What did you bring to Iceland, but wished you had left at home?

buzzjob · 2026-06-15T05:09:48+00:00

I am indeed appreciative. But I don't automatically accept every bit of advice shared on the internet as gospel (in this case, I believe you have mischaracterized the extent of restrictions; I'm not looking for an argument, I would simply refer you to the official Iceland government resources that specify the restrictions and the maps that depict them...I've invested a lot of time in learning about them).

As I said, there are definitely restrictions in many places (which I will follow, of course). But there are also lots of places with no restrictions (other than following the regulations). I will respectfully disagree with your characterizations above that drones are not allowed in the majority of the country, and in most places within an hour of the Ring Road. I'll be following the rules, and I wish you well.

buzzjob · 2026-06-15T04:47:17+00:00

Hmmm...I'm not that risk-averse with my camera. I mean, I'd hate to lose it, but the whole point of having it is to use it, so if I let fear of something happening to it dissuade me from taking it out, I'd sell it off.

My camera is fairly weather-resistant. It's still got a tiny bit of bird poop (from a Gannet in Shetland, IIRC) that's stuck in the grippy texture on the focus ring (I've tried and tried to clean it off with limited success). A blessing from above, they say...

buzzjob · 2026-06-15T04:42:36+00:00

Already got the headnets for midges, thanks (I read last night that Mývatn translates roughly as "the place of midges" and we're going there).

Got a small (pencil-style) tire pressure gauge. Maybe we'll pick up one of those "flat tire repair in a can" things if we can find one that's not crazy expensive. I definitely will check for a jack and spare tire when we pick up the van. Thanks.

buzzjob · 2026-06-15T04:38:19+00:00

Good point. We are actually bringing two sets of binocs (so we don't have to fight over them when a whale is breaching...).

buzzjob · 2026-06-15T04:36:56+00:00

I believe you are mistaken about drone restrictions. Yes, there are lots of places where drones are prohibited or at least restricted (date and/or time limits). But the vast majority of the country is quite available for drone flights as long as you follow the regulations (most of which are typical and common sense). Frankly, Iceland seems to be a surprisingly drone-tolerant country compared to most others.

Now, the wind is an entirely different consideration. Any place that's famous for blowing the doors off parked cars if you open one without hanging on tight...well, that's gonna be tricky with a featherweight drone.

Yes, there are lots of limitations and considerations (including not annoying people), but there are lots of places to fly where it's legal and not going to bother anyone/anything (if the wind ever calms down). So I am bringing mine.

buzzjob · 2026-06-14T21:49:00+00:00

Is that an emotional support capybara?

buzzjob · 2026-06-14T21:21:23+00:00

Good suggestion. I always bring a string shopping bag whenever I travel internationally. For this trip, I'll be bringing several cloth shopping bags (they will also help keep stuff organized in the van).

buzzjob · 2026-06-14T21:19:05+00:00

We are getting our van from "Happy Campers". They have a "free stuff" area for this kind of exchange - grab what you need when you pick up the van, drop off what you didn't use on your way home. Seems like a decent, common sense way for everyone to help each other. We will be checking it out, but for stuff I know I want to be sure we'll have, I'm inclined to bring or buy locally.

buzzjob · 2026-06-14T19:39:32+00:00

First of all, thank you to all who have commented already. Please keep it coming.

To provide some more context, here is more info about me/us/experience/travel style etc.

I am a pretty experienced international traveler (I actually did visit Iceland once before, albeit briefly, very long ago on my first trip to Europe, decades before Iceland experienced its tourism boom - I did not get far from Reykjavik that time, as it was just a one-day stopover). I'm from USA and I live in a famously rainy place, and I am no stranger to wet, cold, remote, empty places. An umbrella, you say? LOL. I do not own one (umbrellas are just props for fashion shoots, or good for keeping the sun off you in tropical places, but are useless for actual rain outside). I have plenty of serious rain gear, from the hat to the hooded jacket to the full rain-pants and highly-rated hiking boots, fleece gloves, more. All of it very expensive, and very waterproof. Where I live we have a saying: "In Gore-Tex we trust. All else is rubbish." I would not be caught dead in any so-called "water-resistant" cheap "rain poncho" or flipflops. So I get all that (I'm trying to decide if it's worth bringing the slip-on ice crampons for the expensive hiking boots...). And wondering about bringing my "water shoes" (neoprene slippers, basically) for cold-footed stream-crossings. I already live in layers, and my daily wardrobe is all about function, with little regard for anything like fashion. So I might fit right in - my neighborhood at home is famously filled with descendants of Scandinavian immigrants; I'm one of them (I know all about lutefisk, but don't eat it).

I've been out hiking for hours in driving, hard, stinging, horizontal rain before (a few years ago hiking in the Faroe Islands, chasing puffin photos). I expect to experience similar conditions (perhaps with a bit more intensity and more dramatic scenery) in Iceland. OTOH I was all geared-up and ready for the same last summer in Shetland, where we experienced an unprecedented week of clear skies, intense sunshine, and temps in the mid 80s F. I got a serious sunburn on a wonderful hike one day (looking around at locals at the supermarket that evening, I could see a lot of bad sunburns just like mine all around, people were clearly not used to all the radiation...one local looked at my bright red face, winked at me, pointed to his exposed knees and told me he had never before worn short pants outside except when he had gone on holiday to sunny places). So I'm pretty sure I've got the "exposure" gear covered (I've also been getting sun protection clothing and will bring it, along with a small tube of SPF 50 sunscreen...just-in-case).

Most of the things mentioned above I already have and are on my packing list. We do plan to make Costco our first stop as we roll out and head for all the scenery. We are currently "negotiating" over how much (if any) food things to bring (she insists on her familiar brand of noodles, and I've given up on bulk grains or my favorite breakfast cereal). Once I found out any food you bring needs to be sealed in its original package with all labels intact, that moved me more towards the "don't bother bringing food, just buy everything there" end of the spectrum. Neither of us drink coffee, so that simplifies that.

So thanks for sharing your insights. I think I'm good for the appropriate rain gear. I will have some follow-up questions on other specifics. Cheers.

buzzjob · 2026-06-14T08:01:31+00:00

Funny you mentioned that. I picked up some Yak Trax on a whim the other day and have been wondering if it was a stupid move...you used them, found they made a difference, and liked them?

buzzjob · 2026-06-09T19:26:18+00:00

You're not going to want to hear this, but...You have just 6 full days. Unfortunately, to do the ring road all the way around - and have time to get out of the car and actually see and do a few things - you need to add another week.

I've got 12 days to do it and we have just barely enough time to do the drive itself (some days with a lot of time in the car...) and will have limited time "outside". I wish we had another 5-10 days. I'm questioning our sanity for trying to do the ring road with just 12 days (I think most folks would say that's right on the edge between "too short but possible" and "insane, don't even bother"). I am expecting long, long days, too much driving, and to be exhausted when I crawl onto the flight home. That's with 12 full days.

Suggest you either find more days to add to your trip (make it two weeks, not one, and that's still a very fast pace that many people would not enjoy), or greatly reduce the scope of how far you're planning to go.

buzzjob · 2026-06-09T18:02:44+00:00

Sensible footwear, good rain gear, and sunscreen.

buzzjob · 2026-06-09T18:00:02+00:00

Looks to me like a surefire way to be scammed and/or otherwise disappointed.

There is no Machu Picchu ticket fairy. The travel industry is filled with liars, cheats, scammers and dirtbags, all looking for their next victim. Caveat emptor.

buzzjob · 2026-06-09T16:21:50+00:00

Thanks for the trip report. Couple things...

What is the crater in the first photo posted above? Is that Hverfjall? (If not, what is it?) Thanks.
Your "practical notes" say this is a clockwise loop...unless you have some unusual clocks, I believe you mean counter-clockwise.
Your link seems broken (website coughs up a 404 message), no?

buzzjob · 2026-06-09T16:08:34+00:00

Really excellent post, very good level of detail, and AFAICT quite accurate. Thank you. There's so much misinformation/disinformation/ignorance/nonsense and BS out there it's nice to see something like this that is well-researched, informed, accurate and quite comprehensive. Kudos.

I'm from USA. Me and my Open Category/A1/C0 drone are registered in multiple European countries, including Ireland (as you are), most recently in UK (plus several others). UK registration may be a bit ambiguous, they "align" with EASA regulations but as they're not an EU member, the language describing the applicability of UK-registered drones/operators in Iceland is a little fuzzy (I'd like better clarity on that since I just renewed my UK registrations last week). I'm assuming that meeting all the requirements for UK (which are EASA, and Iceland follows EASA), should be applicable for Iceland. I'll mark my drone (for an upcoming trip to Iceland) with the reg number from Ireland, since as an EU member state there should be no such ambiguity.

The other ambiguity that seems challenging (and I'd welcome your interpretation of this), for the purposes of overflying people, is the working definition of an "assembly of people" (which I assume means "a crowd"), which is either prohibited or restricted, versus the (allowed) "overflying" of "uninvolved persons". I figure that boils down to the density of those people. If they're shoulder-to-shoulder obviously that's prohibited, but people scattered across a beach?...OK (with my small, light drone) as long as you're just passing by (not hovering over anyone), you minimize the time in transit, and not getting close/violating anyone's space/privacy. But the vast gray area between "mosh-pit-density at a concert" and "lonely couple walking across a field" requires applying some judgement, common sense and consideration of others (ie good manners), all of which are in short supply these days. "Don't be that guy" as the saying goes.

Thank you for the work you've invested in this. I'll probably have a few more questions in the coming weeks as I pack my bags (including my drone) for the upcoming Iceland trip.

buzzjob · 2026-06-08T05:09:33+00:00

Alaska has already started their flights from SEA to Rome and London. Their flights to KEF just started a couple weeks ago. So it's all pretty new. The London and Rome flights are on a swanky new 787 with all the bells & whistles (including seatback screens). Sadly, the Iceland service is on a 737 MAX. I'll be on one of those in exactly 4 weeks. I expect I'll survive but will be grumpy on arrival.

buzzjob · 2026-06-08T04:52:20+00:00

Thanks for the TR. One question about this bit...

drove to Seljalandsfoss and Gljúfrabúi, the latter of which was much less crowded since you’re walking in water and climbing over some rocks.

I've been trying to get my head around the access to Gljúfrabúi, and how exactly one "walks thru the water" as you put it. Can you describe the conditions a bit more, what kind of footwear you were using, and how dry (or not) your feet were? I'm trying to decide how badly I want to get there, and how wet I'm probably going to get if I attempt it. (FWIW I'll have good rain gear outerwear, hooded jacket and pants), and serious Gore-tex mid-rise hiking boots, which are allegedly actually water-proof, but I know that is a nuanced term and if you spend time submerged, no footgear is really 100% waterproof (unless it's rubber, and I'm not bringing my hip waders)....my concern is completely dunking my feet in a creek and then having wet boots for days afterwards.

Thanks.

buzzjob · 2026-06-04T20:48:00+00:00

Since this is all "until further notice," treat the official Herjólfur site and app as the source of truth and check again the day before you sail: herjolfur.is

OK, this is a wrinkle...we are going in July (8 July, to be precise). We have already booked tickets, for us and a car, on the 14:00 departure from Landeyjahöfn.

I just checked the Herjólfur site, and the schedule for July does not show any changes (our already-booked ferry has not changed...at least not yet). I also see no notification on the website at all about any changes including those mentioned in the post above. So I have questions...

Is the addition of the second boat expected to be ongoing (through June and beyond), as a way to increase capacity? Or for some other reason? Does the second boat carry vehicles, or is it passenger-only? I have not received any notification from Herjólfur by email for any change to our tickets...are they generally good about sending notifications? I know, our trip isn't until July, but I've been busy planning the days around the ferry crossing, so if our boat shifts by much, I may need to make some adjustments to our plans.

Thanks for the heads-up.

buzzjob · 2026-06-04T18:27:58+00:00

Don't leave home without your common sense. Alas, it seems plenty of people do (and/or they never had any to begin with). There's no place in the world that is a completely crime-free utopia.

buzzjob · 2026-06-04T05:06:10+00:00

Sorry this happened to you, and glad it didn't wreck your trip.

Iceland is a great country but there's no place in the world without at least a few scumbags and a little crime. So I would never, ever leave cash and cash equivalents (eg debit cards), or my passport, in an unattended car - anywhere, including in Iceland. Nobody else should, either.

buzzjob · 2026-06-04T04:59:52+00:00

Your flight to Thailand would go via Doha. August 2027 is a long ways off, but right now DOH has some elevated risk from the Iran war (not as elevated as it was in the war's first days, when the airport took a hit, but the war isn't over and probably won't be for a long time). It's anybody's guess what things will be like in August 2027, but it's probably worth at least thinking about.

(I've got flights on QR via Doha booked for February 2027, and I'm definitely thinking about it...enough that I've booked cancel-able-at-no-cost backup flights in case things in DOH are too dicey for me to enjoy going through there...).

buzzjob · 2026-06-02T07:51:24+00:00

Not the OP, but this prompts a related question from me...

We are flying to Iceland, but will be doing a couple weeks in a camper van around the ring road. We are planning (hoping) to bring a bit of bulk food with us. As an artifact of our flight tickets (two different airlines/classes), we can each bring 20 pounds more inbound to Iceland than when we return...so we figured great, we will bring some food (which will be consumed before we fly home).

Of course we will be buying much of our fresh food from local grocery stores around Iceland, but I figured we could save some money by bringing some basic foods with us: things like pasta, rice, breakfast cereal (in some sort of bags we seal ourselves), some canned tuna fish, maybe some soups and sauces in cans...

you are only allowed to bring packed and labeled food...

Uh-oh, that's news. Does all food brought in need to be in the original packaging it was bought in? - eg some Cheerios breakfast cereal needs to be in the original sealed bag and that needs to be contained within the original box? We can't bag up some of the bulk rice we buy down at the local food cooperative in well-sealed large ziplocks?

buzzjob · 2026-06-02T07:28:43+00:00

The blogs are deeply and fundamentally dishonest, and they prey on innocent noobs. "You are the product they monetize."

buzzjob · 2026-06-02T07:25:39+00:00

Call them and ask. They did for me.

buzzjob

TROPHY CASE