The Traveling Professor is doing a small group tour to Iceland in March. What do we pack on a trip to Iceland, look at this list compiled by Traveling Professor Linda:
Once a tour is booked and plane tickets are purchased the hard part begins. What to PACK! Take it from me, someone who travels on multiple international and domestic trips all four seasons.
Don’t start packing on the day of departure. Start laying out items a few days ahead of time so you can decide what is important/not important.
My most important tip: You are not leaving the planet. Purchasing anything needed or forgotten, i.e. clothing, toiletries, etc. isn’t a problem. I only do carry on, which means one overhead bag and one under the seat.
Essential Packing List
Clothing and Equipment:
- Cold weather jacket/coat, scarf, gloves, hat
- Long-sleeve t-shirts/tops
- Jeans or comfortable slacks if you prefer Some people like fleece-lined pants for outside activities
- Sweater or sweatshirt
- Leggings or insulated underwear
- Underwear
- Socks
- Shoes. 1 pair weather protected comfortable city walking shoes or boots like these. Another pair shoes for relaxing indoors.
- Bathing suit for Blue Lagoon
- Sleeping clothes
- Small disposable umbrella from “dollar’ store
- Yaktrax traction cleats
- Raingear
- Travel binoculars (optional)
- Small travel flashlight
- Glasses/sunglasses
- Retractable walking stick (optional)
- Wallet/purse
- COVID masks, hand sanitizer, wipes
Toiletries:
- Meds – take extra in case of trip delays
- Vitamins and Pain relief
- Eye contacts and supplies
- Makeup, Cologne, Deodorant
- Hair brush and comb
- Toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss
- Watch and inexpensive jewelry
Hotels on this tour provide hair dryers, shampoo, conditioned, body wash, and soap
Miscellaneous:
Cell phone and charger. Camera and charger. Small tripod for Northern Lights photos.
- Adapters and convertors
- Book or Kindle/iPad
- Put all these in extra quart size plastic bags and larger for packing and easy removal.
- Several plastic bags for protecting clothes and other items from moisture
- Day pack for excursions
- Hand towel
Very important:
- PASSPORT and photocopies
- Driver’s license or govt. picture ID
- All travel docs (air, tour itinerary, etc.)
- Travel insurance info
- Medical info and list of medications
- EMERGENCY CONTACTS
- Cash, credit/ATM card(s). Make sure to contact bank with travel plans
- COVID documentation
Things to consider before packing begins:
- Weather in Iceland is all over the place. Temperatures usually range from 20’s to 40’s. It tends to be windy. If the temperatures are above freezing, be prepared for rain. Otherwise, ice and snow (usually not heavy snow) are likely to be present.
- Comfort is key. When not on excursions, comfortable pants, shoes, on clothing is recommended. Nothing “fancy” needed.
- Pick clothing that can be mixed and matched, easily layered, easy care/non wrinkle material and colors that mix well. Add a scarf, it never hurts.
- In winter weather, the key is layers, layers, layers. We will be on/off bus. On a typical excursion day, Steve and I wear warm socks, Merrell boots, pants, long sleeve turtleneck shirt, sweatshirt or sweater, scarf, wool cap, down jacket, gloves, sunglasses. We bring backup shoes, Yaktrax, flashlight, camera, binoculars, socks, pants, raingear, hand towel all in a day pack. Bring plastic bags to protect electronics, documents, and extra clothing. Tissues, TP, hand sanitizer, water and snacks are a good idea to bring along.
Tips:
I like to organize and store things in either packing cubes or large plastic bags. This is especially helpful when going through airport security. For instance, ALL electronics are in one bag for easy removal through security, ALL liquids in another plastic bag (in case of spills). Extra plastic bags always come in handy.
Join us on a small group tour to Iceland and the Northern Lights. Here are the details: https://travelingprofessor.com/Tours/Iceland-and-the-Northern-Lights