My husband and I took an epic trip to Iceland in November. We both fell madly in love with the country, and we feel like we really left a piece of our hearts there. Between the incredible and unique nature, the overall feeling of peace and safety, delicious food, and friendly locals, Iceland truly impressed us, and we are already dreaming of when we can go back. In this blog, I will share the details behind how we booked this luxurious bucket-list trip without breaking the bank, so that you, too, can travel to Iceland on a budget!
Even though we booked our trip two and a half months in advance, it was still fairly spontaneous. We didn’t really have a reason for going, other than the fact that it had been a longstanding dream of ours, and we had a brief window of opportunity to get a really good deal on it. In the following paragraphs, I will walk you through the exact steps I took to book this trip and how much it cost.
How I found this deal: the importance of flexibility of and doing your research
One of the best pieces of advice I can give people with a limited budget who are looking to travel more often is to be flexible and do your research! One of the ways I am always “doing research” is by following travel influencers on Instagram who actually provide useful information and inform their followers when hot deals are going on. I have to give a shoutout to my favorite travel influencer @zacharyburrabel who is the reason we got to take this trip. He posted about this incredible deal Icelandair was doing back in August, and I recognized what a rare find this was, and literally booked our trip two hours later.
So, what was the deal exactly? In August, Icelandair had a major sale on a package trip to Iceland that included roundtrip fare, four nights in a four-star hotel, and three tours for just $749! Iceland is notoriously one of the most expensive countries in the world. When you combine that fact with the inflation and record-high travel costs we’ve all been facing, it doesn’t take a travel expert to recognize that this deal was truly unbelievable. Icelandair was only selling this deal for a few days in August, and the caveat was that you had to travel between mid-October and mid-March. This makes sense because Iceland is a cold place with very intense and unpredictable weather, especially in the winter, and most travelers would prefer to visit in the summer months. This wasn’t a deal breaker for me, though, because after doing some research, I came to the conclusion that Iceland is a wonderful place to visit at any time of the year, just don’t expect clear skies and comfortable conditions! If you’re willing to travel to Iceland in the winter too, check back next August because this may be a deal that they promote annually.
The hardest part was convincing my husband!
I quickly brought this deal up to my husband, who admittedly was skeptical at first. He is the more financially cautious and deliberate of the two of us, whereas I tend to be more spontaneous and risk-taking. I realized the value in this deal and that it would quickly sell out, whereas his perspective was that we shouldn’t rush into such a big purchase simply because the clock was ticking. We discussed the opportunity and listened to each other’s perspectives in a respectful manner. I shared with him that even though this was spontaneous, and we didn’t have a particular reason for going to Iceland right now (like a birthday or an anniversary), this was something we both had wanted to do for a long time and it would be hard to do it at such a reasonable cost at a later date. I also pointed out that this is the perfect time in our lives to be taking these spur-of-the-moment trips—we are married, young, don’t have the responsibilities of children or a mortgage yet, and have some disposable income. He finally agreed and allowed me to book the flight, although he was still a bit hesitant. (Spoiler alert: he came around and ended up having a fabulous time. He may love Iceland even more than I do, if that’s even possible!)
Details of the trip: how much it cost, flying first class, booking a positioning flight, and managing a red-eye
Because the trip was such a good deal, we decided to upgrade to first class for the first time ever! The cost of the entire trip with first-class flights was $1500 each. Even with the upgrade, this was still a fantastic deal. The main reason I decided to splurge on first-class this time was because we were traveling such a long way for such a short trip. Our flight to Reykjavik was a red-eye and upon landing, we would immediately be going to the blue lagoon. (If you’d like to read about our experience at Iceland’s Blue Lagoon, check out this post!) I didn’t want us to waste our very limited time in Iceland having to recover from the exhaustion of the flight, so I thought it was a good use of our money to make our travel as pleasant and relaxing as possible. The first-class upgrade was more than worth it, and the service was exceptional. Now that we’ve flown first-class, we see what we’ve been missing all these years, and it will be difficult to have to go back to coach! Check out my review of the Icelandair first class lounge here.
Unfortunately, Icelandair does not do direct flights out of Atlanta, so I had to book us a positioning flight to Baltimore where we had a four-hour layover. Our flight to Baltimore was quick and easy (about an hour and a half), however positioning flights are not without risk, so this definitely made me nervous. Thankfully, however, all went smoothly, and we did not experience any delays or mishaps. We were able to hang out at the Priority Pass Lounge in Baltimore thanks to our credit cards giving us access, and this was a great way to pass the time. We got to enjoy free food and alcohol, comfortable chairs, and charging stations. It was the perfect way to unwind before our long flight. We then embarked on our flight to Reykjavik, which was only about five and a half hours.
Why it was all worth it
Although it was an incredibly long travel day for just a four-and-a-half day-long trip, it was what we could afford to do at the time with PTO and budget constraints. Some neigh-sayers may think it’s crazy to travel so far for such a short amount of time, but it was totally worth it to us, and though we would have loved to stay longer, it was infinitely better than not getting to go at all!
I hope you enjoyed this blog on how I booked our wonderful Iceland trip on a budget by utilizing certain strategies and being flexible. We both loved Iceland so much, and I’m confident that the next time we go will be for much longer so we can explore so much more of what this beautiful country has to offer. Stay tuned for upcoming posts about our itinerary, our Iceland tips and advice, and what we would do differently next time. Love ya and thanks for reading!
Xoxo,
Jeni
Congratulations, you’re getting married! This is one of the most special and magical times of your life, but it can also be one of the most stressful. Planning a wedding can often feel incredibly overwhelming, and now you have to plan the most romantic vacation of your life on top of that! But it doesn’t have to feel so hectic. In fact, planning your honeymoon should be the easier part. You may even secretly be looking forward to your honeymoon more than your actual wedding. I just went through the whole wedding planning and honeymoon process, and I learned a few things along the way. Read on for my top advice on how to have an amazing and stress-free honeymoon.
1. Plan ahead
This might sound like a no-brainer, but with so much attention going towards the wedding, planning a honeymoon can sometimes be overlooked and left until the last minute. Putting it off will only make things more stressful, as you will be dealing with higher prices and limited availability, especially in this post-pandemic travel surge. To be safe, I recommend you start planning your honeymoon at least 3-6 months in advance.
2. Decide as a team where you want to go
Maybe you’ve had a specific honeymoon location in mind for your whole life. Or maybe you’ve never thought about it and are feeling indecisive with all of the endless possibilities in front of you! Whatever the case may be, make sure to discuss it with your partner and compromise if you each have different desires about where you want to go. Remember, this is not the only vacation you’re ever going to take, so even if you can’t go to your dream destination now, make it a priority to go there for an anniversary or a birthday trip in the future!
My husband and I had different opinions on this, and we went back and forth for a few months before making a decision. I wanted to go to Greece and he wanted to go to Hawaii. Somehow, we ended up settling on the Dominican Republic, which neither of us saw coming, we are so thrilled that it worked out that way, as it is now one of our favorite places in the world. So, keep an open mind because there are so many incredible options!
If you’re having a hard time narrowing down a location, I recommend going over your top three priorities with your fiancé and choosing a place that checks off both of your desires. Some of your must-haves may include having a beach, affordability, short flight, a new culture, nightlife, etc.3
3. Use a honeymoon planner
I didn’t know until I got engaged that honeymoon planners (and travel agents in general) are usually free! They get paid via commission when you book a hotel they recommend. My husband and I used a honeymoon planner from Zola. All we had to do was put down a $150 deposit which was used towards the price of our trip. She helped us narrow down a destination, sent us the best hotels in the area for us to choose from, and booked our flights, airport transfers, and activities. Because honeymoon planners are free and they take SO much of the stress and planning away, there really is no reason not to use one! Just make sure you do your research and use a reputable planner with good reviews.
4. Decide on a budget and plan a honeymoon you can afford
The honeymoon of your dreams might be a two-week stay at an overwater villa in Bora Bora, but if you can’t afford it, then there won’t be anything stress-free about it. Again, you and your partner will need to communicate about this and come up with a number you both feel comfortable with. Don’t put anything on a credit card that you can’t pay off right away. Nothing is less relaxing than spending the next five years paying off a vacation!
If you know that you want to have a luxurious honeymoon, then it is even more important to plan ahead so you have time to save. We started saving immediately after getting engaged. Even though we didn’t know where we’d be going yet, we knew we would be going somewhere and that we wanted it to be nice. We often stay in average accommodations, but we felt strongly that we wanted to go all out for our honeymoon, so we planned accordingly. You both may have to sacrifice to save and make it happen, but this will ultimately bring you closer together as this is something you can accomplish as a team.
5. Go on your honeymoon as close to your wedding as possible
Personally, I think it is so important to take your honeymoon right away. I know this won’t be possible for every couple, but I really do think the excitement starts to wear off the longer you wait. If you wait too long, your honeymoon may feel like a regular vacation. Getting married is one of the most significant and sacred decisions you will ever make, and your marriage deserves to be celebrated while it’s still fresh. You also deserve to have that intimate, romantic, uninterrupted time together as newlyweds. Plus, many couples (especially brides) may feel post-wedding blues when all the excitement is over, but having a honeymoon to immediately go on will alleviate that.
Even if your life is too crazy right now to take a real honeymoon or you’re on a very tight budget, I still recommend doing something and you can go on your official honeymoon later on Just taking a two-day trip with your new spouse is better than doing nothing at all!
6. Have a good attitude when things go wrong
This may be my most important tip of them all. According to Murphy’s Law, anything that can go wrong, will go wrong! With travel in general, it is almost guaranteed that something won’t go according to plan. This is truer than ever now with airlines having record numbers of canceled and delayed flights. You and your fiancé need to be prepared for this. Discuss what may go wrong beforehand and have a backup plan.
To be honest, I was really anxious before my honeymoon that something disastrous would happen. Because we put so much emphasis on our honeymoon and having this dreamy, romantic vacation as newlyweds, I didn’t want anything to ruin it. Ultimately, we can only control ourselves so all we can do is be prepared and have a good attitude. Having a good sense of humor will take you such a long way! If your flight ends up getting six hours delayed, you and your fiancé need to be able to laugh it off and remember that the most important thing here is that you’re on this adventure together as a married couple! Remember to be patient and not get frustrated with each other. Whenever something went wrong for us, we let it roll off our backs and viewed it as something that would make a good story to tell one day.
Conclusion
The wedding and honeymoon planning process is a sacred time in your life that you will never get to experience again. Keep that in mind when you start to feel like ripping your hair out from all the planning! Certain things will probably go wrong, yes, but at the end of the day, all that really matters is that you’re marrying the love of your life, which is the ultimate blessing. With these tips, you will be prepared and you know how to have an amazing, stress-free honeymoon!
