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Useful Travel Tips
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Arrival at Keflavik Airport Keflavik Airport is a small and friendly affair, and will remain so even with the new extension that was completed this year. If you are arriving from a huge airport such as London Heathrow, it is a refreshing change. It is possible to purchase duty free goods both on arrival and departure from Iceland. On arrival at the airport, once you have exited passport control, take the escalator to the downstairs arrivals hall and turn to the right. Straight ahead of you will be the duty free shop. Items such as cigarettes and alcohol will be much cheaper here. If you are on a package trip, then your transfer transportation will have been arranged. If you are an independent traveller, and are heading into Reykjavik, which is around a 40 minute drive from Keflavik Airport, the cheapest travel option is the bus service. There are no trains, trams or metro service in Iceland. Tickets for the bus can be obtained in the arrivals area, once you have passed through the customs checks. You can of course travel into Reykjavik by taxi, at a price. The trip into the city will cost around £50 GBP, roughly $75 USD, give or take the exchange rates. It is also not usual to tip the cabbie in Iceland as a service charge is already included in the fee. This is also true for all service industries such as, restaurants and hairdressers. The journey into Reykjavik is quite an experience, as the landscape is extremely rugged and lunar-like. Rest assured, this is exceptional, most of Iceland is far more dramatic and beautiful. Mind you, it has to be said, the lava fields do possess a unique beauty of their own. One serious word of warning, do not attempt to bring in any kind of illegal drugs as the police and customs are very aware of this problem, and are very vigilant on seeking out illegal substances. Iceland may be perceived as a remote backwater in some quarters, and the police service as a bit Ruritanian, but this is pure nonsense. There is no lenient attitude towards Pot in Iceland, or any other narcotic, and particular attention is given to flights arriving from Amsterdam in this respect. Language Icelandic is a very difficult language for the beginner. It actually has the same roots as Old English. In fact, a thousand years or so ago, English and Icelandic were mutually intelligable. Fortunately you will not have to tackle the tongue twisting complexities of Icelandic, as most people in Iceland speak excellent English, better even than many native speakers! There may be less people with a good knowledge of English in the wild and woolly interior, but you should be able to get by easily enough with a basic phrase book.
People Iceland is basically a mono-culture and most people are a mix of Nordic and Celtic extraction. The old Vikings were very keen on raiding Ireland and Scotland for women, and this has left its genetic mark in the amount of red-heads to be seen in the country today. In recent years there has been a bit of a trend in Icelandic men importing 'mail order brides' from Thailand and South East Asia, so you may see a few Asiatic faces about the place. This connection with Thailand has led to the introduction of a few Thai restaurants, which are actually some of the more affordable places to eat, as the food is usually good, and very reasonably priced. The Icelandic people are very friendly and welcoming to visitors, but as in all countries, there will always be the few odd unsocial types about. However, they are very few and far between and most Icelandic people you meet will be geniune diamonds. Although Reykjavik is the capital city, and its environs are rapidly expanding, it is still a conurbation of less than 200,000 people. As such, this small and dynamic city does not have the sense of indifferent coldness and social isolation, which can be so evident in the more populous cities of the world such as, London, New York or Paris. Safety Iceland is generally a very safe place. Friday and Saturday nights in town can be very boisterous, but rarely is there any really serious trouble. Crime does obviously exist, but it is at a far lower level than in most other Western countries. Much of the crime, is drug related. Even Iceland has unfortunately not been immune to the curse of narcotics. The explosion in the 'club culture' has added to the problems, especially in respect of the use of 'E' tablets. Recently there has been a spate of theft from cars, mainly ICE systems and the like, and burglaries. This is a direct consequence of the drug problem, as most of these crimes are committed by addicts, looking for items which they can sell for cash, in order to fuel their drug habit. It also has to be said, that the nations police force has been woefully underfunded by the central government, who appear to have a blinkered vision on the rising crime rate. They appear to give a greater priority to spending mega-millions on opening an Embassy in Japan, than to preserving the security and safety of the people of Iceland. If you are renting a car, as with all countries, take the usual precautions and do not leave personal items, such as camera's, bags etc on show. Lock these things in the boot (trunk) and always lock the vehicle. However, generally speaking, you will be very safe in Iceland and should be able to enjoy a very relaxing and enjoyable vacation. It is of course always wise to adhere to the usual common sense precautions when out and about in a foreign country, regardless of the crime level. Having a passport, purse, wallet or bag stolen can ruin a much anticipated holiday. Accommodation Tourist accommodation is usually of a high standard, although certainly not cheap. It is advisable to book your trip early, as Iceland is becoming an extremely popular tourist location, and there is a shortage of hotel rooms. More hotels are currently being constructed to meet this demand, but will not be on-stream until 2002. When staying in the country areas, you will most likely find that accommodation is pretty basic. Hotels may only have rooms with shared facilities, and in many of the more remote areas, accomodation is in hostels or campsites. If you are not into this level of accomodation, and not everybody is, check before booking a trip or hotel. If you want a hotel room in the countryside with private facilities, it is best to book it and get a faxed confirmation. It is to be hoped that the more popular countryside locations, will be provided with accommodation of a higher appointment level in the not too distant future, as Iceland is becoming an ever more popular destination for a vacation, and not just for the '20 something' backpacking, hiking and fishing fraternities. Food and Drink Eating out is expensive in Iceland, as are most other things. Alcohol is obscenely expensive and if ordered with a meal, can have the effect of more than doubling the bill. An average meal for two, with alcoholic drinks, can easily come to 6,000 Icelandic Krona (ISK), which is around £50 GBP/$75 USD, or indeed, even more. It is always a good idea to check out the prices before sitting down to eat. The food will usually be of a very high standard, but an unexpected bill, which equates to the national debt of a third world country, can take the edge off the evening and kill any romantic notions! An old joke in Iceland amongst us ex-pats, is the one about the foreign visitor buying a round of drinks in a bar. Alcohol is expensive here, a litre of beer will cost around £6 GBP/$10 USD, so buying a round for five or six friends is not a good idea, unless you really are trying to impress somebody! Spirits are even more expensive, so a double whiskey represents quite an investment and should be savoured to the full. One interesting fact is that Iceland has a drink problem, just like the other Nordic countries. Given the cost of alcohol, it is amazing that anybody can afford to become an alcoholic in the first place! Mind you, there is a a fair bit of strong home made 'hooch' being produced known locally as 'Landi', especially in the countryside. The Great Pizza Scandal Always thought of the good old pizza as a cheap fast food? Well not in Iceland. You will doubtless be surprised by the amount of pizza joints, they seem to be everywhere. And guess what, prices seem to be remarkably similar at all places. Would I suggest that there is a cosy little cartel in operation? Never! In most other places takeaway pizza's are delivered by spotty teenagers, riding like demons on knackered old mopeds. Hey, not in Iceland. Here they use brand new saloon cars! And the price of a pizza? How about £15GBP/$20USD for a 12 inch pizza with two toppings! Now you know why they drive new cars and why there are so many pizza joints! This is also the land of the £6GBP/$10USD Big Mac, even good old Ronald McDonald has his eye to a nice little earner here. Kentucky Fried Chicken is likewise heavy on the price front. There is no Burger King in Iceland yet. One of the best fast food buys in Iceland is the Hotdog, or 'Pylsa' as it is in Icelandic. These are inexpensive, very good, and sold everywhere. As a quick snack they are unbeatable and very light on the pocket. Shopping Shopping in Iceland is, yep you guessed it, expensive. Even a half-price sale here will most likely mean that an item is still twice the price at which you could buy it at home. Another very interesting fact to bear in mind, is that many shops are closed on Saturday, which is obviously the busiest day of the week in other countries, for equally obvious reasons. Sunday in Iceland really is 'dullsville', with nothing open, not even the big shopping centre, Kringlan. It is thus an ideal day to get out into the natural surroundings and get some honest fresh air into the lungs. When the shops are open, many of them are able to sell you items, for which you can claim back the tax at the airport upon departure. They will usually display a sticker in the shop window letting you know that fact. You will need to have your passport to take advantage of this benefit, but it can present quite a saving so is worth remembering. The VAT rate in Iceland is a stingingly high 24.5%, so this represents a huge chunk of any purchase, and is well worth claiming back. Getting About If you are here on a package trip, then there are many excellent excursions available, and loads of outdoor activities which are well worth taking advantage of, and can be booked at your hotel. If you wish to roam around independently, then you can either use the buses, which is very tiresome, or rent a car. Needless to say, car hire in Iceland is expensive. To explore the countryside, a small 4X4 vehicle is advisable, the daily hire rate for one of these is around 6,000 ISK per day (£40GBP/$60USD). You may well get a good discount booking a car prior to coming to Iceland, so it is well worth speaking to your travel agent. Driving Driving in Iceland is pretty straightforward, and is on the right. In town, navigating roundabouts calls for some caution, as Icelanders have very strange habits with regard to priority, and will cut across you to take a turn-off from the inside to the outside. Lane discipline is also an alien concept to Icelandic drivers, as is the use of turn signals, either when changing lane or turning. Filtering onto main carraigeways from sliproads, and vice-versa, also appears to present formidable problems to many Icelandic drivers. Of particular importance, when driving in the old central parts of Reykjavik, if there are no give-way (yield) signs at a junction, you must always give way to traffic approaching from the right. The streets in this part of town can also be very narrow and congested with badly parked cars, another Icelandic driving trademark! Driving out of town is very different. Once off the main highway, most of the roads are gravel surfaced and can be pretty awful in places. It is at this point that you will be glad to have hired a 4X4 vehicle. To reach the majority of the most beautiful natural sites, other than the well worn tourist attractions, you will need to travel on these gravel roads.
In the countryside, emergency telephones are non existent and there are few houses. Hopefully your hire car will not breakdown, but do ensure that your spare tyre is good, and inflated, as punctures do occur. Make sure that you understand the procedure if a breakdown should occur. Also, remember that most mobile phones will not work in the countryside, the mountains kill the signal, and there is a lack of transmitters. Stay away from the edges of the gravel roads. These can be soft, and many accidents happen by people veering off the road, when their wheels are 'grabbed' by the soft gravel. Many Icelandic roads are embanked, so an unexpected off-road excursion is not recommended. Most of these roads will be pretty empty, so you can stay in the middle of the road if you have good forward vision. Obviously, do not stay in the middle when approaching blind bends, cresting hills, if you are being over-taken, or if there is on-coming traffic! There are a couple of other hazards to watch out for in the countryside. Farm animals (mainly sheep) and horses can wander onto the roads, so be aware of this. If you hit an animal, Icelandic law says it is always your fault, regardless of the fact that farmers should of course keep their animals fenced in properly! Petrol (Gas) stations in Iceland usually have pump attendants. This is extremely convenient as you can pay them for the petrol (gas), if you are purchasing an exact cash amount of fuel, i.e 2000 Krona, and they can also check your oil and top it up if necessary. Some stations are purely automatic, such as the, Orkan chain. These have a noticeable pink livery, so are easily recognisable. Here you can use your credit card or insert good quality Icelandic banknotes, for a specified amount of fuel. If you are not sure exactly what to do, another customer should be able to help, Icelanders are usually very friendly like that. At night, usually after 11.30pm, this system works at all the stations which have attendants during the day. When heading out into the countryside, start with a full tank of fuel and be aware of your fuel reserve. Demanding gravel roads will suck far more petrol (gas) than running on a metalled surface. You really do not want to run out of fuel in the middle of nowhere! One other important point is to buy a good map (yes, unfortunately they are a bit expensive), do not rely on one of those dodgy tourist maps which come free in a welcome pack. It is a legal requirement in Iceland that headlights are on at all times. A winter hazard whilst driving in Iceland, which is all months other than June and July (lol), are vehicles running around with only one headlight working. They do not belong to some Icelandic 'One Headlight Club', but are just idiots too lazy to change the bulb. Be vary careful when driving at night/darkness in the countryside, and avoid it if possible. There are no street lights, and if fog descends, it can give you plenty of 'brown trouser' moments. It is on these roads at night, that the one headlight brigade are a particular menace. Winter driving can be extremely dangerous for those not used to the often severe Icelandic conditions. There are always serious accidents even for experienced Icelandic drivers, especially on the ice and snow covered rural roads. My advice is that if you do not have to drive here in winter, then use another mode of travel, as it will save you a lot of stress and bother at best, and the consequences of a car wreck at worst. Conclusions Iceland is a great place for a vacation, it has so many natural wonders to appreciate, and also a vibrant nightlife in Reykjavik. The scenery is stunningly beautiful, and the people are friendly and helpful. If you are prepared for the high cost of living and the unpredictable weather, then you will more than likely have a truly wonderful holiday in Iceland. It is a country which is sure to leave clear and fond memories that will last a lifetime. |
