to Iceland; and now that I am slowly learning to work the thing, there are so many places in Iceland I wish I could recapture. I inherited the trait of being picture obsessed from my mother - so if you too have this trait, make sure you're prepared to capture the beauty of Iceland.