How To Make The Most Out Of Your Stopover In Iceland

Icelandair, one of my favorite airlines (here’s my review), doesn’t charge you extra for a stopover in Iceland on your way to or from North America and Europe. It’s a route that many travelers neglect and others think is an expensive idea. You can add another great destination to your trip across the Atlantic and with a little bit of planning, stick to a simple travel budget on your way to the next city.

Getting Into Reykjavik From Keflavik International Airport

The best way to get into Reykjavik from the airport is to take a shuttle that will take you into town for around $9. You’ll find stands for airport shuttles inside Keflavik International Airport. (Don’t get a taxi which will cost you five times as much.) Also, keep your eye on the right side of the bus on your way into Reykjavik, you’ll be able to see the steam rising from the Blue Lagoon.

The city itself is small enough to navigate easily by foot; otherwise the local bus is good enough to get you most anywhere you need to in Reykjavik.

• Reykjavik Backpackers is a very clean hostel in an excellent location on Laugavegur, a lively shopping district with a good selection of restaurants and bars. Here’s a quick primer on what is a hostel if you’ve never stayed in one.

Sites In and Around Reykjavik

• The Hallgrimskirkja Church Tower – The tallest building in Iceland, it helped prevent me from getting lost many times since I could see from most of Reykjavik. Getting in the church doesn’t cost anything and a lift up to the tower for a look around town is about $2.
• The Blue Lagoon – It costs about $40 for a round trip bus ticket and entrance to the Blue Lagoon. It’s a bit pricey but one popular tourist destination that won’t disappoint you. Save some money by bringing you own towels (and of course bathing suit). There is a small cafe on site but the food is overpriced, bring your own you can leave in a locker.
• Whale Watching – There were a number of package deals for $45-75 for a day out on the water to look for orcas, humpback whales, and you can go all year round.
• Party…Hard – The nightlife in Reykjavik is one of the craziest I’ve seen. Bars open late and people head out at midnight to party the night away until the early morning hours. You’ll find drunk people littered in the streets around 5am on the weekends, school breaks, and on holidays. If that’s your idea of a good time, you’ll have a lot of fun after midnight.

There are some other options, like going to see the Northern Lights during the winter months. They tend to come and go so check the University of Fairbanks Geophysical Institute for a forecast the day before booking.

Venture Out Of Town

You can climb glaciers, see a live volcano, or go whale watching in Iceland. Check with your hostel and see if they are working with any of the local tour guides and compare a few deals before booking. You can also rent a car, fairly inexpensive for a European country, and drive to most parts on the island around Highway One. “The ring road” is approximately 1,500 kilometers and a scenic drive. Here is a section of the highway in Myvatn snapped by Stephanie Yoder.

• Stephanie also recommends stopping by Hofn in the eastern part of Iceland if you’re driving around.
• Nomadic Matt also shares 7 things to do in Iceland.

Renting A Car In Iceland

If you do decide to rent a car, get one for early in the morning for an entire day to make the most of your time and money. It’s advice that’s very obvious but many don’t plan for it until they get to Reykjavik. Get your rental company in mind and find out where the offices are beforehand (and reserve in the summer months) so you’re set without missing a great opportunity to see more of Iceland.

• Keep in mind that if you sign up with Icelandair’s frequent flyer program, Hertz and Sixt Rent A Car will earn you miles as well.

Glacier climbing will cost you around $100 and visiting the Hekla volcano and hiking to the summit around $230 – both can be done in a single day from Reykjavik. If you’ll be booking through a tour group, ask around the hostel or where you’re staying to see if anyone wants to go as well. Almost all of the companies offer discount rates for larger groups.

Plan To Enjoy

A stopover of 2, 3, or 4 days doesn’t have to be a frantic run to see as many things as possible. You can take time to relax (free), stroll around by the water in Reykjavik (free), look around the shops (free), and enjoy one of the many restaurants and cafes (doesn’t have to be expensive). I’d suggest having a list of 2-3 things you absolutely want to do and budget to see of those what you can. You can always plan another stopover in Iceland and after the first you’ll probably want to.

[top photo by: Stuck In Customs, (car) Stig Nygaard]

A Review Of Icelandair

Don’t neglect Icelandair the next time you are looking for flights from North America to many points in Scandinavia and Western Europe. Icelandair is one of my favorite airlines, in terms of comfort and service plus the fact that they don’t charge extra for stopovers.

Flying Icelandair

Both planes I boarded in New York City bound for Copenhagen through Reykjavik a few weeks back had the most legroom I’ve ever experienced for an economy seat. The seats themselves were very comfortable and each was equipped with a touchscreen entertainment system that included an assortment of movies and games. The staff were very friendly and helpful, not to mention efficient in getting the plane in order before take off. The comfort of the plane was such that I wish they flew to more destinations – which is one of the drawbacks about Icelandair – they simply don’t fly from many destinations in the US and only 2 in Canada (Toronto and Halifax). Many of their destinations are also seasonal and not available year-round.

• Another disadvantage is that Icelandair isn’t affiliated with any of the big airline alliances like One World, so you can only earn miles flying with them or staying at Hilton or Radisson hotels plus a few others.

Stopovers

Icelandair doesn’t charge you additional airfare for stopovers and although Iceland is getting more expensive, it’s still a good time to get a deal there. You can add a few days there along your flight path to Europe or the US and enjoy Reykjavik as well as other parts of the island. Fly around Christmas time to find the lowest fares, another reason you should visit Iceland in the winter. You should also look into booking through the US or Canadian versions of their website, where the prices are generally lower than booking in Euros.

• One thing that is a bit unusual is the security check all passengers have to go through upon arrival in Reykjavik. You’ll need to take your shoes off and go through a metal detector much like you did before going to your gate in your origin city.

Meals

While the food is a decent blend of above-average airplane sandwiches, you’ll have to pay for them and any other meals on your flight. From the US east coast or points in Scandinavia the flights are short enough to make this bearable but I wouldn’t be too happy about paying for a meal on a longer haul flight from Seattle or Milan.

Checked Baggage

One thing to be aware of if you’ll be taking a stopover in Iceland on your way across the Atlantic is that if you’ve got excess baggage or suitcases that are too heavy, the fines will be applied to both legs of your route. While Icelandair doesn’t charge you for up to 2 checked bags, if either are overweight consider your fine doubled when you leave Reykjavik to your final destination. In that case, check Luggage Limits to get the latest restrictions and consider getting an extra bag if you buy too many carved viking hats or ceramic souvenirs.

Overall Impressions

Icelandair is an exceptionally comfortable airline, something I wish more carriers offered in economy class. Perhaps the best part about Icelandair is the ability to stop over in Iceland. Tomorrow I’ll show you how to make the most out of your stopover in Iceland without breaking your budget as you travel across the Atlantic.

A Few Answers About Travel In Madagascar

Early last month I wrote about how to figure out the best places to travel on a weak dollar and Madagascar came up. I had read about the political instability there and wanted to learn more about visiting and traveling in the island. I came across Lee Abbamonte‘s post on his recent trip through the island and decided to ask.

What’s your traveling background?

I want to travel everywhere and be the youngest person to visit every country. (Here’s a bit more about Lee.)

When and where in Madagascar did you travel?

In January 2010, Tana (Antananarivo) and around the city.

How easy is it to move in and about Antananarivo?

Very easy on foot or by taxi-if the taxi works!

How were the prices?

Fairly priced.

Did Madagascar’s political instability hamper your travels at all?

Not at all.

How safe did you feel in Madagascar?

Very safe although it was a little seedy after dark with tons of prostitutes and no street lights.

What was you one favorite thing about Madagascar?

The food in Tana and the lemurs.

Any other recommendations or advice for people considering a trip to Madagascar?

Budget several days and see the actual native lemur farms and head up to Nosy Be.

Thanks again Lee for answering some questions about your recent trip. Lee is attempting to become the youngest person in the world to travel to every country on Earth. You can read more about his travels in Madagascar on Lee’s travel blog, LeeAbamonte.com.

[photo by: robynejay]

The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2010: Preliminary Round

Every Monday beginning today and throughout the month of March you’ll help take this group of 56 cities and narrow it down to the single best city to visit. The winner of the winning city will win $50 (or $100 if they’ve signed up to my RSS feed or email updates). Today we’re starting with the preliminary round, so choose your favorite 5 cities. The 32 cities with the most votes by noon US EST this Friday February 26, 2010 will advance to the round robin stage. (Seeded based on the number of votes as well.)

• Those of you reading through RSS or my daily email will need to click through to the site to vote.

The winner will be determined on Friday, April 2nd 2010. Missed this contest? I run a number of large and small contests throughout the year. Take a look at some previous competitions and prizes and find out about my next contest first by signing up to my bi-monthly newsletter.

[photo by: urlba]

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