13 Things I Wish I'd Known Before Solo Road Tripping in Iceland
Disclaimer: Several of these tips are for those of you adventurous enough to rent your own car rather than rely on tour buses and/or hitchhiking (don’t look at me like that—it’s a perfectly acceptable mode of transportation throughout Europe). Even after my botched, life-threatening Icelandic adventure, I still believe renting a car or camper is by far the best way to experience this gorgeous country, so please don’t take this post as a warning to forgo your independence! Just…by all means…learn from my mistakes so they weren’t in vain.
The famous and ever-changing Diamond Beach in southern Iceland
THE WIND IS OUT OF THIS WORLD.
Bring a REAL scarf. I tried to get by with a thin REI buff to save room in my backpack and I have never regretted a choice more. There were times I’d have to run back to my car because the wind hurt so much. I spent the whole week looking like I’d aged ten years because of the hell the wind put my skin through every time I went outside. Bring legit skincare.
While Iceland’s weather is certainly more mild during the summer months, dangerous winds can occur any time of year. I got the best and worst of both worlds by traveling in early autumn, and definitely did not have the proper attire for it. Sure, I’d experienced well-below freezing weather before, but had I been in below-freezing weather with 40mph winds? No. No I hadn’t. Your bones hurt in a brand new way.
Me, after ten minutes at Diamond Beach, having just sprinted back to the car while screaming, out of breath and wind-burnt. Note my wet hair. It wasn’t raining.
2. ROAD SIGNS ARE REALLY DIFFERENT.
Look up the common ones and their meanings so you don’t spend the whole drive from the airport on the verge of a panic attack like yours truly. Many of their signs look completely different from ours and include REALLY IMPORTANT INFORMATION. This seems pretty basic if you’re going to be driving in a new country but for some reason I thought I was exempt from this act of common sense.
One of the many eerie sights I passed on the road.
While researching beforehand, I read “Iceland speed limit: 70 km/h (55 mph)” and assumed that meant everything would be smooth sailing. No.
There’s a REASON the speed limit is so low. Not only do animals appear on the road out of nowhere from time to time, but the terrain changes abruptly every few minutes.
That’s not an exaggeration. EVERY. FEW. MINUTES. Sure, there’d be stretches of a half hour or so where I’d stare at the same mountain range and ominous rain cloud up ahead, but those luxuries was few and far between. I spent an average of seven hours per day driving, and I have never in my life been forced to be more absolutely present in my environment.
The worst part is…it’s beautiful. All I wanted to do was stop every five seconds to take a photo or just stare at the double rainbows nestled up against waterfalls and snow-capped mountains, but the road in front of me was often too treacherous to fully take it all in.
9:03 AM
9:43 AM
3. Actually Follow the (ridiculously low) Speed Limits
Look. I’m from California. I…drive like a teenage boy. Always in the fast lane, always somewhere between five to fifteen miles above the speed limit—especially on familiar freeways. In real life, I have zero patience on the road. But a brand new country is not the place for typical shitty driving habits.
A map of Iceland’s Ring Road
I’m reluctant to admit just how many tourists sped past me in the eight days I spent driving around the country…but I’m happy to humblebrag about actually following the rules for once.
Not only can you get a huge fine from radar cameras (like literally thousands of dollars), but all the locals I spoke to about driving begged me to follow the speed limits, and never ever go above the national 70km/h. I know it’s crazy low, but there’s nothing out there worth the cost of your life. It will be so embarrassing (or it was for me at least) to have car after car tail and pass you as they drive twenty miles above the limit on deserted, open roads, but I promise the exercise in humility is worth the patience lost. Read on to #11 for more gruesome details.
“Children’s Waterfall” in western Iceland, where—according to local legend— two children drowned Christmas morning in the early 1900s
4. THERE ARE TOO MANY BEAUTIFUL SIGHTS FOR A SINGLE TRIP.
Unless you have an unlimited amount of time, pick your battles and cut your losses. You’ll be able to better appreciate what you do see, because you’ll be less stressed about catching every bit of a jam-packed itinerary. If the landscape of the southwestern US is your thing, head east. If you prefer black sand beaches and slightly milder weather, go south. Are the northern lights your priority? Get far away from the cities. Make the trip exactly what you want, not what you think Instagram wants you to want.
That said, Iceland completely transforms with the seasons. Like I mentioned earlier, I got the best and worst of the country by going in late September: snow, hail, wind, rain, sunshine, unbelievable fall colors, minimal auroral activity, no blue ice caves, no road closures, eight million rainbows. So decide what you’re willing to sacrifice and what you’re willing to withstand. It’s kind of a win-win so long as you get here in the first place.
Results of an overnight frost at Dettifoss in northeast Iceland. Beautiful and menacing, much like the rest of the country.
5. Bring a friend.
I went alone because I enjoy solo travel (and maybe also because my friends have their lives together), but I really didn’t consider what a road trip in an isolated country would be like. I met a whopping total of two other solo travelers in my week outside Reykjavík. Those all-day drives got pretty lonely after a few days, especially considering the drastic terrain changes that kept me from relaxing for more than five minutes at a time. If you have a driving buddy, not only do you have moral support and a tag team for the trickier stretches of the drive, but you’ll have a better chance to marvel at the sights around you with a photographer who isn’t also supposed to be steering.
Taken from the inside of a moving vehicle. Bring a friend.
6. PICK ONE THING TO SPLURGE ON.
Food, hot springs, an indulgent tour, a bed and breakfast overlooking the fjords…doesn’t matter what it is as long as it’s the thing you can’t do without. Sacrifice the rest if that’s what it takes to make the trip worth all the hassle. I live by this motto every time I visit a country on the more expensive side and I’ve never gone over budget.
On this eight-day trip, I spent $150 on recreation and sightseeing, between two hot springs, a nighttime bus tour, and parking at all the tourist stops. That’s considerably more than I spent on food, but…you know…Iceland isn’t Italy. For the record, I had every intention to splurge on that notorious ammonia-scented fermented shark. But, (un?)fortunately, I came in the wrong season.
Splurged for the Secret Lagoon—like the Blue Lagoon but way less touristy and actually natural. But also don’t go in the waterhole pictured or you’ll boil to death.
7. BRUSH UP ON YOUR DRIVING SKILLS.
Weather is predictably unpredictable and you need to be prepared for EVERYTHING: snowstorms, hail, mud, relentless potholes, animals on the road, fierce winds, narrow mountain tunnels, jagged cliffs...you get the picture. Make sure you have the right tires for snow and chains in the trunk even if it’s not winter. The car rental company used by my 8 Day Self Drive Budget Tour didn’t provide me with appropriate snow accoutrement because it was only early October(?!?!?!) and I nearly skidded off a snowy cliff more than once.
Picking up my rental car from the airport
A few days into the drive
8. NEVER LEAVE YOUR CAR WITHOUT WATER, SNACKS, AND TISSUES.
There were days I’d park at the base of a “short” hike to a waterfall or other natural wonder, and completely underestimate the brutality of the weather. On my hike to Hengifoss—one of Iceland’s tallest and most visually unique waterfalls—the wind was so powerful it nearly knocked me off a cliff. Between the wind and the cold, my nose was running like crazy, and I had nothing but my coat sleeves! Pretty gross, especially considering it takes an entire hour (even for power-walkers) to get to the site itself, because of the raging winds and steep uphill climb. Let’s just say this was one of the few moments of my trip where I’m glad I was alone. By the time I finally made it to the falls, I was so thirsty and exhausted and had somehow missed the memo that any clear current of Icelandic water is safe to drink.
Just constant beautiful ominousness.
Then there was the time a few other tourists and I had to stay huddled behind a boulder near a waterfall because the wind was so bad, it was throwing people onto sharp rocks near the water. Snacks would have been nice while we waited out the worst of it.
9. CHECK THE AURORA FORECAST SEVERAL TIMES A DAY SO YOU CAN PLAN AROUND IT.
But keep in mind that it really is a numbers game. I went for seven nights at the beginning of the aurora season, and nearly every night ended up somewhere completely covered in clouds even if had been clear all day. The longer you stay, the better your chances (as long as it’s the right time of year). On my last night I ended up splurging on a mini-bus tour outside Reykjavík in the hopes of catching them, and only managed to spot a faint white glow. The jaw-dropping view of the Milky Way made it worth it, though.
An hour before driving into a snowstorm in eastern Iceland.
10. DON’T THINK THE COUNTRY IS IMMUNE TO BACKPACKING PROBLEMS OF MAINLAND EUROPE.
Bed bugs. Selfie sticks. Loud, drunk bunk mates. Iceland is full of tourist traps and big crowds at certain landmarks. Even beautiful sights along the open road can develop a hoard of awestruck travelers you’ll need to push through to get that perfectly serene nature photo. Generally, though, you escape the worst of it once you leave the Golden Circle. Another point toward having your own wheels.
Expectation: Independent, one with nature, and utterly alone in the arctic tundra.
Reality: Everyone else stopping on the side of the road with the same idea.
11. Snow before you go.
As a California native, my real winter driving experience was limited to a single trip with a company truck through the Donner Pass during a January snowstorm. If it hadn’t been for that one work adventure (and the training that led up to it) I would have slid off a cliff to my death in northern Iceland. Even with my limited knowledge, I managed to save myself at the last second by remembering to pump the brakes. Unfortunately, the aforementioned self-drive tour company I used to rent the car doesn’t put on winter tires or include snow chains until November, despite an itinerary which set all of my accommodations and activities in parts of the country which already had heavy snow and ice in September. If you’re not well-versed in driving through extreme winter conditions, I highly recommend you bring someone along who is.
The icy beauty of Dettifoss. Not slipping became the primary concern for me and all the other tourists nearby. Oh, and getting here I nearly drove off a cliff.
Shortly before working on this post, I read a news article about several tourists, children included, dying in a crash because of the dangerous roads. Their minivan had flipped while approaching one of the numerous icy, narrow metal bridges and had fallen into the fjord below. As I remembered how nervous I’d been every time I approached one of those bridges, I thought, “I’m so glad I drove below the speed limit.”
Just one of many signs I recommend honoring.
A few days into my road trip, I passed an abandoned flipped car in the snow, only five minutes up the mountain from perfectly clear skies and ice-free roads.
I remember handing my keys over to the car rental company on Day 8 with a huge wave of relief and disbelief washing over me. Partly because I hadn’t racked up any additional charges from car damage, and partly because I’d come out of that whole experience miraculously unscathed. Maybe all this simply betrays my sunny Californian sensibilities, but at least now I can think back on my terrifying, solo Icelandic road trip and know if I can do that, I can do anything.
A deceptive spring-like day…but without the sight of butterflies or the sounds of birds because hahaha what did you think fauna could survive here?
12. Take Your Time.
This is a trip of a lifetime. Let yourself pull over to take pictures. Let yourself pull over to stretch your legs. Leave early enough in the morning that you won’t feel stressed about making it to your next location before it gets dark. I heard some horrible tales from backpackers in my hostels about driving after dark. It’s hard enough to see the next sharp turn in daylight, so I can only imagine what it must be like to drive along a jagged cliff in pitch blackness, with nothing but your shaking car and the howling wind.
Aliens.
13. EMBRACE THE UNEXPECTED.
Without savage, unpredictable weather, Iceland wouldn’t have many of the features that make it such a uniquely beautiful country. I probably saw an average of ten rainbows a day. It took everything in me not to slam the brakes every few minutes when another jaw-dropping landscape came into view. Allow your trip to look nothing like you expected, from your itinerary to your timeframe to the emotional landscape that comes out of such a powerful visual one. I have never felt such internal change so quickly in any other part of the world. The physical harshness, each new and unrecognizable geological wonder, that unshakable sense that we are intrinsically connected to the dome of stars surrounding us—this is the perfect place for an adventure in self-discovery. For the faint of heart (or the type of traveler looking for a more relaxed vacation), I wouldn’t recommend it, but if you’re looking for a place to incite constant awe while challenging every part of yourself, look no further.
