Frequently Asked Questions - answered or links to sources with their answers - AND a Growing List of Mike's Tips. Note: This is a growing page, so scroll through to the bottom for the complete info.
- What's the weather like in Iceland? Very changeable, Iceland has a great weather service where you can check it all out.
- Is the water safe in Iceland? Our tap water easily competes with big-label bottled water, with no chlorine or additives.
- Do you and most places take credit cards? Yes, and VISA, MasterCard, American Express are widely accepted.
- Can I exchange to Icelandic money at home? Not really, Icelandic krona has never been widely available in tourist amounts. You can see current exchange rates, by visiting the Icelandic Central Bank website.
- What voltage does Iceland have? We have 220/240 volt, with 2 round pins, and power is at 50 cycles, whereas North America is 115-120 Volts, 60 cycles. Most modern computer power supplies and battery and phone chargers are multi-voltage. Check the fine print on the appliance--but you may need a magnifying glass to see it!
- Are prices high in Iceland? It depends. But realize Iceland is an island, with only 313.000 inhabitants and we don't have big factories to make consumer goods. Therefore, major consumer items and many foods are imported from various sources, some of them a long way from Iceland. The government assesses import duties and various fees and taxes on imports, both as a source of revenue and in an effort to control balance of trade. Nevertheless, certain food staples like milk, bread and fish are local and quite reasonably priced. In return for our high taxes, we have a nationwide healthcare and educational system that is available to all Icelanders.
- What's this TaxBack business? If you purchase goods for more than 4.000 Icelandic krona at a given store, you can apply to have the value-added-tax refunded, minus a small service fee. This amounts to about a 20% net reduction in price.
- How safe is Iceland? Very. A general average is one homicide per year, and most violence is drug or alcohol related.
- Where can I buy my own wine and beer? It's State run: www.vinbudin.is/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-37/83_read-358/
MIKE'S TRAVEL TIPS FOR VISITING ICELAND
- Carry travel insurance for yourselves and your precious possessions—you’re not likely to need it, but may never forgive yourself, if something unforetold happens. Check what conditions apply for coverage and what deductibles. If you are from the European Economic Area, you may well be covered by the EEA’s reciprocal medical services, but you should have an EEA medical insurance card to facilitate coverage.
- If you’re coming from N. America, bring some energy bars or granola snacks for the flight—food offerings on flights is not what it used to be.
- If you’re starting from a small airport, be sure your bags are given the airport code, KEF for Iceland (from Keflavik, which is where the flight lands).
- Bring layers of clothing, including rain/wind-tight pants—weather changes quickly and it is better to have too many layers than too few. Don’t forget gloves & hat.
- Bring plenty of digital memory, film, and back-up batteries and charger—Iceland’s a gorgeous place, and nothing is more frustrating than being caught short when a spectacular scene unfolds.
- Bring plug converter from your plug type to our 2-round-pronge type. Iceland has 220-240 volts and 50 hz, but most chargers, laptop power packs, etc are now multi-voltage. Check the fine-print on the device to be sure.
USEFUL WEBSITE LINKS FOR VISITORS TO ICELAND
www.icelandair.com
(Another airline serving Iceland) www.icelandexpress.com
http://www.gedds.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast/
(For exchange rates, in English) http://www.sedlabanki.is/?PageID=183
(For weather forecasts in English) http://en.vedur.is/weather/forecasts/areas/
To be more useful, this page will be periodically updated.
