How much time?

Lonely Planet suggests a few different itineraries: Reykjavík Minibreak (4 days), Best of the West (1 week), Classic Ring Road (10 days), The Grand Tour (4 weeks). I ended up choosing the Classic Ring Road and after some mileage calculations I decided that it could be done within eight days (828 miles ÷ 8 days = 103 miles per day).

What time of year?

There are pros and cons for traveling to Iceland in the winter and in the summer. The Northern Lights are typically around August–April, but it gets super cold, driving conditions aren't optimal and many roads close. Summer has 24 hour daylight, but prices spike due to a lot of tourism. I ended up choosing Spring (22–30 May) where there's plenty of sunlight, temperatures are manageable and prices aren't at their peak.

How would we get around?

Knowing that this was going to be a road trip we could either rent a car and stay in hotels, or go for a camper van. I’m not a big camper, I much prefer the comforts of Airbnb’s and hotels 💅, but the flexibility and freedom behind being able to drive as little or as much as you want and to stop off at any one of the many available campsites was far more appealing (I don’t remember the cost being too much different either) so I ended up booking The Easy Fun Camper by CampEasy.

The route would take us counter-clockwise, taking in the popular sights of The Golden Circle before heading into the more remote, less traveled parts of the North East and beyond.

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