We Go With Kids!

Tag: nkc iceland

  • Icelandic Weekend Getaway With Kids: Family Budget for Iceland

    Icelandic Weekend Getaway With Kids: Family Budget for Iceland

    Traveling to Iceland with kids? With airfares as low as $99 one way from many cities to KEF, a trip to Iceland sounds like a bargain… until you factor in the price of accommodations, food, and attractions. Although Iceland is filled with natural beauty and waterfalls that are free to view from the Ring Road, other costs and expenses can come as a surprise to those who were expecting a “cheap” getaway. One of the most common questions I’ve been asked is “just how expensive” Iceland is and “how much should a family budget” for Iceland. With that in mind, I’d like to share with you the cost of my recent trip to Iceland over Memorial Day Weekend with my nine year old son.

    Airfare + Transportation + Gas = $1053.54

    Wow Airlines round trip airfare for two + one checked bag for each leg of the flight (added at the time of booking for $49.99 each way) = $567.06

    Route1.IS four day rental car = $359.36 (booked via holiday autos)

    Gas = $127.12 (1.25 tanks diesel gas used)

    Accommodations = $700.99

    Cottage at Reynisfjara Beach (two nights) = $515.99

    Nina’s Guest House (one night) = $185

    Excursions = $253.50

    The Blue Lagoon (admission for one adult, children under 13 free) = $70

    The Lava Tunnel (admission for one adult, children under 12 free) = $64

    Hallsgrimskirkja (admission for one adult and one child) = $10.50

    Jokulsarlon Glacial Boat Ride (admission for one adult and one child) = $77

    The Viking Museum (admission for one adult and one child, including buffet breakfast) = $32

    Food: $298.01

    Food was a surprisingly expensive part of our trip. I don’t mind spending money on food and we love dining out and do so frequently, but I was a bit taken aback by a simple pizza that cost about $30. Nevertheless, we didn’t end up spending all that much on food because we had access to a grocery store and a kitchen at both locations. We only ended up eating out on a few occasions. On the first day, we had a large, late lunch of burgers and fries for lunch and then opted to just snack on cheese and crackers for dinner. Our second day, we spent a grand total of $19.89 at the Glacier Lagoon cafe but otherwise, ate items that we picked up at the grocery store and made spaghetti for dinner. On our third day, we shared a small snack at the Reykjavik Fish Market and then splurged on our most expensive meal – pizzas and wine at Endofninn. Our final morning, we enjoyed coffee and baked goods at a bakery in Reykjavik and then, due to timing, did not eat again until we found ourselves at the airport (although we did enjoy some refreshments at the Blue Lagoon). At the end of the day, we saved quite a bit of money because we were able to purchase and store groceries at our accommodations. Our dining expenses are as follows:

    Smidgen brugghus (one kid’s meal, one adult burger, one beer) = $42.42

    Kronan (local grocery store chain where we purchased light snacks, breakfast supplies and spaghetti materials for dinner) = $45.54

    A small jar of pasta sauce that was just enough for the two of us costs nearly $4.
    A $3 baguette at the Kronan in Vik.

    Sandwich and soup at the Glacier Lagoon = $19.89

    Endofninn (two pizzas, one soft drink, two glasses of wine) = $62.59

    Reykjavik Fish Market (one entree of fish and chips) = $28.03

    Breakfast coffee and pastries = $16

    Blue Lagoon Cafe (one beer, one slushy) = $16.44

    Bonus (local grocery store where we picked up food souvenirs to bring home) = $21.27

    Nord (our pre-departure dinner of one pizza, one soup, and one beer at KEF airport) = $45.83

    To be honest, I wish I had the opportunity to spend more on food. I happen to love dining out and my husband and I are very adventurous eaters. My nine year old, while a wonderful traveling companion, isn’t one to enjoy fish or lobster stew and he can also be particular about his meat. That said, I glanced at many menus and simply decided that it wasn’t worth trying to eat a nice dinner with my son as there was very little, if anything, that he would enjoy on the menu. This ended up saving us quite a bit of money, even if it left me a bit disappointed that I did not get the opportunity to explore the Reykjavik dining scene or the local cuisine. I guess I’ll just have to wait for my next trip to experience the hot dog and fish soup!

    As for grocery store prices, I found grocery items to be more expensive than in the US, but not astronomically so. A $3 baguette costs more than the $1.50 baguette at my neighborhood grocer and one kg of oranges cost $3.50 (so ~$1.65/lb), but it was still such a significant cost savings over dining out.

    Grand Total = $2,306.04

    Our grand total for flights, transportation, accommodations, food, and gas was just over $2300. Yes, we spent a bit more than that on incidentals, such as the $12 travel adapter I had to purchase when I realized I had neglected to pack one from home and the $70 vase I purchased as a souvenir for my mother-in-law, who was graciously babysitting my three year old back home. But, for non-negotiable items, we managed to stay within a reasonable budget. Of course, your own travel patterns and practices will dictate what your trip ends up costing. I was fortunate that we found a nice balance between free activities and paid experiences and that my son was more than content to eat items we picked up at the grocery store for a number of meals.

    I hope you enjoyed reading about our trip to Iceland! Planning your own Icelandic adventure 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

     

  • Icelandic Weekend Getaway With Kids: Final Thoughts

    Icelandic Weekend Getaway With Kids: Final Thoughts

    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

  • The Blue Lagoon with Kids!

    The Blue Lagoon with Kids!

    If you’re traveling to Iceland with kids, I’m sure you’re wondering whether a stop at the Blue Lagoon with kids is worthwhile. Our last scheduled activity for our whirlwind long weekend in Iceland was to visit The Blue Lagoon. Although Iceland is filled with natural hot springs, The Blue Lagoon is filled with runoff water from a nearby geothermal plant. While planning our trip, I had read numerous reviews online suggesting that The Blue Lagoon is crowded and not preferable to smaller, natural hot springs, but I also knew that for our first visit to Iceland, I wanted to visit The Blue Lagoon as it was a top tourist destination. The only wrinkle in my plan was that I would be traveling solo with my not-quite nine year old opposite sex child. The Blue Lagoon’s website states that opposite sex children can accompany a parent into a restroom up to the age of 6. Prior to booking our reservations, I confirmed with my son that he wanted to visit The Blue Lagoon, although he would likely have to go through the changing area himself. Having participated in numerous swim teams in the past few years, my son stated that he was comfortable with the process and so, I booked our reservations to just prior to our return flight home.

    As with The Lava Tunnel, children under 13 are free, although you must register them in advance. Although I was initially hesitant about spending ~$70USD on an hour or so at a hot springs, the fact that my son was free definitely lessened the blow.

    Getting to the Blue Lagoon:

    The Blue Lagoon is about 45 minutes outside of Reykjavik, much closer to Keflavik Airport than the city of Reykjavik. Thus, most people recommend The Blue Lagoon as a stop either immediately upon arrival or immediately prior to departure.

    I planned our trip to The Blue Lagoon to coincide with our departure and allotted approximately 2 hours to the spend at The Blue Lagoon. I also allotted a full hour to drive from The Lava Tunnel to The Blue Lagoon, so the experience should have been a pleasant one, but for two critical errors. Using my GPS, I typed in The Blue Lagoon and my GPS sent me from The Lava Tunnel back to a small cafe in Reykjavik called The Blue Lagoon. Although I had some built in cushion time, the erroneous instructions left me slightly panicked about making it to The Blue Lagoon in time for our reservation. Our gas light went off right around when I realized the GPS direction error and I decided to just wait until we got out of the city to get gas – thinking it would be easier than trying to maneuver a gas station in Reykjavik. This was a terrible mistake as once we left Reykjavik, there was literally no gas station until Grindavik, the town nearest to The Blue Lagoon.

    Fortunately, we managed to make it to The Blue Lagoon in time (and we also made it to the gas station after driving a harrowing 6.7km on empty).

    Checking into and changing at The Blue Lagoon:

    The night before our reservations at The Blue Lagoon, my son casually asked “so, what are we actually wearing while we are there?” Oops. For some reason, I had completely blanked and managed to not pack any bathing materials. A panicked google search later, I learned that The Blue Lagoon has rental swimwear and in fact, some people prefer to rent the swimwear as they don’t have to worry about ruining their own clothes with sulphur and/or flying home with smelly, wet clothes.

    Main entrance to The Blue Lagoon.

    I’ll admit, I wasn’t thrilled about renting a swimsuit, but I had no choice so I decided to go with it. Upon arrival, I presented the check in lady with our reservations and she inquired as to my son’s age. Children under 9 are required to wear flotation devices, so he was given a red wristband, indicating that he was under age 9. I was given a blue wrist band, which not only could be used for charging items to our account, but also used to open and close the lockers.

    Asking for the rental swimwear was not an issue at all and we were quickly provided with options. My son was originally given a pair of teeny tiny swim speedos, which he very quickly rejected in favor of the swim trunks.

    After checking in, my son and I separated ways. The women’s changing rooms were bright and spacious. There are actually two changing rooms for each sex – one on the first floor and one on the second floor and the staff monitors each room and closes them off when they are filled to capacity. I ended up on the first floor women’s changing room and my son ended up on the second floor of the men’s changing rooms.

    After changing into my borrowed suit, I headed into the showers. The Blue Lagoon mandates that you shower naked prior to entering the hot spring. Luckily, there are private stalls in which you can do this task privately.

    Upon exiting the changing room, I found myself near the simple cafe with prepackaged foods and drinks available for purchase. While waiting for my son to exit the men’s changing room, I perused the menu which, not surprisingly, was quite pricey.

    My son eventually appeared from the men’s changing room and I was pleased to see that a staff member actually escorted him out. Evidently he had some trouble managing the self-locking lockers (the kids’ bands aren’t programmed to operate them), so a staff member helped him lock the lockers and then escorted him through the showers and out of the changing room until we were reunited.

    The Blue Lagoon Experience:

    Once reunited, we quickly looked around and saw the zero entry indoor option, which we chose not to take. I can certainly understand why this is an appealing option to many, as it was freezing cold outside.

    We hung our towels up on the provided racks and made haste to get into the water.

    The water was not very blue the day we visited and per this website, the reason why is because the blue-green algae that thrives in the water was in bloom, thus turning the water green. 

    My son and I were able to enjoy just hanging out in the water and although there were plenty of people there, we didn’t actually feel crowded, except when we pulled up to the mud mask bar and/or the drinks bar.

    The pull up mud mask bar.

    After about 30 minutes in the water, I decided that we should treat ourselves to some drinks. My son opted for a icee/smoothie and I had a beer, all of which was charged directly to our account via the provided wristband.

    My son was entertained by the fact that his $9 smoothie/icee was called “Krap.”

    My favorite part of the Blue Lagoon experience was the overly attired lifeguards, who looked more like Secret Service officers than your typical lifeguards!

    After about 90 minutes in the water, we decided we had had enough and went back to shower and change. The check out experience was seamless – they simply scanned my wristband, gave me my total for add ons (drinks), paid, and we were off. Curiously, we were not charged for the rental swimwear, but I think that was an oversight. When we checked in, I had inquired as to rental charges and was assured that they would just be added in and settled at check-out.

     Would I recommend The Blue Lagoon?

    I would absolutely recommend The Blue Lagoon experience. Although I was initially disappointed that our only hot spring experience would be in a manmade geothermal pool (versus a natural hot spring), The Blue Lagoon one of those things you should experience while in Iceland. Although sitting around in hot water isn’t our usual thing, my son and I enjoyed the novelty of The Blue Lagoon experience. We particularly loved the little nature path immediately outside the main facility and on the way to the parking lot.

    Curiously, the water on the outside of the main facility was picture perfect blue, versus the green we encountered inside. If you aren’t interested in spending the money to visit The Blue Lagoon, consider stopping by on your way to/from the airport regardless as the outdoor pathways are open for walking and parking is free.

    I’d also recommend the experience to families as my son had a lovely time and the staff was incredibly helpful. For parents traveling alone with opposite sex children, note that even though the website says only children under 6 are permitted to enter opposite sex changing rooms with a parent, at check in, I was assured that my son could enter the women’s changing room with me (and it didn’t seem to be a big deal, especially since she had just immediately prior confirmed his age). The attendants in the men’s changing rooms also helped my son lock and unlock his locker as his wristband was not programmed to do so.

    Finally, try only word of caution is to heed everyone’s advice and keep your hair out of the water! The sulphur really does ruin your hair and no amount of pre-conditioning or post-conditioning helped it. I received an email about 12 hours prior to our reservations, stating that I should consider leaving conditioner in my hair while in the lagoon. Although I did so, my hair was still completely destroyed for about 48 hours after the experience, which made for an unpleasant trip home.

    Planning to visit Iceland with kids?  Stay tuned for Icelandic Weekend Getaway With Kids: Final Thoughts, and be sure to check out our listing of all Iceland posts or join our Facebook group We Go ToIceland With Kids, a forum to ask questions and share ideas about family travel to Iceland.

  • Icelandic Weekend Getaway With Kids: 18 hours in Reykjavik

    Icelandic Weekend Getaway With Kids: 18 hours in Reykjavik

    Following our hike out to see the downed Navy DC plane on Solheimasandur Beach, we continued our journey to Reykjavik, where we had approximately 18 hours to spend. Although the weather was mostly dry, with maybe a slight mist during our walk, the drive into Reykjavik was extremely stressful as we encountered near white out conditions from the rain. Not being comfortable on unfamiliar roads, I drove at or below the speed limit and kept getting passed by other drivers!

    When we finally arrived in Reykjavik, it was almost 3pm and we had not eaten anything but some yogurt for breakfast and crackers for lunch. My priority was to find a light snack and a friend, who had traveled to Reykjavik two years earlier, recommended the Reykjavik Fish Restaurant. We were in extreme luck as I managed to find parking directly across the street from the restaurant and, although metered, parking is free on Sundays so we didn’t even have to pay!

    My son can be somewhat of a picky eater, so not knowing precisely how the fish was prepared, I simply ordered one serving of fish and chips to share. Our one order of fish and chip, a side sauce, and a beer (for me!) was $28.

    After our snack, which was just enough to tide us over, we headed to our guesthouse to check in for the night. Earlier that day, I had received check in instructions via email with access codes for both the main entry door and our private room + bath. The guesthouse was easy to find and I appreciated the free and ample parking outside.

    Our room was small, but clean, and provided everything we needed for our overnight stay. The downstairs level contains a small kitchen/dining area with free coffee/tea, but we did not use any of the amenities. Nor did we take the time to check out the rooftop spa on the deck, but it was nice to know that we had options if desired.

    After checking in to our room, we headed off to attend the vigil mass at the Cathedral of Christ the King. Although not as unique as Catherine’s mass experience in Akureyri, the Cathedral was beautiful.

    After mass, I decided it was time to get my son some actual food. Although he had eaten some fish and fries at lunch, he had really eaten very little during our entire trip. I searched around online for pizza places and quickly located a recommended restaurant only 15 minutes away from the Cathedral.

    The food at Eldofninn Pizzeria was very good, but also extremely pricey. There was one pizza that I was intrigued by, but at $33 for a personal pie, I decided to skip it and just go for a slightly more reasonably priced option. Our total for dinner (two pizzas, one soft drink, one 175ml bottle of wine) was $63. After eating our fill, we headed back to our guest house for the night.

    The next morning, we woke up bright and early and the weather was surprisingly clear. We quickly packed up our stuff and headed into town (the guest house is about 10 minutes walking distance from the main town, but I decided to just drive to save us time). With a noon reservation at the Lava Tunnel, we had about 2.5 hours to pass before we needed to be on the road.

    I was happy to find a coffee shop with pastries, which we gladly indulged in.

    My $3 small coffee!

    Afterwards, we wandered across the street where we happened upon Hallgrimskirkja. I remembered that Catherine had visited Hallgrimskirkja and that she even mentioned it again as something we should strongly considering taking the time to experience while in Reykjavik. Since the weather was beautiful and we had time, we decided to go ahead and head up the observation tower.

    Although the inside of the church was nothing to write home about, the views of Reykjavik from the top were simply astonishing. We spent a good 20 minutes just checking out the city from every angle.

    There is only one elevator that brings visitors to the top and capacity is limited to 6 (although people definitely squeezed in more), so there is a bit of a wait to get to the top. Luckily, the one elevator set up helps to limit the number of people on the observation tower. My son had a great time pointing out the coffee shop we had just had breakfast at 20 minutes prior. Admission for one adult and one child under 12 was just under $10.50.

    The Hallgrimskirkja experience from start to finish occupied almost an hour of our time, so by then, it was time to make our way back to the vehicle and get on the road to our next adventure, the Lava Tunnel!

    Planning your own trip to Iceland with kids?  Continue reading Icelandic Weekend Getaway With Kids: The Lava Tunnel Raufarhólshellir, and 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.

     

  • Solheimasandur Beach With Kids

    Solheimasandur Beach With Kids

    One of the few things that many traveling to Iceland with kids end up skipping is the hike to Solheimasandur Beach. For obvious reasons, making the four mile hike to Solheimasandur Beach with kids may not be everyone’s idea of fun and, I can only imagine that Iceland’s whimsical weather causes its own fair amount of disruption. Luckily for me, my trip to Iceland with kids involved only one kid and, at nearly nine years old, I knew that barring extremely inclement weather, we would be able to make the hike out to the downed navy plane on Solheimasandur Beach.

    In 1973, a United States Navy DC plane ran out of fuel and crashed on Solheimasandur black beach, on the south coast of Iceland. Everyone on the plane survived and it appears the reason for the crash was that the pilot switched over to the wrong fuel tank. The remains of the wrecked plane are still on the sand and when planning our trip to Iceland, I knew this was one stop that I definitely wanted to make.

    As you may recall, my original hope was to visit Solheimasandur on the drive from Reykjavik to Reynisfjara on our arrival date. I under estimated how tired we would be after a red eye flight from Washington, DC, so, with my son completely passed out in the backseat of the car, I decided to skip the hike on drive south. I did, however, pull off into the large parking lot to do a bit of reconnaissance. I was happy to have done so as the sign informed me that the hike was 4 miles out and back and suggested that we plan to spend 3-4 hours for the round trip.

    I wish we could have taken the hike on our arrival date as the weather was gorgeous. But alas.

    The morning of our return journey from our beach cottage on Reynisfjara to Reykjavik, I was thrilled to see that the rains had mostly stopped. I decided then and there that we would be making the hike to the plane wreck.

    The hike itself was not extraordinary. It’s basically a flat two mile walk out to the plane on a rocky path. Although the rain had stopped, it was still extremely cold and windy so my son and I were glad to be bundled up and he was glad to have a warm hat on. The air was moist so we ended up slightly damp, even though there was no rain.

    For most of the hike there was nothing to see but then all of a sudden, the plane appeared in the mist. It literally is right out there in the middle of nowhere.

    If you look closely, you can just spot the plane and the other visitors in the distance.

    Personally, my favorite thing about the whole experience was that we could explore the plane.

    My son loved climbing in and around the plane and checking out all the nooks and crannies. We spent about 15 minutes checking out the plane before turning around for the cold walk back.

    Pro-Tips:

    • There are absolutely no facilities – no bathrooms, no emergency phones, nothing. So be sure you have what you need and are in good condition for a 4 mile out and back walk.
    • There was a steady stream of other hikers the entire time and about 15 other people at the plane when we were there.
    • The sign (close up below) recommends allotting 3-4 hours for out and back hike, but my son and I completed the entire thing in about 90 minutes. The cold weather definitely helped us walk quickly.

    Overall, I was glad that the weather cooperated sufficiently for us to take the hike. Although clear blue skies would have been preferable, it was well worth the stop and definitely something you should cross off your bucket list!

    Planning your own trip to Iceland with kids? Continue reading Icelandic Weekend Getaway With Kids: 18 hours in Reykjavik, and 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.

     

  • Icelandic Weekend Getaway With Kids: Getting to Iceland and the First 18 hours

    Icelandic Weekend Getaway With Kids: Getting to Iceland and the First 18 hours

    When I decided to take a trip to Iceland with kids, I never imagined that the opportunity would present itself for my older son and I to take a solo mommy-son trip. We were super excited for our trip to Iceland as it was really a stolen weekend of sorts. My 3.5 year old was spending the week with his grandparents and this really gave me and my eight year old an opportunity to bond and enjoy each other’s company.

    Our Wow Airlines Flight from Baltimore to Keflavik:

    The night before our departure, I eagerly logged on at exactly 23 hours and 59 minutes to check in for our flight. I was prompted to enter our passport information and within seconds, confirmed that we were checked in and seated next to one another. Wow did not give us the option of changing seats or even seeing the seat map to ascertain how full the flight was. But, I was pleased to have been seated next to my son (in a window and aisle seat – our preferred and default seating arrangement when traveling just the two of us).

    The drive from our home in Alexandria, VA to Baltimore Airport took nearly 90 minutes, so I was very glad to have left with plenty of time to accommodate the heavy traffic. Upon entering the airport, we quickly dropped off our one checked bag and made our way over to The Club BWI, which I was able to enter for free using the Priority Pass membership that comes with my Chase Sapphire Reserve Card.

    Although The Club was very full, we were able to secure two adjacent seats and I was more than willing to take advantage of the complimentary beverages, including not one, but two manhattans (it was a long drive up there after all)! After about 30 minutes at The Club, we made our way over to the boarding gate, noting, along the way, a few extremely family friendly features about the Baltimore airport: playground and nursing pods, like the ones they had at Kidspace in Pasadena.

    The kids’ playspace at BWI

    Once on board, I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was ample leg room and available charging ports. A lot of people complain about the fact that Wow doesn’t provide free beverages but I just picked up a bottle of water at a shop on my way to the gate. I also planned to purchase a meal for my son as it was essentially our dinner time, and the $15.99 WOW Deal was perfect.

    I appreciated that for $15.99 my son could get a pizza, drink, and a candy bar (which we shared) and to my surprise, the flight attendants did not heat up the pizza until after we ordered, so it was basically as fresh as it could be given that we were up in the air.

    The only negative thing I can think of to say about Wow is that the boarding and deplaning process was extremely slow. I’m not sure what the issue was, but on both legs of our flights, there was a lot of waiting on the boarding bridge and then a lot of sitting after the plane doors opened before we could get off the flight. Nevertheless, given that I went into the Wow experience with bated breath, I was pleasantly surprised by just how enjoyable the experience was. In fact, the standard seat we were assigned seemed just as roomy if not roomier than some of the most recently revamped American and United flights I’ve been on.

    Our arrival at Keflavik Airport and Viking World:

    Everyone gushes about how amazingly beautiful Iceland is, but I certainly did not expect to be greeted with an arrival rainbow.

    Our arrival rainbow at KEF

    The customs experience and baggage retrieval was standard and within an hour of our arrival, we found ourselves in a shuttle on our way to the rental car. Picking up the rental car was a seamless process. They quickly found our reservation and went over the terms of the agreement with me. I was moderately perturbed by the excessive bolded warnings that damage from wind, hail, and gravel was not included in the provided insurance as… well, Iceland is the land of wind, hail, and gravel. I was also surprised when the rental agent recommended that I take photos documenting the car prior to leaving the agency and then again on my return back. I had read before that Iceland takes its rental cars very seriously and this was clearly the case.

    I really enjoyed driving an X1 around, despite the heartburn over every possible flying rock that might hit the car and cause me to incur additional liability.
    My rental came with a broken rear view mirror, which I documented heavily prior to departure.

    Once I had taken about 100 photos of the rental car, we made the 10-15 minute drive over to Viking World, which has an exact replica of a famous Viking ship as well a Viking millennium exhibition produced by the Smithsonian Institute called Vikings: the North Atlantic Saga. Importantly, Viking World also opens at 7am and has a cafe. Having not slept, at all, on the red eye flight, I desperately needed something other than a 2.5 hour drive down to Reynisfjara to wake up a bit.

    Knowing that I needed something to eat, I signed my son and I up for the Breakfast Buffet, which includes museum admission. For a total of ~$32USD, we spent the next hour snacking and wandering around the museum.

    The breakfast buffet that I was thrilled to nibble from.

    My son’s favorite part of the museum was, as expected, the replica ship that we could actually walk on to and explore.

    On board the Icelander.

    Personally, I loved the Settlement of Iceland exhibit, which deals with archaeological findings from the Suðurnes/Reykjanes region, including remains from the oldest occupation on Reykjanes peninsula from the ninth century.

    icelandic burial at sea?

    After spending about an hour indoors, we went to check out the traditional Icelandic settlement located just outside the museum’s doors. Unfortunately, it was so bitter cold that we really could not stand to spend much time outside. I’ll also note that there did not seem to be much by way of explanatory information, so we were clueless as to what we were looking at.

    The outdoor viking settlement.

    Our drive from Keflavik to Reynisfjara:

    After nearly freezing our tails off exploring the outdoor settlement, we piled back into the car and began the journey down to Reynisfjara. I knew that it would be a long drive with multiple stops along the way, but I was not really prepared to find that most of the attractions were on the second portion of the drive. In other words, although the scenery was beautiful, it was a long hour to 1.5 hours before we hit the first item on our list: Seljalandsfoss Waterfall.

    My son quickly fell asleep in the backseat of the car and I had to pull over a full times and step outside just to wake myself up and get some air. Luckily the scenery was so gorgeous that I didn’t mind the detours and stops.

    Taken on one of my many “fresh air” stops.

    By the time we reached Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, I was tired enough that I knew we weren’t going to be able to get out and explore every item on our original list of things to do. I parked and took a quick peek at the waterfall and was happy enough that my son stirred enough to go “oooooo…waterfall!” In other words, despite Seljalandsfoss being one of the waterfalls that you can walk behind, we did not actually walk to the falls. We just enjoyed it from the parking area and were happy to continue on our journey.

    Despite the novelty of walking behind a waterfall, I also really did not want to get wet, so opted to just enjoy the waterfall from the parking area.

    The next stop on my list, Eyjafjnallajokull, the site of a major 2010 volcanic eruption that required the evacuation of 800 people living in the town immediately below the volcano. Although there used to be a Visitor’s Center, which featured artifacts and a 20 minute video of the eruption, the Visitor’s Center is now closed, with no signs of reopening. We were only able to enjoy the information signs located outside the Visitor’s Center, which is located across the road from Eyjafjnallajokull.

    View of Eyjafjnallajokull from the now shuttered Visitor’s Center.

    View of the area surrounding Eyjafjnallajokull.

    From Eyjafjnallajokull, my next intended stop was Gljufrabui Waterfall, which is partially hidden by a large rock wall. With my son happily snoring in the backseat, I had no desire to wake him up and go searching for a waterfall (which I was previously told required wellies to discover). I simply continued on driving to Skogafoss waterfall where we again admired the waterfall from a distance. My original intention was to walk the path leading to each and every waterfall (after all, when in Iceland…), but I don’t regret that we did not. We were literally so tired that my goal was just simply to get to our cottage in Reynisfjara in one piece.

    View of land around Skogafoss.

    As you can see, the country is so beautiful that simply being there and taking in the entire surroundings was plenty. From Skogafoss, I stopped quickly at Solheimasandur Beach to take a look at the walk and signs, knowing that the walk to the US navy plane wreckage would have to take place on our return journey, if at all.

    After Solheimasandur, I decided that it was really time to get to Reynisfjara. Although it was only 1pm, that was a good 8 hours after our arrival at Keflavik airport after not having slept at all on the plane. Although the drive from Reykjavik to Vik is billed as 2.5 hours, the numerous stops and detours we had taken quickly added to the driving time and thus the late hour. Our cottage check in was not until 4pm, however, so my son and I spent a few minutes on Reynisfjara after locating our cottage, which was located just above the beach. In fact, I was thrilled to see that our cottage was one of three cottages that are the closest accommodations you could secure to Reynisfjara beach and would highly recommend it to anyone looking.

    Our two nights at Reynisfjara were spent at the middle cottage.
    basalt columns at Reynisfjara

    At the beach, I noted the existence of Black Beach Restaurant and filed it away as a possibility for the next night, our second night at the cottage.

    Black Beach Restaurant, located within walking distance from our rental cottage and literally on the beach.

    Given that we had some time to kill before we could check in, we ventured into Vik for lunch and some groceries.

    Our cottage was only a short 15-20 minutes drive to Vik and just prior to entering the village, I spotted a sign indicating the existence of a brewpub, Smiojan Brugghus. A burger, fries, and a beer was just what the doctor ordered.

    The service was great, with the servers offering me samples of their various brews before having me commit to one. My son devoured his burger and I relished very bite of mine. I ordered the combo meal, which included burger, fries, and a non-alcoholic drink and my son had the kid’s burger which came with fries. In addition, I ordered a beer (giving my soft drink to my son) and the total for our meal was approximately $45 USD. A tad steep for two burgers, fries, and a beer, but the quality was good.

    After lunch, we stopped at the grocery store, Kronan, where we picked up a few essentials: milk, salami, crackers, and yogurt, before returning to Reynisfjara where we were luckily able to check in about 90 minutes prior to the stated 4pm check in. The cabin was small, but included everything we needed: a small kitchen, microwave, private bath, and wifi! My son was pretty energetic, having slept most of the journey down to Reynisfjara, but I really needed a nap, so I set him up on his iPad and took a very glorious 2 hour nap.

    Upon waking up, we briefly contemplated what we wanted to do for the rest of the afternoon/evening, before deciding that we really just wanted to enjoy the quiet. Having had a large, late lunch, we decided to just snack on salami and crackers (luckily, I had a bottle of wine I picked up from the duty free shop on our way out of the airport).

    Photo taken at 11pm at night – it never got dark!

    Our evening at the cottage was peaceful and just what we needed. From our front window, we could gaze out at Reynisfjara beach and eventually, we noticed that sheep were wandering over and all around. That night, we slept with one window open and could hear the crashing waves and the sheep baa-ing well into the night.

    Although there was a lot that I had hoped to accomplish on our first day but did not actually accomplish, I was so thankful to get us down to our cottage in one piece. Everything had worked out smoothly, I simply decided to just make up what we missed on Day Three, during our drive back up to Reykjavik. Fortunately, my son is pretty easy going and was perfectly content to be along for the ride. The fast wifi was definitely a bonus and he had no trouble hanging out and relaxing in the cottage with me.

    Planning your own trip to Iceland with kids?  Continue reading about our Icelandic Weekend Getaway With Kids: Our Rainy Day Journey to Jökulsárlón, and 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.

  • Icelandic Weekend Getaway With Kids: Logistics and Itinerary

    Icelandic Weekend Getaway With Kids: Logistics and Itinerary

    The inspiration for We Go With Kids came last summer, as Catherine and I were busy sharing notes following our respective vacations to Iceland and South Africa. For years, I’ve been intrigued about traveling to Iceland, which numerous friends and family have recommended as an ideal honeymoon or baby moon location from the East Coast. My husband and I never quite made it to Iceland, however, largely due to lack of time and availability of fight options. In 2012, Wow Air, an Icelandic low cost air carrier, began offering incredibly affordable direct flights from Baltimore International Airport to Keflavik. As a serious miles and points junkie, however, I never seriously considered flying Wow Air until after reading about Catherine’s experience. Prior to reading about Catherine’s experiences, I truly did not consider Iceland with kids to be a viable option.

    On a whim, last November, I happened to check for flights to/from Baltimore to Keflavik and found round trip flights over Memorial Day weekend for $225/person. Within a matter of hours, I decided that this was the perfect opportunity to jet off for a long weekend with my oldest son, who would be just two weeks shy of his ninth birthday on our trip.

    View of Reykjavik from Hallgrimskirkja

    Booking Flights:

    In November 2017, I booked two round trip tickets on Wow Air from Baltimore to Keflavik for $567.06. The total includes the $99.98 fee for checking a bag to/from, but otherwise, I did not pay for any other up charges or services, including advance seat selections or carry on baggage. The flight was scheduled to depart on Thursday night, arriving at Keflavik at 5am on Friday and departing Keflavik on Monday at 9pm.

    Booking Accommodations:

    With four full days and three nights to fill, I consulted with Catherine who strongly suggested I make it over to Jökulsárlón Lake. Luckily for me, I was able to take advantage of her Iceland With Kids: Suggested Itineraries post before deciding that we would spend two nights in Vik and one night in Reykjavik. At Catherine’s prodding, I also began looking into accommodations in Vik and Reykjavik around Thanksgiving of last year, which seemed extremely early to me, until I remembered that Catherine’s family experienced difficulty securing accommodations despite beginning their search five months prior to their trip.

    Our rental cabin, taken from Reynisfjara beach

    After a few hours of poking around online for options, I discovered that Catherine was quite correct and that numerous guest houses were showing up as rented through early May and up to mid-May. Spurred into action, I decided to book two nights at a cottage on Reynisfjara Beach and one night at a guest house in Reykjavik. Having previously had only a less than stellar experience with an Airbnb rental, I had originally hoped to stay at a hotel. But, there aren’t very many hotels and certainly none that were affordable. A basic Hilton in downtown Reykjavik was asking $300/night, whereas our one night stay at Nina’s Guesthouse was a much more affordable $185. Our two night stay at the cottage on Reynisfjara beach $515.99.  Since both the cottage and our room at the guest house included a private bath and free parking, I decided they were our best bet and went ahead despite my initial misgivings.

    Booking Rental Car:

    I knew I wanted to rent a car to get around Iceland, instead of relying on tours or groups. After searching around online, I decided I wanted to rent from a local Icelandic rental car company (versus a national chain) and I ended up on the Holiday Autos website, which provided me with quotes for various local Icelandic rental car companies. I secured a vehicle from Route 1.IS via Holiday Autos. The rental for the four days, three nights cost $359.36, and provided for an automatic transmission, four wheel drive vehicle, which included taxes, airport fee, breakdown assistance, collusion damage waiver, personal accident insurance, third party liability protection, and unlimited mileage. Although there were certainly cheaper options, knowing that I would be traveling solo with my eight year old, I really did not want to have to worry about anything beyond ensuring that we were safe, so this seemed to offer the most security and peace of mind. Unlike most rental car reservations, however, Holiday Autos charged us at the time of booking (November 2017), but the cancellation policy provided for a full refund if the reservation was cancelled 24 hours prior to pick up.

    Scheduled Itinerary:

    Having booked our flights, accommodations, and rental car, I mapped out the following itinerary:

    Day One:

    • 5am arrival at Keflavik Airport
    • Viking World, located just 15 minutes from the airport and opening at 7am
    • Driving to Reynisfjara Beach, visiting Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, Eyjafjallajokull, Skogafoss, Solheimasandur Beach, Solheimajokull, Dyrhalaey rocky outcrop, and Reynisfjara sand beach along the way.
    • Staying at Reynisfjara cottage

    Day Two:

    • Making the 2.5 hour drive to Jökulsárlón for the glacial lagoon amphibious boat ride, visiting Eldhraun Lavafield, Fjaðrárgljúfur, and Vatnajökull along the way
    • Returning to Reynisfjara beach cottage for the night

    Day Three:

    • Driving back to Reykjavik and staying at the guest house

    Day Four: 

    Although I had a long list of things I wanted to and hoped to see on the drive to/from Reynisfjara, I purposely did not over schedule our third day with activities, knowing it was extremely likely that we would not actually be able to see everything we hoped to on our first day. This ended up working out great, because after our red-eye flight, my son slept most of the way from Reykjavik to Reynisfjara on our first day, so we ended up using the third day to make up for what we missed on Day One.

    Planning your own trip to Iceland with kids?  Continue reading about our Icelandic Weekend Getaway With Kids: Getting to Iceland and the First 18 hours, and 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.