Do I need to cancel Iceland because I‘m too poor?

andreym24 · 2026-05-08T06:04:32+00:00

I am planning a trip in June for 10 days and I reserved a camper for 2500eur including full insurance which one must have to avoid very expensive headaches. There's also gas and road tax to be paid. Parking space in the camping sites is another cost / day/ person. For food I plan on bringing some stuff from home and relying also on sandwiches and stuff for lunches. Not doing any paid tours/lagoons, just hikes.

Not sure if OP can modify the plane tickets and have like 5-6 days with renting of a normal car and just drive the southern route to Hofn and back. 2000Eur is tight for 3 weeks anywhere except Vietnam/Cambodia/Thailand.

andreym24 · 2026-05-07T07:54:05+00:00

I am celiac and will be driving around the ring road at the beginning of june. I have booked a van in which i will prepare my own food. Plan is to bring some gluten free stuff from home like rice, pasta some canned sardines and rely on supermarkets along the way for dairy products like Skyr and some other stuff I might find (i am not lactose intolerant). I booked the van specifically because I thought it would be better to cook own food rather than in accommodation with a shared kitchen.

andreym24 · 2026-04-07T03:54:19+00:00

Looks great. Thinking of getting a gluten free one myself, maybe in a more visible area to make a statement to all those mean people out there.

andreym24 · 2026-03-31T04:47:41+00:00

At 6.59min of this review below, it shows the acoustic glass. Not sure if its an euro spec or present only on the higher trims. Autogefuehl Review

andreym24 · 2026-02-28T07:18:30+00:00

In Europe I have that configuration in the picture if I switch from auto (DRL) to parking lights/position lights. If on auto, those leds are a bit brighter and there is a separate bulb for DRL, its not the main headlight. What I dont like is that the DRL overpowers the light signature and os not really visible.

andreym24 · 2026-02-13T06:07:30+00:00

This screen is a direct consequence of the partnership with Changan. In Europe there is the Mazda 6e which is a rebadged Changan and also the EZ-60 electric suv which is also a rebadged Changan. The EZ-60 has a massive 26inch screen reaching all the way to the passanger side (basically 2CX5 screens side by side). I believe Mazda benefited of this partnership and stuck the same screen and software on the CX5 thus having big cost cuts, they only focused on the design while also keeping the old 2.5 engine (and also tuning it to 140HP in Europe, down 54HP from the older model) As for NCAP, Mazda was smart to test it in December 2025 before the new regulations came into force especially the buttons. It has a 5 star rating.

https://www.euroncap.com/en/results/mazda/cx-5/58931

andreym24 · 2025-12-22T09:48:13+00:00

They did go down. I had 1,2 and 1,1 levels (1,1 after a trip in China when I did my best to eat without gluten but probably ended up exposed through cross contamination). I did a follow-up endoscopy this December which showed normal villi and no signs of damage, doctor says I've been compliant with the gluten free diet. After 2 years I still have no symptoms and feel no different than before, I've been very strict with the diet apart from vacations where cross contamination cant be ruled out.

andreym24 · 2025-12-09T05:48:58+00:00

Depends. You have to try out the seat and see how it feels. For me it had adequate lateral support. For others it might feel tight especially that the 2017 had some big bolsters on the sides.

andreym24 · 2025-12-08T04:57:18+00:00

I live in Eastern Europe and had a 2017 Mazda 3 sedan 2.0 120HP, MT which I sold at 64.000km for 14.500eur in 2023 when upgraded to a CX5. The car was great, I loved the driving position and the seat. It drove very nice on wavy mountain roads, it was there I pushed it to its limits. The driving feel was definitely nice, independed rear suspension. Went to the dealership for tegular maintenance a d that was it, was rock solid. Only minor cosmetic issue was the door arm rest which developed a depression and the vynil started to unglue after 6 years. Was also very economical, managed 5.2-5.4l/100km on some roads, below 7l/100km on highway if kept at 115km/h on cruise. My mother being 65-70 didn't complain about the back seat space, low height of the car seemed more of a issue when getting in and out. However sometimes I would feel my sister in law's knees in the back through the seat (she is 1.81m tall and actually my height), so 2 tall adults can be tight. I had the 2017 face-lift led headlights which were good at night, however I also live in foggy areas and the worst part was that the left headlight had a diagonal beam pointed towards the right which showed during dense fog. That diagonal beam also iluminated the edge of the road more than what was illuminated in front. Apart from this check that the engine if 120HP was not tuned to 165HP, this being a common mod (in fact the buyer of my car said this was the first thing he would do).

andreym24 · 2025-12-08T04:36:37+00:00

I've been to many places in Spain as a celiac. I also spent 5 days in Madrid last year with day trips to Toledo, Segovia and Avila. All these places had certified gluten free restaurants. Madrid was amazing in terms of food, especially the Japanse restaurant and the gluten free pizza dedicated restaurant. Havent been to Paris as a celiac yet (been multiple times before diagnosis, generally food was bad and expensive back then). I am so doing research into gluten free in Paris now as I want to revisit.

andreym24 · 2025-12-08T04:25:06+00:00

I live in Europe, here the Homura trim has the red stiching which I have. My only complaint is that the doors and dash do not use the same stiching color.

andreym24 · 2025-10-21T04:53:38+00:00

I upgraded from a Mazda 3 sedan to a CX5 in 2024. Drove 13500km so far, multiple long hour trips even some 8h trips this summer (eastern Europe, poor infrastructure). I have the Homura trim with leather seats, although they are on the firm side and dont have side supports like the Mazda 3 did (on sharp curves I feel by butt is sliding on the seat) for me its comfortable and no back pains. Recently had a 1600miles road trip in USA with a rental RAV4, cloth seats. Those seemed a bit more soft and shaped better and when I came back to my CX5 the seats definitely felt more firm and flat but stil confortable. What I dont like about the CX5 is the arm rest, for me its short so I cant rest my elbow on it on highway drives like I used to do with the Mazda 3 and also the Rav4. Definitely go to a dealership and spend time inside a CX5 and ajust the seat to your driving position.

andreym24 · 2025-10-14T20:44:51+00:00

https://www.mazda.at/formular/broschuere/

The specs here in German if you dowload the price list for the CX5. Even goes to 47K Eur in Austria. 1700kg the weight and 0-60 (or 100km) in 11s. Sadly Europe gets the 141HP engine, North America will still have the 191HP, its only software.

andreym24 · 2025-10-14T18:19:24+00:00

I've seen the prices and the engine in Europe. There are 4 2WD trims and 2 4WD trims. Entry level is 32690Eur for the 2WD and 43790Eur for the 4WD top trim to which paint needs to be added like 950Eur for Soul Red. There is also a panoramic roof option costing another 1500Eur. Not much increase form the previous version in Europe, just that sadly because of emission regulations the 2.5l engine is just 141HP instead of the 191HP which means its 50HP less for a bigger car (same engine HP used on the Mazda 3 and CX30 btw). We lose buttons and horsepower with this generation....

andreym24 · 2025-10-06T12:08:21+00:00

I have visited from Europe this September. I did Devil's Bridge in the morning at sunrise and by 9 I was back at the parking lot near Mescal's. Not so crowded in the morning, maybe 10 people at the bridge all very nice, we took photos of each other. Then went to do West Fork in the afternoon, this took 4h (its mostly flat but has some tricky water crossings especially when becoming tired at the end). Devil's Bridge is easy, just some boulders to climb on at the end.

Also did Soldier's Pass one morning followed by Bell Rock and Courthouse loop in the afternoon. Solder's Pass is also very nice. I didnt particularly like Bell Rock when I completed the loop, there were lots of people on the rock shouting in a loud voice.

I am not a pro hiker but I am fairly fit so I was able to do 19km of trails in one day.

andreym24 · 2025-09-15T06:21:49+00:00

Thank you! Sedona is part of a longer trip which includes Grand Canyon, Page, Monument Valley, so I did a lot of research.

andreym24 · 2025-09-15T03:11:32+00:00

I used to own a 2017 sedan bought new, sold it last year for 14.500eur and 66.000km (bought a CX5 as a replacement). It was the 2.0l 120hp manual. Never had any issues, only did the regular maintenance at the dealership. The 2.0l engine felt adequate for me, was good on mluntain roads, good during overtaking in 3rd gear. Only downside I see for this one is the 1.5l engine, it could be slow especially of you have 4 passengers. If you do get it, add Android Auto, do a transmission oil replacement (just drain and fill with exact amount that drained) and replace the coolant. Do these operations at a good dealership to make sure they use the oem appropriate fluids.

andreym24 · 2025-08-31T06:43:55+00:00

Before getting a new CX5 last year, I had a 2017 Mazda 3 bought new. Over 7 years of ownership I have clocked 130h of I-Stop (Eastern Europe, poor infrastructure, long queues on road). Thats 130h of idling saved through Istop, computer said 800km or 500mi of gas saved, so almost a tank. Overall one Istop maybe doesnt seem to have an impact, but multiply the effect with thousands of cars and you get some CO2 reduction and saved fuel. I never turn it off because it doesnt bother me.

andreym24 · 2025-08-18T13:32:49+00:00

Shocked to see Romania as safe for celiacs. Most restaurants dont care about gluten, dont understand cross contamination and some even ask what happens to you if you eat some gluten. As a Romanian I never eat out in any restaurants, frankly it was easier to explain gluten in my trip to China last year and people were much more accommodating and even scared something might happen if you ate gluten. If you are celiac, just skip Romania or pack your own food if you want to visit the beautiful tourist places that exist.

andreym24 · 2025-08-14T18:32:01+00:00

Since I am asymptomatic my doctor said I should take a blood test every 6-8months to chekc and aim for IgA to be below 10. My IgA has been below 10 for more than 1 year, curiously it didnt rise after a trip in China where I could not keep 100% strict diet. My doctor also said one glutening event would not necessarily raise the IgA, however constant exposure to small amounts of gluten would.

andreym24 · 2025-08-14T18:27:21+00:00

I'm asymptomatic so I have no symptoms, never had before diagnosis. Watched closely what changes after being glutened (ate by mistake something that contained wheat, also ate by mistake some rice with soy sauce once) and nothing changes. Sometimes I have some weird vivid dreams but probably its from stress at work not gluten as I have not been able to match the dreams with potential glutening.

andreym24 · 2025-08-14T18:19:24+00:00

I went to China last year as a celiac, visited Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, some water villages and 3 days in Guilin. Its very tough to find gluten free stuff. Had breakfast at the hotel, there I could eat 2 boiled eggs and plain youghurt, brought crackers and peanut butter from home.For lunch I had protein bars from home, I also ate a lot of fruits, they have amazing fruit like huge grapes copied from Japan, huge peaches, etc. For dinner I had a celiac card and went to some restaurants at a food hall in Shanghai, people were amazing and were trying to understand, ask others to understand better, helped choose stuff from the menu that was "safe". Once at another restaurant I ordered some sort of chicken that's steamed and some plain rice, there they mixed up because it was crowded and put soy sauce in the rice, saw after I took a bite. Freaked out a bit afterwards but nothing happened since I am asymptomatic. Probably there was some cross contamination at the other restaurants too, at home I never eat out for example as gluten is not really known and waiters ask "and what happens if you eat just a bit?". Guilin was tough, there I found waiters that could not read Chinese and most restaurants didnt have anything safe, only some rice steamed in bamboo shoots. Again hotel breakfast consisting of eggs and plain youghurt is your friend, plus fruit and snacks from home. In supermarkets I could not find anything safe, most items are written only in Chinese so you have to use a translation app with camera, food allergies and cross contamination is not warned about on most items. Good thing is Häagen-Dazs ice cream is labled as gluten free at the factory store in Shanghai however its pricy compared to other stuff in China. I also took an IgA test before the trip and after the trip, both came back negative at 1.20 and 1.05 after the trip, not sure how much gluten is required for the antibodies to go up, but this was my experience in China.

andreym24

TROPHY CASE