WHY LIVING OUT OF A VAN IN ICELAND IS THE BEST OPTION TO TRAVELING THE COUNTRY
It’s no secret that Iceland had been on my bucket list for a few years now.. The glaciers, endless mountains, crystal clear oceans, the vastness and wildness - How could it not be on your bucket list? The only possible answer I could think of would be money, but that’s why I’m here to tell you why living out of a van is the best way to explore this beautiful country! You kill two birds with one stone: Sleeping and exploring all day. Get a van and make it your home on wheels for a week and I promise you, you won’t regret a second of it.
I wrote a previous post more in depth about Iceland - your whole travel guide to the country. Read it here first!
If you were to type in camper vans to rent in Iceland I can tell you that at least a million options will pop up and you’ll start to get frantic because there’s almost too many. Let me save you the hassle and tell you to just book with Lagoon Car Rental. The easiest and most friendly company there is! They were able to assist all of my questions before, during and after the trip, I felt really cared for when traveling with them. PLUS: The best part is they offer free airport pick up and drop off because their office is open 24 hours..
So why wouldn’t you book with them?
Now that you figured out where to book your camper van the next thing you’ll want to make sure you have is enough supplies to live out of the van for your time there.. Again, don’t worry Lagoon Car Rental has you covered as they have all the camping gear you could think of right in their office - making it that much less stressful when it comes to starting your adventure! Things they already have included for you with no extra charge is a bluetooth radio, gas discount cards, comforters / pillows and tons of storage for your bags.
Here’s a quick list of everything we used and I highly recommend buying as well:
Camp Stove
Camping Utensils / Cooking utensils
Mobile Hotspot
Camping Chairs
Also you guys: Just pay the money for insurance! You have no idea what could happen to you so just be safe than sorry. You’ll be saving loads of money by living out of a van your time there so just do this. If not wanting to spend a lot of money at least do the gravel protection.
Great you’ve got your van! Now let me tell you all the reasons why it’s going to the best choice of your life..
Renting a van in Iceland is the ultimate choice of freedom.. If you really don’t want to plan a route for your time there, then don’t! The day is yours to choose however you spend it and with no bookings on hotels or hostels you can let the road take you wherever you want. When I went I had the whole route planned but once there and realizing how much was beautifully unplanned I threw it out the window and it made me so thankful to not have any set plans or bookings meaning we could go with the wind.
There’s no time limit when it comes to being in the van! You find a cool place you want to experience for sunset: Great you can hang out in your home on wheels for the next couple hours. You have all the choice in the world to stay at a place however long you want instead of being rushed in a tour if you were to do one of those.
Living out of a van you’re time there really gives you the most freeing feeling there is.. No place is as wild and vast as Iceland and no more perfect place to be waking up to in the back of a van where you can easily hop into the driver seat and go!
It’s going to save you A LOT of money to rent a van because let’s be honest.. Nobody goes to Iceland to just hang out in one place the whole time there, you’re gonna be renting a car anyways so might as well upgrade and pay a little more to make it your home every night as well! Hotels, even hostels cost at minimum $100 a night and that will add up quickly on top of a rental car payment. Kill 2 birds with 1 one stone!
A real trip to Iceland isn’t complete unless there’s hot springs involved.. Well good for you my friend, the most known hot springs that are still BEAUTIFUL will have a small fee but that means they usually have showers as well! So get your soaking and showering done with one small fee instead of paying for a shower at a hostel or campsite. Do it where there’s an extra bonus included! A gorgeous hot spring!
One of the things I was MOST thankful for about the van was the ability to cook so easily in it.. I had a small one person burner that cooked all of our meals! Instead of going out to eat for every meal we cooked each day and saved a lot of money buying groceries instead of eating out. Plus no restaurant is better than inside a van parked next to an enormous waterfall. Also another money saving hack: I brought oatmeal and my favorite protein bars from home as I know I would always have those for snacks and breakfast and it definitely cut some cost down.
Wild camping is still up in the air, but in some parts of Iceland I do believe it is okay as I saw a lot of other campers off the beaten path and signs in areas clearly where people should not be camping. So this is a huge money saver if you do decide to wild camp! If doing so: please be respectful as always, pack in what you pack out. If you’re unsure of an area just find a campsite nearby as they average at only $25 USD a night which is still a fourth of what you’d be paying for a hotel!
If you end up renting the Mobile Hotspot that Lagoon Car Rental has that means you don’t have to pay for cell service or Wifi anywhere which ends up saving you money as well plus you’re not always on the hunt for Wifi in the small towns of Iceland.
The best thing about being in the van is having everything you need with you at all times. Since I was already living out of a backpack for 2 months it felt so great to actually unpack a bit and have all my stuff in one place
With tours you have to always unpack your bag and make sure you’ve got everything with you before and after: In a van you know it’s always there and where you put it!
The best thing is having a mobile hotspot that works basically everywhere throughout the country - no more waiting around at cafes to use Wifi
Not going to lie: Nothing will compare to napping in the middle of nowhere in Iceland and that’s what I loved about being in a van! Waking up early and staying up until the sun sets in Iceland can sometimes be a 18 hour day so it gets tiring, naps easily became apart of the agenda when I was there and I couldn’t tell you how many times I said I was so happy to have a full bed in the back of our van instead of just having to recline the seats like a normal car
Weather is going to change constantly, you’re in Iceland for gods sake. One minute it will be bright blue skies and then the next minute you’ll be getting blown off a cliff from the gnarly wind - it’s wild. Having a van to wait these weather situations out is perfect! Again because everything you need is with you and you’re not crammed in a small car
Without a doubt there’s so much more of an experience when living out of a van in Iceland: nights are the most incredible time. When it’s 11PM and the sun is still setting there’s no worries of getting to a place to stay because you already have your little home with you. It’s just such an experience. Or if you come at the right time and get to experience Northern Lights and see it through your windows of the van. Oh boy!
Because you will be living on the road for your time there that means you find a ton more places to explore and a lot more unknown roads to travel on. There’s always something to see when you’re not looking, so driving around the whole country is the best luck at not missing some of the best views!
One thing that I loved was meeting people along the way as we camped! The couple nights where we had to pay for camping there was always a small kitchen or eating area so it was a great time to meet others and talk with people to hear where they’re from.
Gas is expensive! Most vans run on diesel which equals out to about $7 a gallon USD (As of 2019) - But like I talked about before you’re already gong to be paying for gas when renting a car so make this your own only money spender! Also Lagoon Car Rental is amazing and provides you with a gas discount card to the two main gas stations and it’s a huge game changer
Also like I talked above some areas you might have to pay for camping as wild camping isn’t permitted throughout the whole country
Bathrooms are very limited in Iceland. So when you’re living out of van and don’t have a gas station for another hour or two and even then it could be closed because of their hours - it does kind of suck. I just got in the habit of trying to go when I was at a store, gas station or visiting hot springs. Because no there isn’t rest stops, pit toilets, honey buckets or restrooms at trailheads for hikes. So just know this beforehand!
Vans can’t go on the F roads (To me though this was almost a pro though because I felt less overwhelmed with options to explore knowing that some roads were already crossed off the list) If you do still want to be able to explore F roads in Iceland but get the same feel of living out of a car then rent Lagoon Car Rental’s truck option that has a roof top tent!
Trust me Iceland is without a doubt the most adventurous and wild country there is.. And there’s no better place to say you lived out of a van in! It will definitely change your life: from realizing how little you need in life, experiencing the country to the full extent and then knowing you saved money. Traveling out of a van in Iceland needs to be on your bucket list and if I haven’t convinced you enough.. Shoot me an email so I can give you more reasons lol
Bring a COUPLE reusable water bottles! Iceland’s glacier water is the most refreshing water I’ve ever drank and it’s in unlimited supply throughout the country. One thing I realized is that Iceland doesn’t have many gallons or big containers of water to buy so when it comes to drinking and cooking water - you want to make sure you don’t run out. So just pack multiple reusable water bottles that way you have a good supply since you won’t have a big container to refill up!
Always keep cash / coin on you for hot springs, campsites, tolls and gas stations that don’t accept card and so on. Make sure you pick up Icelandic Krona at the airport before you fully get started on your adventure so you have the best conversion fee!
Only shop at Bonus or Kronan these are the most budget friendly grocery stores in Iceland!
Plan out your meals everyday. This will save you a ton of money and time! It’s good to just have a rough idea on what meals you want to eat every couple days.. mostly because then you don’t spend money on unwanted or uneaten food and because the grocery stores close pretty early! Nothing is worst than getting close to dinner time and realizing you’re basically out of food and everywhere is closed but it’s only 5PM. So just have a plan for food every couple days! Iceland is harder to just buy food whenever you want like on most road trips because of how wild it is.
Pack dryer sheets in your backpack or suitcase so you keep not only your bag but also the van smelling nice and clean! Also you guys: carwashes and vacuums for your car are free of charge at mostly every gas station so I’d highly suggest doing a quick clean of your van every couple days to make it feel extra tidy.
Make sure you know where to pay tolls ahead of time.. Ask your rental company where to do this! Sometimes it’s online or at a gas station here’s the website to pay online: Toll Roads
You must pay this within 8 hours of using the toll or it will be billed to your company and you’ll be charged even more! Trust me from experience it’s not worth it
If you have a power inverter for your car back home: definitely bring it for the van! It’s great to be able to charge your stuff on the go like your camera or laptop
Also if you plan to stop at a cafe or hostel / hotel any night to charge stuff make sure you have a travel adapter! Here’s the ones I use: Car Power Inverter & Travel Adapter
Pack a towel! Maybe even two - one for hot springs and one for showering. The small microfiber towel is so compact that it fits in a backpack easily and it works pretty good! Here’s a good option: Microfiber Towel
Want a full packing list for Iceland? Let me know maybe I’ll write a post up for you guys!
Make sure you have a beanie, gloves, scarf and warm PJ’s! Nights get COLD no matter what time of the year you visit so always make sure you have enough layers
Don’t rush. There’s no place better than the place you will be at every second.. Where you are is where you’re suppose to be. It might seem like there’s always something better to see and you want to keep going and going - but don’t forget to slow it down and really appreciate the moments
I hope that I was able to convince you more on why Iceland needs to be on your bucket list and also how to do it the cheapest and most adventurous way! If you have any other questions on traveling through Iceland, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below or shoot me an email and I’ll get back to you. Also check my other post “I left my heart in Iceland” for more about my experience and more info. Iceland is the most magical land there is and I’m already itching to get back.. So until next time.
Thank you for being Lost in a Dream with me
With lots of love,
Niki