As much as I love to travel with good company, I really enjoy the freedom of venturing off on my own. Even so, before a solo trip to a new destination, I always experience a little anxiety - the good kind of butterflies that come with doing something amazing but out of my comfort zone. I tend to cope with that with excessive pre-trip planning, which also extends the fun of travel beyond the actual trip itself.
So before heading to Iceland for the first time earlier this summer, I researched like crazy about what clothes to bring, what photography gear I might want with me, how to get good wifi connections and everything else that came to mind. There are great blog posts and articles out there that provide excellent, more thorough tips than mine here. But just in case it helps you prepare for a first trip to Iceland, I thought I would offer my main takeaways.
*One caveat: I am a total baby when it comes to cold weather, even though I actually prefer it to sweltering hot temperatures, like what we have here in the Southeast U.S. If you wear flip-flops and shorts in Seattle in December, you probably will pack pretty differently than I did.
The "bring layers and more layers" tip that I read everywhere was good advice.
I visited Iceland in late May/early June and experienced a wide array of weather each day. The actual temperatures were pretty mild while I was there, ranging from mid-30s to upper 70s, but the wind was biting a lot of the time.
Merino wool or capilene base layers were my best friends. I wore them almost everyday. A wind- and water-proof jacket was another essential that I used everyday over a lightweight insulated jacket, along with a fleece-llned hat and gloves.
There were windows of warm sunshine when all of the outer layers came off. But the clouds or wind always returned and then everything went back on. That was especially (and I guess obviously) true near the glaciers, which are beautiful sights scattered along the southern coast.
Sunset breaks through clouds at Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon in Iceland. © 2018 Elizabeth Acevedo
A family hiking to the edge of Skaftafellsjokull glacier in southern Iceland’s Skaftafell National Park. © 2018 Elizabeth Acevedo
During the short trail walk to the glacier's edge in Skaftafell National Park, for example, the weather started off warm with blazing sun beating down and only the lightest layer was needed. Once approaching the glacier though, the temperature changed to a serious wintery chill, which meant the jackets, hat and gloves went on again.
Even traveling in summer, seriously consider bringing a winter-weight coat.
Okay, this is another layer point but is worth mentioning on its own. I read articles suggesting that, by late May or early June, it might be possible to have only a light, insulated jacket (like The North Face thermoball I wore) and a water/wind proof jacket. I definitely needed more. I toiled over bringing a heavy coat as I really wanted to avoid the extra weight and hassle of more stuff. But I decided to be realistic about my low tolerance for cold. I ended up bringing and wearing a parka by The North Face -- water- and wind-proof, down and with a hood that I could (and did) pull over my hat -- more often than I expected. I honestly would have been miserable at some places without it and it was easy enough just to leave it in the car when it was too much.
Also, as a photographer, I tend to stand outside for long periods. Even for non-photographers, the whole point of visiting Iceland is to experience the gorgeous landscape so it would be sad to rush through a location because you are too cold.
Hiking shoes/boots – bring an extra pair.
Along with a pair of hiking boots, I brought along a pair of Teva hiking shoes -- grippy sole and waterproof sneakers – that saved me when, about midway through my trip, the boots started giving me trouble. I wasn't doing any serious hiking so it was surprising. Maybe carrying the weight of the full camera pack made a difference, I don’t know. Anyway, having the extra pair did the trick for my light, short hikes and was a trip saver.
One last idea …
If you have a rental car and stay at a different inns every night, like I did, consider leaving the big suitcase in the trunk of the car. Instead of dragging it in and out of the car every day, I left it in the trunk most nights and just grabbed my toiletries and a small packing cube with the clothes I’d need to sleep in and to wear the next day, plus my photo gear. I reorganized the big suitcase every once in awhile and it worked out pretty well.
Images and content above are © Elizabeth Acevedo. All rights reserved.