How to save Money in Iceland traveling with kids
Iceland is an extraordinary country for a family trip, your kids will love it, has ahuge range of landscapes and, is diferent than anything you might ever imagine in our planet. If until some years ago it seemed to be unattainable, the cost of travel has been decreasing significantly, especially whit the appearance of some low-cost airlines flying there.
By 2008, with the big economic crisis, there was a big fall in the value of the Icelandic currency, which made daily life cheaper for tourists but, with economic recovery and an significant increase of tourism, it is increasingly expensive to go on vacations to Iceland, espetially with kids.
By 2008, with the big economic crisis, there was a big fall in the value of the Icelandic currency, which made daily life cheaper for tourists but, with economic recovery and an significant increase of tourism, it is increasingly expensive to go on vacations to Iceland, espetially with kids.
In order to help us spend as little as possible, we have put together a set of ideas that can contribute to large savings in a country where it is easy to see money disappear quickly. Non Stop Family hopes that this tips help you on your trip.
Travel
One of the strategies to save some money is to book your plane trip in advance, looking for low-cost airlines flying to Iceland, even if it means not going on an direct flight.
- When to go? Travel and subsistence prices increase significantly in the high season, so it is important to get away from those dates. Of course, everything depends on what you want to do. If you want to go to Iceland to see the Northern Lights, you should go during the winter, when prices are significantly lower and, the best time to catch your goals.
But if you want to do route 1, this is not advisable in winter, because you run the risk of several roads being closed, but also for having a few hours of light, which will make it difficult to see the natural wonders of the country.
We also have to talk about safety, because it’s much more dangerous to do route 1 in the winter than in the summer. What we would advise is, if your planning to do the ring road, to go between 15 May and 15 June, when prices could be higher accessible, and in September. Sometimes the difference in prices is huge and it is still a good time to get to know Iceland.Traveling
- It is possible to do the round trip by Iceland in public transport in the summer but, we believe that the best option will always be to rent a car and preferably when you arrive at the airport. If you book your trip a few months in advance, you can get good prices.
The price of fuel in Iceland is expensive, so it's not worth renting a big car. You can do the whole route 1 with a small car in great safety and it will come out much cheaper than a 4x4 car. But, if you plan to go to the mountains, then hire a 4x4.
- If you choose to rent the car, try to occupy the car with as many as possible. Car rental and fuel is always cheaper when divided by 4, rather than 2. Try to combine with more friends to make the trip of your dreams together.
-Do not rent a GPS. We used our mobile phone with MAPS.ME (download it for free whit the Iceland map) and it always worked perfectly.- If you renting a car and traveling with kids, take your children's seat on the plane rather than renting it when you land. Airlines are required to let you carry your child's seat for free and, you will save good money that you would have to spend on renting when you lift the car.
- If you don't rent a car and want to go from the airport to the city, do not go by taxi, they are extremely expensive in Iceland and you have the option FLYBUS, which makes the direct connection from the airport to the BSI Station in the center of the city.
At BSI Station you can enjoy a good and inexpensive Icelandic meal at the same station, as we mentioned earlier here. On the bus, you have free wi-fi and the possibility to charge the phone.
- Walk around Reykjavik. Whether you have arrived in the city by rental car, taxi or bus, in the city you will not need to ride public transportation. It is an extremely easy walking city, where all major attractions are easily reached (you can see here a great itinerary for a one walking day at Reykjavik).
- Park the car for free. In case you have rented a car and stay a day or more in Reykjavik, you will have to park it and, one way to save money is not to pay for the car park. Of course, we aren’t saying to take the risk of getting a ticket, but look for where to park for free. The main rule is that the closer to the main street, Laugavegur (main shopping street), in downtown Reykjavík, the more you will have to pay.What you have to do is get out a little bit from the center (not much needed) and, when you don’t see a "P" sign on the street or parking lot, it's free. We leave here an image that shows the streets in which it is necessary to pay. The streets with colors are the ones to avoid.
Accommodation
- Plan your days and book well in advance. If you are going to do the round trip, you will have to sleep in places where the offer of lodging is very reduced and, as the offer is not enough, prices tend to increase. That is why it is important to make a good travel plan and program where you sleep, especially with kids, as far in advance as possible to make your reservation.
- Book with free cancellation. Large number of bookings we make in some of the major sites allows free cancellation until near the date of travel. Therefore, although you have made your reservations in advance, you should continue to check the prices at the desired places and, if there is a more advantageous option, cancel the previous one and make the new one. I already managed to book cheaper even at the same hotel using this strategy.
- Airbnb also has a wide range of offers around the island, do not forget to compare and look for the lowest prices. There’s not a lot of offer outside Reykjavik, so Airbnb is a very good option and, we had good experiences booking this way.
- Airbnb also has a wide range of offers around the island, do not forget to compare and look for the lowest prices. There’s not a lot of offer outside Reykjavik, so Airbnb is a very good option and, we had good experiences booking this way.
- Camping is also a possibility, but always take into account the low temperatures. Iceland has a lot of campsites which offer good conditions such as cooking, hot water... There's also the possibility of camping for free but, under some circunstances, find out more about here.
Food
Eating in Iceland is frequently expensive and, unfortunately the prices do not always match the quality of the food. You will love Iceland, but it will not be for sure for his food. Unfortunately, this is also one of the areas that significantly increases the cost of a trip to Iceland, so here are some ideas:
- Use and abuse of hot dogs. We almost dare to say that hot dogs are the Icelandic national dish. They are great, they are cheap and frequent. Almost all gas stations sell hot dogs and hamburgers and they are a great option when you are traveling. In Iceland they even grab of having the best hot dog in the world, sold for extremely low prices for the country in central Iceland, as we have already mentioned here.
- When you are traveling on route 1, you will not find a wide variety of hotels and, in fact, you will sleep many nights in a B&B. Many of these establishments offer the possibility of cooking your own food, which is great for saving money.
- Buy prepared meals in supermarkets. We, in particular, loved the Supermarket Bónus (search the one whit the pig logo). We think is the largest supermarket chain in Iceland and we can stock up on food, whether we are talking about light snacks, bread, milk, juices, breakfast foods, salads, microwave meals, ingredients for cooking at home, everything. The prices are very good and you will see that the difference in the price of a meal is enormous. We love the Bónus Supermarket, but there are others that can allow you to save significant money.
- Don't drink alcohol but, if that is impossible or, just not fun (that’s our feel), buy it at Duty-free at the airport (find out more about here) when you land. All the alcohol you want to drink throughout your stay, shop at the airport, at the Duty-free shop. Because of taxes, alcoholic beverages are extremely expensive in Iceland, so beer, wine, etc is much cheaper at the airport. We talk about our family trip experience here.
- Do not buy bottled water. Iceland's tap water is known to be one of the best in the world, so it is a complete waste to buy bottled water. Take a reusable bottle and fill it on any faucet. Its for free and more ecological.
Where do you really have to spend money?
Although traveling in Iceland is expensive, a very good part of it is that almost everything we will want to see is free so, after we take care of the plane tickets, the rental car, gas, stays and food, we do not have much more to spend money.
However, not everything is free and there are some activities that require money, which we will mention some, and especially those that we cannot avoid spending our money.
In our case, we could not stop spending money on whale watching tour in Husavik (you can read about it here), as well as where to eat a fish and ships for a good price.
Regarding whale watching, we recommend that you do it in Husavik if you are going to do the road ring, it is one of the best places in the world to see whales but, you can do a tour from Reykjavik but, we can’t tell about it because we didn’t do it.
In our case, we could not stop spending money on whale watching tour in Husavik (you can read about it here), as well as where to eat a fish and ships for a good price.
Regarding whale watching, we recommend that you do it in Husavik if you are going to do the road ring, it is one of the best places in the world to see whales but, you can do a tour from Reykjavik but, we can’t tell about it because we didn’t do it.
In the case of Blue Lagoon, you can buy the tickets online (here) and we recommend buying the standard option, which allows you to save ISK 2000 per adult. Just be sure to bring flip flops and towel, which are not available in this option, as well as the robe. You can read about our experience here.
An option to save money, for those who go to Myvatn, would opt for Myvatn Nature Baths link instead of Blue Lagoon, which costs ISK 4000 in the summer and 3,500 in the winter. Or, even cheaper and closer to Reykjavik, is the Secret Lagoon, for 2800 ISK/adult.
Non Stop Family hopes you like our ideas. Do not forget to comment and share.
You can see here the itinerary of our family trip in Iceland.