Traveling to Iceland with kids is something I would recommend without reservation. I absolutely loved our time in Iceland and it was a perfect destination for our first mother-son international trip. Thanks to Catherine’s extensive write ups on her family’s trip to Iceland last summer, I was likely more prepared for this trip than any international trip I’ve ever taken. That being said, there were still a number of things that came as a surprise that anyone traveling to Iceland with kids should be mindful of.
Our 5AM Arrival to KEF Airport:
Our 5am arrival to KEF Airport was rough. Although I am generally a great sleeper on planes, a number of things conspired to keep me from getting any rest on our red eye flight from BWI to KEF. First, the flight departed BWI at around 9pm, a few hours prior to when I usually go to sleep, and it’s really a rather short flight at just over 5 hours, so there wasn’t a lot of time to get relaxed and tired before we landed at 5am. I did not end up sleeping, at all, on the flight over, and I paid for the lack of sleep dearly as I was exhausted and could barely keep my eyes open on the long drive from KEF to Reynisfjara. I had visited a number of forums online prior to our trip and I knew this was a common problem prior to our trip and one that many people choose to remedy by visiting the Blue Lagoon immediately upon arrival and then staying in Reykjavik that first night just to ease the transition. That said, although the first day was difficult, I was glad that we quickly adjusted to the time change so that we could maximize the rest of our trip. Luckily, my son is a seasoned traveler and at almost nine years of age, he had no problems sleeping in the car and rebounded quickly. Those traveling with younger children will need to plan ahead, depending on their child’s ability to manage the time change and red eye flight. While trolling the online forums prior to our trip, I read that a number of hotels in Reykjavik are extremely accommodating to the flight schedules and will often have rooms available for check in as early as 8am. If you’re staying in Reykjavik, this is definitely something you might want to consider as it would allow you a quick nap and time to freshen up upon arrival.
The Price of Gas, Groceries, and General Dining Out:
I had been told that Iceland was expensive, but I didn’t quite realize how expensive it was until I was eating our $45 lunch of burger and fries our first afternoon in Vik. That said, I didn’t particularly mind how expensive the food was as my nine year old is a relatively picky eater and thus, I didn’t fully expect to be dining out as much as I would have been had I been traveling solo or with my husband. We ended up picking up spaghetti supplies at the local grocery store and making a meal out of it – for a total of less than $10 USD. While grocery store prices were slightly higher than typical in the US (for example, $3 for the smallest bag of spaghetti versus $1.50 or $1.99), this was without a doubt a more economical option than dining out and for a traveling family, this can result in significant cost savings.
Prices a fish and chip restaurant in Reykjavik.
Home to our expensive, but delicious $45 meal of two burgers, fries, and a beer.
While restaurant prices were high, I will note that the quality of the food was very good. My friend, who traveled to Iceland last year as part of a couples trip, reports that while prices at mid-level restaurants were high compared to the US, prices at fine dining establishments were comparable to prices in the US, which may be something to keep in mind for those traveling with older children who can appreciate a fine meal or two.
Note: Airport food is generally more expensive than non airport food and the prices at KEF airport are simply outrageous. We ended up at KEF airport on the day of departure with quite a bit of time. We had spent the day traveling between The Lava Tunnel and The Blue Lagoon and had not eaten much more than a nibble here and there, so I simply decided we would grab something at KEF, which ended up being one of our most expensive meals. And, unlike food quality outside of the airport, the pizza was mediocre and the soup was pre-made and simply sitting in a giant vat.
My $22 bowl of soup and my son’s $18 pizza.
As with food prices, I was surprised by the gas prices. I had been warned previously that most cars are diesel and that prices were high, but I did not expect to pay nearly $100 for a full tank of gas. I also was slightly unprepared none of the three gas stations I visited would accept a credit card – I was required to enter a pin each time I sought to purchase gas and thus, I was glad to have packed my ATM card.
Also, do not underestimate just how remote and far between gas stations can be when driving outside the city. My gas light went on at some point while we were driving around in Reykjavik prior to leaving for the Blue Lagoon, but I just assumed that since it was a relatively heavily traveled route that there would be gas stations along the way. Boy was I wrong. I ended up driving nearly 10km on empty and it was a rather panicked trip the entire time as I feared not only running out of gas with a nine year old, but possibly resulting in some kind of delay that would have us missing our departing flight home.
Get gas and get gas often, even if you think there is surely a gas station along the way!
Tax Refund:
One surprising aspect of our trip to Iceland was how simple the country made obtaining a tax refund for purchases. During our day in Reykjavik, I purchased a vase that cost approximately $70 as a souvenir for my mother-in-law and had been given a tax refund receipt. I did not expect to actually pursue obtaining a refund as past experiences traveling abroad had suggested that it was simply more trouble than it was worth.
After checking in for our return flight home, I spotted the tax refund booth and decided to go ahead and investigate. It turns out that all I needed to do was fill out a form, present my receipt and passport, and the taxes paid would be automatically refunded to my credit card. The whole process took less than 10 minutes and I confirmed that my ~$7USD refund was credited shortly thereafter. If you find yourself purchasing lots of goods to bring home, be sure to save your receipts and check out the Tax Refund booth at KEF!
Note: Cash refunds are an option, but will involve a processing fee that is some portion of the refund.
Currency:
Speaking of money, we had no issues using our credit cards at just about every destination, with the exception of when purchasing gas. I did withdraw approximately $100 USD upon arrival at KEF and although we never needed the cash, I did use it on occasion simply for the novelty of the experience.
At most retailers, the credit card machines were prominently displayed at check out and I was given the choice of selecting whether to charge the amount in my native or local currency.
- Note: Bring a chip enabled credit card (visa or mastercard) and always select native currency rather than local currency when purchasing abroad.
Driving in Iceland:
I had no trouble driving in Iceland and hardly needed a map as the Ring Road is pretty self-explanatory. I brought our Garmin GPS, which was helpful for maneuvering within Reykjavik, but otherwise, simply followed the signs along the major highways to reach our destinations. There are a number of portions along the Ring Road where the highway narrows from two lanes to one, particularly when crossing rivers and streams, so just be aware and pull off to the side in the face of oncoming traffic.
Language:
Everyone, without exception, spoke English. I did not expect to have any language barrier issues and there were none with the exception of our car! Our car was programmed in Icelandic and would frequently ding out warnings at me, which completely freaked me out while attempting to drive. I managed to take some photos of some of the warnings and googled them later when we had arrived at our destination for the evening… turns out, the signs were telling me I had reached the speed limit and should slow down.
Note: Although the car was telling me to slow down, I was frequently blown off the road by passing motorists. This was particularly the case when driving in inclement weather.
Kid-Friendly:
Iceland is a very kid-friendly destination. Granted, I was traveling with my nearly nine year old that has literally traveled the world, but there were kids everywhere and as I have mentioned, kids under 12 were generally free or admitted at a reduced price at many destinations. Although I had some initial apprehensions about visiting The Blue Lagoon with my opposite-sex child, it ended up being a non-issues as there were a number of attendants in the men’s changing facilities that were happy to help him maneuver the facility.
WiFi/Cellular Reception:
As a Verizon Wireless customer, I enabled TravelPass which provides access to my regular data and cellular plan for $10/day when traveling to certain countries, Iceland included. We had WiFi available at our accommodations every evening, but I wanted to add the data coverage given that I was driving solo with my young son in a foreign country. Although we did not need the coverage for directions, it was handy to have while driving on the Ring Road for looking up specific address or dining options. It was also just a great peace of mind, knowing that if we ran out of gas (oops) or ended up with a flat tire, I did actually have a means of contacting someone.
Planning to visit Iceland with kids? Be sure to check out our listing of all Iceland posts or join our Facebook group We Go To Iceland With Kids, a forum to ask questions and share ideas about family travel to Iceland
