Hello fellow travelers,
I will be visiting Iceland for two weeks at the end of August/start of September, and I am debating on what mode of transportation to pick. If any of you have done it before and would have any advice, I'd appreciate your insight! If it helps, I'm going alone, and am on a relatively tight budget.
I'm split right now between renting a car and taking the bus. Here's the pro/con lists I have so far:
CAR Pros:
- Total freedom and independence: I can visit what I want, when I want
- Can see more of the country, as I do not have to rely on bus schedules
- I can always leave a place if something goes wrong (no reservation, bad weather, whatever), or even sleep in the car, if worse comes to worst.
- Place to store my luggage if I'm out on a day hike
CAR Cons:
- VERY expensive. Will most likely eat at least half of my travel budget, if not more. Will have to camp/couchsurf to make up the difference, and I'm not sure how that would go (safe? practical? worth it?). Honestly, the price is my main concern.
- I'm responsible for the vehicle: if it gets stolen, broken into, crashed, whatever, I pay the price.
- Availability and (higher) price of automatic transmission vehicles (which is what I drive. I know I know... you can judge me)
CAR Unknowns:
- Will I be able to look at the scenery properly while driving?
- Loneliness: coupled with the probable camping, It might become a bit lonely to do a 2-week road trip solo.
- Even if I'm not offroading (no F-roads for me!), how much more of the country would a car get me to, that a bus wouldn't?
BUS Pros:
- Muuuch cheaper
- More social
- I can look at the scenery all day (but not stop to take pictures or whatever)
- I can stay in hostels, or even a few guesthouses. Hooray for decent showers and relative safety!
- No need to worry about caring for a 30 000$ machine entrusted in my care
BUS cons:
- Slower pace of travel
- My schedule is dictated by the bus schedule
- Will most likely see less of the country because of it
- Missing even one will significantly alter my plans, if they are infrequent
BUS unknowns:
- Are there even busses? I'm looking at various websites, and either the fall/winter schedules are not out yet, or the summer tourist passes expire half-way through my trip.
- Are all areas accessible?
- How close to the main road are main attractions/villages? How can I get from my hostel to the trail, and back again, for instance?
...I'm torn!