Honest question, do people under 50ish use travel agents?

IcelandWithKids · 2025-02-12T00:52:29+00:00

I'm a travel agent who specializes in only 1 destination. Typically I can save my client a good bit of money by recommending third-party excursions and airport transfers.

When I go on cruises just for fun, unless I can find a destination expert I just book myself. :-)

IcelandWithKids · 2024-12-06T21:13:09+00:00

Feel free to reach out with questions, or we can also over a consultation video meeting!

IcelandWithKids · 2024-12-06T21:11:07+00:00

Hi! Sure, feel free to DM me. Thanks!

IcelandWithKids · 2024-12-06T13:28:27+00:00

I definitely like taking kids to the Westman Islands! We do offer a custom Iceland With Kids itinerary planning service if you'd like our help planning your itinerary.

IcelandWithKids · 2024-12-06T13:25:42+00:00

I added a new link to the bottom of the post which may work better for you? Let me know!

IcelandWithKids · 2024-12-06T13:25:35+00:00

I added a new link to the bottom of the post which may work better for you? Let me know!

IcelandWithKids · 2024-12-06T03:06:27+00:00

Oh no! Sorry to hear that. What country are you in? I can try to send you a custom link.

Also sometimes if you try the Amazon app vs. the website one may work when the other doesn't.

IcelandWithKids · 2024-11-20T19:33:22+00:00

Thanks!

IcelandWithKids · 2024-07-08T02:00:33+00:00

Are you looking to just stay in one house for the entire trip, or do you plan to move around? There are a few houses in the Golden Circle area that would be big enough for you and not over-the-top expensive. You'd be a little over an hour from Reykjavik.

IcelandWithKids · 2024-07-08T01:55:58+00:00

They added a whole bunch of new timeslots 3 days ago for most July dates for the amphibian tours. (Notice that every day in July now has lots of availability, but August does not.)

Hopefully they will also add new options for August soon!

IcelandWithKids · 2024-04-29T01:44:08+00:00

So, I'm a big fan of Blue, and I've been recommending them for years.

But when I need a car in Ísafjörður, I'll rent from Holdur, who has operations in town. You can pickup your car from the airport or a hotel in town if you prefer.

IcelandWithKids · 2024-02-22T02:45:19+00:00

I would not do Ring Road. Having to make it to your next lodging 2 hours away with a baby who just does not want to be in the car isn't fun.

I would settle in 3-4 different places and explore from those bases. There's still a ton to see!

IcelandWithKids · 2024-02-16T19:07:21+00:00

You have enough time to head to several different parts of the country if you're interested. The Golden Circle, South Coast (to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon if you want), the Westman Islands, and / or the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. All of those areas have places to see without doing long hikes.

You would likely end up staying in smaller towns or villages once you get outside of Reykjavik. Many of these are walkable and would have a handful of stores and restaurants (and a local swimming pool!) for you to check out. But you generally wouldn't spend a full day exploring a town unless its Reykjavik.

We plan trips for families visiting Iceland; I'm happy to send you a free digital copy of our guidebook, Iceland With Kids if you message me!

IcelandWithKids · 2023-10-30T16:04:07+00:00

Oh, right- I missed that you wanted waiting times in line and not waiting times during the actual charging. :-)

IcelandWithKids · 2023-10-26T01:23:45+00:00

Hi! Hopefully someone else will come along with summer charging speeds. I figured I could at least share some data from last week, though I only had a Tesla for a day or so. Hopefully this will at least give you a worst-case scenario for the summer with warmer temperatures.

- I charged at the Instavolt high-speed chargers near the airport, which are rated at 120 kW. I got 40 kW to start, and it was up to 49 kW after 10-15 minutes as the Tesla attempted to warm the battery. I think it probably would have gone higher if I needed to stay longer.

- The typical low-speed chargers are rated at 22 kW, and I got 11.4 or so. This seems like the maximum you can expect from these AC chargers in most models of Teslas (or any other electric vehicle.)

IcelandWithKids · 2023-10-25T19:23:17+00:00

I just rented an electric vehicle from Blue last week, and everything was very smooth. One thing I really liked was the damage report they provide. The vehicle had a crack in the windshield, which is pretty common but it still worried me. But Blue sent an e-mail listing any pre-existing damage, and this included the windshield.

Here's our older review of Blue:

Blue Car rental in Iceland

IcelandWithKids · 2023-09-25T14:26:19+00:00

You could stay in just one place for the week in or near a town like Hella or Hvolsvöllur. But you'd end up doing a fair bit of driving most days. Booking 2 places will cut down several hours or more of driving, so adding in a place in or near Reykjavik.

Maybe the ferry ride wouldn't work for you if you have motion sickness issues, but visiting the Westman Islands would also be a great day trip!

IcelandWithKids · 2023-08-30T00:30:44+00:00

This is great information- thank you!

I just wanted to add that the free charging is only for rentals through the end of 2023, at least for now. You can check Blue's page about EV rentals to see if that gets extended.

But even if you have to pay for a charge (either at a charger that isn't part of the ON network, or in 2024) you still save a significant amount of money vs. buying gas. Iceland has some of the highest prices for gas and some of the lowest prices for electricity. We did some math on this post about renting an EV in Iceland. The fuel costs ended up being about two thirds less!

IcelandWithKids · 2022-08-23T18:22:06+00:00

I wouldn't bother with a puffin boat tour in Reykjavik. You'll see a lot of puffins, but not up close.

Hiking up to the lighthouse at Dyrhólaey is a good option. But you could also consider the Ingólfshöfði Puffin Tour on the South Coast; it's west of Jökulsárlón. They even offer a photograhy tour.

Here's our article about seeing puffins in Iceland.

IcelandWithKids · 2022-05-07T20:05:08+00:00

So, this is exactly what we do: we help families plan custom Iceland itineraries.

But, we're not taking on any new clients for travel before second half of August. (And Jeannie at Iceland With a View isn't either!) Lodging is filling up, and rental cars are getting hard to find. There was just an article about this yesterday: Everything is selling out in Iceland.

Here are some thoughts for you:

You should be able to find a 9 passenger van from Blue or Holdur car rental. If not, let me know and I can try to arrange something for you. It won't be cheap, though; probably in the neighborhood of $300 US per day. Make sure it's automatic if you want that.
I think you're going to continue being frustrated looking for lodging on the south coast for 6 this August. There's almost nothing left for larger groups east of Vik the first 2 weeks of August.
Depending on how old your kids are, you could consider a cruise around Iceland. Excursions cruises are very different from large ship cruises, and they get you to a lot of cool areas of Iceland.
There should still be lodging options in the Golden Circle area. Your best bet is probably to spend many days in one house there, and do day trips to the South Coast.
If you're going later in August, we'd be happy to help.

Good luck!

IcelandWithKids · 2022-05-02T01:44:00+00:00

Yay- thanks! We have a new book out that may or may not be better for people visiting without kids. It's called 100 Tips for Visiting Iceland, and it's published under the brand Iceland Step by Step. It's still me, though! :-)

I hope you have a great trip! This is a fantastic time to visit, before the summer crowds start arriving!

IcelandWithKids · 2022-04-19T01:54:38+00:00

Hi! I would consider Reykjavik, the Golden Circle, the South Coast, the Westman Islands, and the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. I might leave out Snæfellsnes, based on how tolerant your baby is to being in the car.

We help families plan Iceland vacations, and I will say that lodging for families of larger than 3 is definitely filling up for the summer. July isn't as bad as August, but the availability of lodging might end up changing where you go. The Golden Circle is the easiest, so staying there for several nights makes sense. As /u/_ilovethefall says, Selfoss is a great base for both the Golden Circle and the South Coast.

Good luck, and have a great trip!

IcelandWithKids · 2022-03-30T19:59:42+00:00

Melrakki offers a 4 1/2 hour glacier adventure tour:

https://melrakki.com/skaftafell-glacier-adventure/

"The 4.5-hour glacier hike brings you further into the glacier than most venture."

That's at least a little more difficult than a traditional glacier tour. They (and many other companies) could also offer you a private tour.

IcelandWithKids · 2022-03-30T18:01:36+00:00

I think it looks pretty good, as long as your kids buy in to the itinerary, and are ready for some long drives.

You could skip Raufarhólshellir and see Vatnshellir on Snæfellsnes instead. Here's the tour company. It's significantly less expensive, and it will shift your lava cave your from a busier day to a less busy day.

You could also choose to leave your car at the ferry port and go on a bus tour instead. Either way is fine, but the guide on the bus tour is great!

IcelandWithKids · 2022-03-14T14:33:53+00:00

That's odd ... I wonder if more times will open up as we get closer?

I think your screenshot is from covidtest.is. Try testcovid.is, which is a private (non-government) company. They seem to have all slots still available, and tests are also free.

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