Iceland: Final Thoughts

Links to a blogpost for each day

After returning from Iceland and chatting with friends about the experience, I realized there were still a few untold stories, surprising takeaways, and FAQs worth sharing—so here’s one final post to wrap it all up.

What was your favorite thing you did?

Each of us had a different highlight, which made the trip all the more special. This is a really tough call for me, but I think I have to say, hiking the elf cliffs. It was challenging, but it had incredible beauty, and I loved that we were completely away from the crowds. For me, it was just a nice family bonding moment for all of us. Ryan said this was also his favorite.

Mikah and Jen said their favorite was the glacial lagoon. Mikah said it surprised her how much cooler it was than she thought it would be. We also had a really friendly and informative guide who made you think about both the massiveness of it all as well as its fragility.

Rogan said he thought the black sand beaches in Reynisfjara were his favorite. Seeing a whale from the shore, watching the massive "sneaker waves", and of course, Mikah and Ryan's engagement made this a special memory for all of us.

Would you go back again?

Most definitely. I'd love to drive along the northern coast and see that area as well. We saw a lot, but there was definitely much more to see. I think seeing Iceland in a different season would also be cool and a totally different experience. It would take much more flexibility though as travel in the non-summer months can be unpredictable and force you to change your itinerary based on the conditions. I'd love to see the northern lights or visit the ice caves while driving along the northern coast.

What was the food/drink like?

I'm no foodie so maybe I'm not the best one to ask, but overall I'd say it was pretty good. Seafood (fish and chips) and lamb seem to be staples. The pastries we got in Reykjavik were top notch. Hot dogs (pylsur) and brick oven pizza are very popular - we had both, and they were good.

Some tourists enjoy testing their courage by eating fermented shark. It is made from Greenland shark, whose meat is toxic when fresh due to high levels of urea and trimethylamine oxide. To make it safe to eat, it’s buried in the ground for several weeks to ferment, then hung to dry for months. Sound tasty? We decided to pass on it.

How expensive was the trip?

First off, I knew going into this trip that most things in Iceland were pretty expensive - particularly food and gas ($9 per gallon.) Knowing this, we saved money in any way that we could by booking Airbnb's which were cheaper than getting 2 hotel rooms. We also saved money by shopping at grocery stores when we could and only "ate out" maybe once a day. I should mention that tipping is not expected in Iceland so that was a big savings at meals.

I got a great price on our flight ($470/person) and used coupon codes to save money on each of the excursions we did. In certain areas, I did not cut corners - for example, we bought travel insurance and had the maximum insurance on the car. This was based on reading of a lot of stories where they were necessary in the Facebook groups. All-in-all, the trip cost us about $11,000 for the 5 of us.

How did you plan the trip?

I used several methods for planning my trip. First, I searched for commercial travel itineraries for a similar number of days that I was planning for. I found this one that hit all of the places I most wanted to see. I requested a quote from this company, and it was quoted $2,200 each for the five of us for the rental car and lodging only. This did not include: the flight, any excursions, parking, or food.

After we had booked our flight tickets and our four Airbnb places, then I started working on building an itinerary for each day. Here, I employed ChatGPT to give me ideas and to build something reasonable in the time we had. It was really amazing at doing this. I asked Mikah to research places to eat because, frankly, I didn't care much about where we went and just wanted them to pick places that sounded good to them. She did a great job with this and always had some recommendations near where we stayed.

A friend of my mother-in-law lent me their itinerary and this handy Fodor's Travel: Iceland book which had a lot of great information about different sites to see.

Another bit of advice I would offer others is to follow Iceland Travel Facebook groups. These were filled with questions and answers from other travelers and recommendations from actual Icelanders. This gave me a ton of background and helped me make tough decisions about the best excursions to book.

As I planned activities for each day, I added them to a shared Google Document that allowed everyone to see the itinerary for each day. It also allowed me to keep track of all of the flight numbers, lockbox codes, addresses, and other information all in one spot.

How was driving in Iceland?

Despite dealing with my backseat-driving car, I found driving in Iceland to be relatively easy. There they drive on the right side of the road. The roads we traveled were well-paved. Many people in the Facebook groups had recommended renting a 4-wheel drive car for off-road driving, but there weren't any times we really needed it. There are roads which travel toward the interior of Iceland (I think they are called F-roads) which are more loose stone which would require this, but nothing we traveled really needed this.

Signage was pretty easy to understand. I mentioned previously that speeds in Iceland are slow - usually 50, 70, or 90 kilometers per hour (about 30 mph, 42 mph, or 55 miles per hour).

I was warned in the Facebook groups about speeding so I never went much past 100 kph (60 mph). I never saw a police car out on the road that I remember, at least. I do remember seeing some cameras here and there, but I never got a ticket.

In the summer at least, the biggest driving hazards are wandering sheep, tourists who would stop in the middle of the lane to see something, and one lane bridges. These often long bridges were common as we approached the areas near the glaciers. I presume these are necessary because of the constantly changing glacial river waters.

How did you pay for things in Iceland?

Many people in the Iceland travel Facebook group said it was not necessary to exchange for Icelandic cash - called the krona (ISK). Everything in Iceland allowed for credit card. We used Apple Pay exclusively since we knew there would be no international fees as there would be if we used our PNC Visa. We did get some krona at the airport just in case we wanted to tip our tour guides, which should be mentioned is not expected or customary there. I used it to tip our glacial lagoon guide, but had to use up the rest at the last place we ate in Keflavik.

Doing the calculations into krona was a daily mental math challenge. In Iceland when we were there, 1 Dollar = 120 Krona.

So, for example, if something cost 4,000 ISK I'd divide by 100 = $40.00 USD and then take off 20% more ($8) to get the amount. About $32.00. We also used the convert feature on the Calculator App on the iPhone a few times.

When is the best time to ____ in Iceland?

It really depends on what you want to do or see. I found this super handy graphic showing the best months for various activities or things to see in Iceland.

For us, the advantages to traveling in the summer months were that it was relatively warm (usually in the 50's) and the roads were clear. It also meant that the sun never really did set so we never had to travel in the dark. We were also lucky enough to see puffins and whales.

What were the people of Iceland like?

I would say of all the people we saw on the trip, actual Icelanders were possibly in the minority. In our time, we saw people from all around the world. The Icelanders we met spoke nearly perfect English, which just a fun kind of nordic accent. Icelanders are known to be warm, helpful, and polite, especially toward visitors. The country has a strong tourism culture, and locals are often eager to share stories or point travelers toward hidden gems. Most Icelanders have a chill, unpretentious vibe. We learned from our GuideAlong audio tour that a surprising number of Icelanders say they believe in elves, trolls, or hidden people, or at least won’t rule it out entirely. This ties into their deep respect for nature and folklore.

What is something that you learned from this experience?

So many things. Here are a few takeaways.

This trip reminded me that some of the best learning happens through experience—and that the world is the best classroom.

I learned that you can plan everything down to the minute, but sometimes when you travel, you are just in the right place at the right time to experience something cool. For example, we had the good fortune and perfect timing to see ice on Black Diamond Beach, whales and puffins in Reynisfjara, and to catch an Icelandic Independence festival at Thingvellir.

I loved the otherworldly beauty of Iceland, but I was especially moved by the glaciers. Seeing them up close, feeling their size, and learning how quickly they’re retreating was both awe-inspiring and sobering. It made climate change feel real in a way no article or documentary ever has. It deepened my understanding of Earth science, but more importantly, it gave me a renewed sense of urgency—and purpose—to help my students connect what they learn to the real world.

If you’ve ever thought about visiting Iceland, feel free to reach out. I’m happy to share tips and resources (or just chat about puffins and volcanoes).

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