Iceland

When it comes to an Iceland road trip, you would think that driving around the Ring Road would be a simple thing to plan. The country is an island, the Ring Road is the only road that goes around it in its entirety, and generally speaking everyone goes on the same tried-and-true path around the country.

All of these things are true, except for that last point.

While it is true that all Ring Road travelers do circle the country, the amount of time you spend on the Ring Road will vary. You could blast through it all in about five days without leaving the Ring Road at all. You could add on one detour (perhaps our favorite detour to Borgarfjordur Eystri to see the puffins) if you have limited time. Or you could spend up to a month exploring all the back roads and highlands- all while only barely touching the Ring Road at all!

As such, planning your dream itinerary will end up being a lot more difficult than you might have previously thought and we have three important tips to keep in mind when planning a visit based on our recent experience in Iceland.

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As many readers here know, we are Hilton loyalists in our travel hacking endeavors (but are also one of the brand’s fiercest critics). We travel with Hilton for work and use our Hilton travel rewards credit card for just about everything in order to rack up as many points and weekend night certificates as possible.

This doesn’t allow us to travel the world for free as some travel hackers would have you believe, but it does give us a few free hotel nights anytime we travel- more often than not at a significant upgrade from what we’d otherwise pay for.

So, naturally, when it came time for us to book our one-night stay at a hotel in central Reykjavik, Iceland, on our recent vacation, we knew exactly where we would be staying without hesitation.

At 40,000 points, the Hilton Reykjavik Nordica is an incredible deal in its own right, but the perks of being a Hilton Gold member made this stay one of the best we’ve ever had with the chain in recent memory.

So for those who are Hilton loyalists like us with the status to match, this one is definitely for you.

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“Is it possible to drive the Ring Road in Iceland without spending a lot of money?

Iceland has a bad reputation for being an expensive country to visit, and this is an especially valid concern for those looking to make the long drive around the Ring Road.

Although it is true that Iceland is on the more expensive end of the spectrum, it does not have to break the bank in the process.

We visited for a 10-day Iceland Ring Road trip and had a wonderful time for about $3,000 for the two of us, excluding airfare.

Now, we know that this is on the higher side of things but thankfully there are many ways to get your spending down significantly beyond what we spent.

Today we want to share those with you.

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