15 Essential Tips For Traveling Iceland By Camper Van

Welcome to the Iceland by camper van guide!

Visiting Iceland had always been at the top of my bucket list, and this summer my husband and I made it happen.

We rented a camper van and road tripped the Ring Road for 8 days.

It was totally a once in a lifetime experience!

However, we were total newbies to #vanlife and it certainly came with its challenges.

So, I’m gonna give you all the (real life!) tips you need to make your own Iceland road trip go as smoothly as possible.

Let’s dive in!

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1. Pick the right van

Let’s start at the beginning. How do you pick the right van for you?

Manual vs. Automatic

First, let’s talk transmission. Most vehicles in Iceland are manual.

If you need an automatic van, make sure to specifically reserve one.

Automatic transmissions are becoming more common, just know they’re slightly more expensive to rent.

2WD vs. 4WD

If you’re visiting in the summer, or just exploring around Reykjavik, 2WD is generally completely fine.

The exception is if you want to visit the Highlands, which is the interior of the country.

These roads are marked as F Roads, and 4WD is required to drive on these roads.

This is because they are very poorly maintained, full of gravel and potholes, and some even include river crossings.

It’s also recommended to have 4WD if visiting in the winter.

Not every road is maintained in the winter, and it’s best to have 4WD in snowy and icy conditions outside the city.

Other than those situations, 2WD will serve you well all throughout the Ring Road, the Golden Circle, and more.

2WD is also more affordable to rent.

Related: Smile Instagram Captions

Size matters

Lastly, what size van should you get?

Your budget and personal comfort levels will be the biggest factors here.

Of course, the smallest and most simple vans will be the most affordable. But, you’ll be sacrificing some space and comfort.

Renting a larger van with more bells and whistles will cost more, and use more fuel.

Keep in mind that gas in Iceland is expensive- they have the third highest gasoline prices in the world!

At around 200 ISK per liter, you’ll find gas prices to be around $6-7 a gallon.

So don’t forget to budget for that!

2. Pack light

Now, this van will be your little home on wheels for the next week or two.

Practicing minimalism will help you stay sane in such a small space.

If you can’t see yourself using it every day (or for a specific occasion) you can probably leave it at home.

Also, if you’re traveling in a smaller van, know you’ll likely have to convert your bed every morning and night.

That means you’ll be moving around your stuff a LOT, so less is more!

3. Stay organized

That brings me to my next point. Staying organized is key!

I’m a sucker for organization in all aspects of life, but it’s especially important while living van life.

With all your stuff piled in the back of the van, you’ll want to make sure you can easily find what you’re looking for.

Keep everything properly stowed and secured.

That way, things won’t go flying if you have to hit the brakes.

We had an unfortunate cooler incident, after we accidentally left it on top of our stuff.

The next time we braked, it slid forward, emptying itself onto my suitcase and the van floor!

Yikes!

Organization Essentials

Make sure everything has a home, and avoid loose having items in the back of the van.

They’ll easily get lost amongst the shuffle.

Also, I highly recommend using packing cubes, which can make navigating your suitcase MUCH easier.

(I think packing cubes are essential for every trip. How did I ever live without them??)

I use these Calpak packing cubes because the quality is spectacular, and I’m obsessed with the color!

Here are my favorite Amazon packing cubes, which my husband uses.

If you’re bringing camera gear, or other tech like a laptop, consider using a tech organizer.

It’s the best way to organize multiple chargers, AirPods, and other essentials.

This is the one I’m obsessed with from Calpak, and here is an Amazon alternative.

Next, having a hanging toiletry bag is life-changing!

That way, you can easily hang your toiletries in camp bathrooms.

This is the one I use from Amazon.

(Another thing I don’t know how I lived without!)

Finally, I recommend keeping a little bag with all of your essentials handy for easy access in the van.

Related: Sun Instagram Captions

4. Plan for sleep

For starters, make sure to park your van on level ground at night. That way, you have a flat surface to sleep on.

We never had any issues with light or noise. The curtains in our van blocked out plenty of light, and the campgrounds were never too noisy.

But if you’re worried, you could pack an eye mask and ear plugs just in case.

Next, the bedding that comes with your van is typically pretty thin.

If you’re a light sleeper (like my husband) consider packing your own pillow, or other bedding.

He brought his memory foam pillow from home, and he says it saved him lol!

Your rental company may offer additional bedding as an add-on.

Also, it gets cold at night- even in the summer!

Our van came with a heater we could run all night, which kept us nice and toasty.

If your van isn’t equipped with one, make sure to bring or rent a sleeping bag.

Lastly, plan for extra time to make and break down your bed every night.

Also consider the time it takes to walk to campground showers, cook, do dishes, etc.

These were the little chores that were easy to forget about!

4. Get an Icelandic SIM card

If you’re constantly navigating and researching stops while you travel Iceland by camper van, you’ll use a lot of data!

We went the lazy route and just got international plans with our carriers, but those only come with a tiny amount of data.

We kept running out of data and having to buy more, which got pretty expensive.

Getting a local SIM card is definitely the most affordable way to stay connected in a foreign country.

Alternatively, your rental company may offer WiFi hotspots for rent.

Pro tip: If you’re looking to save data, make sure to download offline maps and playlists before you go.

5. Remember inverters and adapters

In order to power your electronics in your Iceland camper van, you may need to use an inverter or an adapter.

Honestly, I came prepared with both, but we didn’t end up using them.

We spent so much time driving, we just charged our phones and camera through the van’s USB while we drove.

And we didn’t need to power anything larger than that.

But the situation may arise for you to have an inverter or adapter.

It doesn’t hurt to be prepared!

Inverter

An inverter is a device that turns your vehicle battery’s direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC), the kind of electricity you have in your home outlets.

That way, you can power larger gadgets like laptops and hair tools.

Your rental company may offer an inverter as an add-on.

Adapter

If you’re from the States, you’ll find that European outlets are different than the ones we have at home.

So, in order to plug anything into a wall, you’ll need an adapter. I picked up this pack of two from Amazon.

6. Stock up on groceries at Bónus

The most affordable grocery store in Iceland is Bónus.

There are many locations all over the country, and they’re hard to miss. Just look for a bright yellow sign with a cartoon piggy bank on it!

Here, you’ll find the best prices and a pretty decent selection.

Restaurants can be pretty scarce once you get out on the road, so it’s smart to stock up whenever you can.

Pro tip: Did you know that you should NEVER pay for water in Iceland?

Iceland’s water is so clean that it’s perfectly fine to drink from the tap.

Not only that, it’s usually ok to drink straight from the stream! It often coming straight from the glacier.

Only tourists that don’t know any better buy water bottles. 😉

Your reusable water bottle will be your best friend, and you’ll want to fill up as often as you can.

I’ve linked the Nalgene 32 oz water bottle on Amazon here, which both my husband and I use and love.

7. Plan some easy meals

Your Iceland camper van will probably come with a single burner camp stove, and basic cookware.

So when it comes to meal time, the simpler the better.

Think:

one pot meals
sandwiches
oats
soups
pastas
pancakes

This also cuts down on the amount of dishes you need to wash.

Pro tip: Planning some of these easy meal ideas before your trip, and having a list, will make the grocery shopping experience easier.

If you’re open to it, bringing dehydrated meals can be a really convenient way to have a tasty meal on-the-go.

Mountain House makes some really delicious dehydrated meals, and we both loved the Fettuccini Alfredo w/ Chicken. I’ve linked it here on Amazon.

Easy, fast, no dishes, and still cheaper than going out to eat in Iceland! Win win!

8. Stay clean

First off, baby wipes are a van life must-have!

I recommend keeping some on hand to stay fresh.

On the nights you roll into camp too late to take a shower, you’ll be glad to have them.

Hand sanitizer is another essential, for when you need to do your business in nature, or on other occasions.

Also, you might want to follow a “Take Off Your Dirty Hiking Boots Before Getting In The Back Of The Van” rule.

That way, you keep mud out of the area with your clothes and bedding.

Make sure to pack some waterproof sandals that you can wear around camp, and into campground showers.

My EVA Birkenstocks are my go-to, and you can grab a pair on Amazon.

9. Download playlists

Downloading a solid playlist is a MUST for any Iceland camper van road trip.

But it’s especially important for this one, because you’ll be spending a LOT of time in your van.

For those that don’t know, the passenger is the unofficial DJ of the ride!

And it’s an underrated skill to curate the perfect playlist.

Sometimes, you’ll need to energize the car. Sometimes, you’ll need a nice relaxing vibe.

So, I recommend downloading a variety of genres and moods.

Also remember to download your playlists to offline mode.

This will help you conserve data while you vibe out.

10. Hold the door

Switching gears here, Iceland’s infamous winds can be no joke.

Here, it’s commonly known not to leave car doors open and unattended.

Always hold your door firmly when you open it.

Otherwise, a gust of wind can rip your door open and bend your frame.

This is not covered by insurance!

13. Get the Gravel Protection

As you’re finalizing your rental, you’ll likely be faced with an overwhelming amount of extra insurances to choose from.

All rentals come with the mandatory CDW Insurance.

This is essentially your basic coverage if you get into an accident.

It doesn’t cover much more than that, so I did a bunch of research into what other people thought was worth or not.

Of course, everyone had their own opinions.

But the one thing most people agreed WAS worth it was the Gravel Protection.

So, the only extra coverage I’d recommend paying for is the Gravel Protection.

This covers any damage done by gravel, including chipped windshields and paint.

Thankfully, we ended up not having any gravel damage.

But the coverage is usually only around $10 per day, so I think it’s a small price to pay for the piece of mind.

Other than that, I personally found the additional options unnecessary.

I feel like I should add a disclaimer here, haha… Of course, always read the terms and conditions and make your own decision. This is not legal advice 😉

Related: Sassy Instagram Captions

14. Have a plan but be flexible

Of course, one of the biggest perks of traveling Iceland by camper van is the amazing flexibility!

It’s a good idea to have a list of all the potential stops you’d want to visit.

But other than that, be ready for your itinerary to be pretty fluid.

You’ll probably end up having to work around the weather quite a bit.

Or, you might arrive at a spot just to find out it’s closed!

(That happened to us at Dyrhólaey.)

So practice going with the flow.

Which leads me to my next point…

15. Have fun and laugh when things go wrong

Yep, laugh when things go wrong. Because they will.

You’re embarking on a big adventure, and so many unpredictable things can and will happen.

You should just accept that it’s part of the journey.

On our road trip we: lost the keys, found them, lost a wallet, found it, bickered, pumped the wrong gas into the van, spilled our cooler in our van, got lost, missed turns, and dealt with bad weather.

And that’s the real life stuff you don’t see on Instagram.

But we did our best to shake off the mishaps, and kept our focus on how amazing Iceland is and how lucky we were to get to explore it.

Posted By: Arabella · In: europe, iceland, travel