Vanlife Iceland Tips
Category

Activity

Age requirement

6 and older

Message from Kyana Sue Powers

Vanlife is one of my favorite ways to explore Iceland. There is so much freedom when your home is on wheels. My vanlife Itineraries are the best combination of relaxation and adventure. The best months for vanlife in my opinion adventure is April - September while the days are still quite long!

The itineraries I have are suited for 14 years old + however vanlife can be great for all ages. Pacing is key here.

I have included my favorite campsites to stay at, where and when to grocery shop and all kinds of useful tips for each day. Iceland is super underrated for food, so I have also included my favorite places for lunch stops around the ring road. Wild camping in Iceland in illegal and if the police catch you, they will give you a hefty fine!

You should always check the weather in Iceland on vedur.is (this changes many times a day and it's good to be aware of the weather in Iceland, it is different in every region)

It might also be a good idea to sign up for weather text alerts from safetravel.is for the time that you are in Iceland. These are super helpful to help keep you safe.

Even though it's summer, I still recommend to pack lots of layers, hats and gloves because you just never know in Iceland, and the wind can be brutal :) If you forget anything then Icewear has great affordable outdoor clothing.

Van life hack: pack two towels and at least two bathingsuits per person, sandals, and some clips to close food bags, and a few sandwich/freezer bags for your leftover foods. Don't forget a water bottle because the tap water and water from rivers are super clean and safe to drink! It's not the best, but I do recommend buying instant coffee (from any store in Iceland, just add water) it's quicker for clean up and for coffee in the mornings. However, that's just me being a lazy morning person.

I also recommend buying any alcohol in duty free at the airport right before baggage claim, after you see the "Exit to Iceland" sign. The liquor stores in Iceland are few and far between and they have odd hours and are extremely expensive. You can save a lot of money buy picking some drinks up at the airport if you plan to drink on your trip. The alcohol stores in Iceland are called Vinbuðin.

You can rent a wifi card from your campervan company but I like to use an app called Truphone when I travel and it lets you get an eSIM in any country. This is great for having affordable data without crushing cell phone bill.

I hope you enjoy your time in Iceland :)

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