We also reserved our rental car on line (and our credit card was immediately debited even though we had a right to cancel within a time period). We opted for an automatic 4-wheel drive, even though a drive around the Ring Road in the summer doesn't require one. There are a lot of rental agencies and a lot of car choices, with varying prices, so shop around. We paid about $1000 for 13 days and drove 1800 miles, so we got our money's worth. The interior F-roads are excluded from insurance coverage with rental cars due to water flow and rough terrain, but those roads weren't even open before mid-June, and we could handle the occasional unpaved gravel roads we encountered with some slow driving. We did not get sand and ash coverage, but I can't say if that was a big risk and the regular insurance had like a $3,000 deductible. Just take really good pictures of the car bumper to bumper before you leave so you have a record...this saved us from paying for a dented bumper not noted on the contract as an existing issue. We rented from Reykjavik Rent a Car who I do not recommend. The wait was excessive with only one agent working to check many people in and out and the first car they gave us had over 161,000 kilometers, nearly 99,000 miles, and was 4 years old. We were so upset and worried about safety issues, we returned to the agency and demanded a newer car which they gave us. I am always surprised to hear how many people forget to bring their drivers license when they travel overseas (because they have their passport for identification) and then can't rent a car. Don't make this mistake. No International Drivers License was required.
Here's our car along the 2 lane Ring Road...
Iceland is about the size of Colorado, so doing the Ring Road is something that can easily be done in 10-14 days...
I also reserved portable WIFI with Trawire for $143 for 13 days, which we picked up at a nearby N-1 gas station and returned by pre-paid mail just before we left Iceland. We used this in Japan constantly to get around and translate and it was a lifesaver. In Iceland, we set it up and then never used it again. We had WIFI in every hotel, most restaurants, in gas stations, outside in some towns and we were able to use Google Maps offline to get around. Everyone spoke English. It would have helped in an emergency or if you are camping. Some rental car companies provide provide portable WIFI as an option, too.
After reading 1,000 articles and blogs on line about Ring Road trips of varying lengths, we decided what we wanted to see and how many days to spend in each region and booked lodging through Booking.com which offers reviews and cancellation options. It allows you to book and then manipulate your schedule if you do it before the varying free-cancellation dates offered by each lodging. You can see pictures and communicate directly with each lodging, so I have found it a very practical website to organize your trip and they have a helpful app.
I also booked a reservation at the Blue Lagoon which is required to guarantee admission, but I will talk about that in the next post. If you are traveling in season and want to do things like glacier hikes, super jeep tours, atv trips, whale watching, ice cave touring, etc. then those things may have to be booked in advance too.
Wait a minute, I forgot the most important thing!
The weather is very unpredictable in Iceland. They say if you don't like the weather, then wait 5 minutes and it will change and this was true! It was cold, it was moist and misty, it was wet, it was very windy, it was muddy, you name it we got it, except luckily we didn't get the blizzard that hit the entire island the week before we went which stopped everyone in their tracks for days. This affected everything...what we could see, whether we would make it to our next lodging, whether we had the right clothing.
So the one thing you need to plan on more than anything is to be flexible and patient. It is what it is.
No comments:
Post a Comment