How to go to Iceland on a budget: personal experience

Visa

There is no point in opening an Icelandic visa: it is expensive, inconvenient and difficult. You can go my way.

I opened my visa through the Spanish embassy. Everything is done there quickly and clearly. I was given a multivisa for 90 days. In fact, all of Europe and the countries of the Schengen area are open to me. Few people know that Iceland does not belong to the European Union, but is attached to the Schengen agreement, which means that your visa is suitable for staying on the island.

Transport and housing

You can fly to the island with the low-cost airline Wizz Air or Ryanair. Since I prefer Wizz Air, I flew from Gdansk, Poland: this direction was recently opened there.

From Keflavik airport to Reykjavik about 55 kilometers. You can take a bus that runs every 30 minutes (18 euros), get there on foot, or do as I do. I went to the airport car park, where I found a car that followed right to my hostel.

Despite the fact that Reykjavik is the capital, there are 118,840 people in it as in a small town. The infrastructure is well developed. There is no metro, of course, but there are buses that have no competition. They go to every corner of Iceland.

The central point for them is the Hlemmur bus station, located in the heart of the capital. It is small enough and does not work around the clock, so if you have nowhere to spend the night, you will not be able to stay at the station.

Hitchhiking is very common in Iceland, I waited literally for 5-8 minutes maximum. If you negotiate on the road with the locals who have their own farm, you can get a bed and food, working hard for this business for the benefit of the farm.

If you fly in the summer, then the option with a tent will work, if in other seasons - book a hostel. I found mine through Booking.com in the "Specials" section for only 18 euros.

Couchsurfing in Iceland is more difficult than in Europe, since the local population is not very active in using the Couchsurfing.com service. If you still want to connect your trip with couchsurfing, then look for a host at least a week before departure, or even earlier.

Prices

In Iceland, everything is imported, so the prices for food and other goods are high. For 12 euros, I was able to buy cheap hamburger rolls, processed cheese, sliced ham, chocolate and baby chocolate milk. All this, by the way, was for the action!

I bought groceries at the Bonus supermarket chain, which is very popular with the locals. If you fly from Poland or Lithuania, buy food right away, quite cheap in Polish supermarkets Żabka and Biedronka. Most of the products that go to the counters of Icelandic stores come from Poland. For example, the same bottle of water will cost you PLN 1 in Poland and PLN 5 in Iceland.

clothing

Be sure to take care of your clothes. The island periodically storms. Locals are used to it, but for residents of a milder and drier climate, it will be something with something.

Ordinary items like jeans, jackets, and trainers will not work. Carefully consider the choice of waterproof clothing, comfortable and durable, as well as shoes. Trekking shoes with a waterproof layer are ideal.

People

People in Iceland are hospitable and speak English fluently. Travelers from all over the world stay in hostels. If you catch the moment and overcome shyness, you can get them talking about interesting topics: where to visit, how to get there, where to stay, and so on. Maybe even go traveling around the island together.

Useful little things

Bonfires are strictly prohibited in Iceland! Poor Icelanders already live among rocks and ice, so take care of their future. By the way, now they are engaged in planting conifers. Hopefully, in 10-15 years, if most of the island is not covered by a melting glacier, it will be possible to observe the forest.

This country has a rather unstable banking system. There was a case when the bank could not give out my money due to the fact that "the island has no connection with the continent." Therefore, take cash (preferably dollars) and a card. There is an ATM at the airport, next to which there is a Duty Free. Paying for your purchase there in dollars, you can get change in Icelandic kronor.

Enjoy your time in Iceland!