WOWed :|: Iceland (Traveling to and From on WOW)
My Experience in Iceland
A number of people are now thinking about venturing to the mysterious island of Iceland. From a young age, we learned about Iceland because of the comparison between that island and Greenland, however, the tale of this is not quite true despite the fact that Greenland is typically colder than Iceland. The story goes that the Norwegian Erik the Red tried to draw people to the island of Greenland promoting it as a "green" land. There are different accounts of the history of this, however, ultimately, we now find ourselves with an urge to travel to this island of 300,000 people without knowing too much about what we're about to see. Why? Simply, WOW.
Airfares have been lowered significantly for a number of major hubs with flights as low as $200 USD round trip with most flights falling between $300 USD and $400 USD within a certain time frame. It seems like the spring and summer months are priced a bit higher, which might have a lot to do with the amount of daylight and ability to really explore in Iceland for a full day with the longest day falling around June 21. I stayed in Iceland near the shortest day of the year (December 21) where they sun was up for about 3-4 hours. It's surreal getting used to the fact that it is dark until 11am and the sun is already setting around 3pm.
When I first saw the fares, I thought to myself, this must not be real. Then I thought, it could be real, but I might have a Spirit Air experience. Sure enough, as I read more into it, you pay for a lot, as WOW is really a no-frills airline. However, ultimately, with the right preparation, you can definitely avoid many of the costly mistakes that travelers assuming a normal air experience would face. I first imagined myself riding in a plane that was about to fall apart in midair or worse and it wasn't helped by the fact that an airliner had just crashed shortly before my flight. However, when arriving on the flight, it definitely was not what I expected; surprisingly, it was better.
I was surprised at the cost for changing my flight as I realized that I needed to come back a day early after booking my flight way in advance. It was actually cheaper than most of the airlines I fly and while it's posted at about $90 for a change, I paid less for my change (I'm not sure how), even though it was fairly close to my flight. Understanding their baggage policy is VERY important. If you are one of those travelers who push the limits on carry-on luggage, this is not the airline to do it with especially from LA. A 42x32x25cm carry-on luggage is included and if it doesn't fit in their measuring unit, then you'll pay and the longer you wait (check-in or gate), the more you pay. It's one of the GOTCHA moments. The one carry-on and one personal item is fairly strict so plan accordingly. Also note that the space for your personal item (in the seat in front of you) is tiny and my backpack that fit in a normal space underneath the seat in front of me, wouldn't. Regardless, if you plan on checking in a bag, pre-pay for it. It is much cheaper! If you're with a group, I would also plan on taking on bag together and putting in all your large coats (if you're traveling in the winter) and hiking boots (unless you wear them on board) in one check in. That way, you split the costs of the check-in luggage and avoid the hassles of the baggage check and check-in.
After dealing with all the hassle, I got on board my flight. I originally tried to pick my seat in advance, but when I saw a $50 charge to do it online, I decided to roll the dice. On the way out, I got an extra leg room seat which was comfortable, on the way back, I got a normal seat,which was not, with no leg room whatsoever. However, I realized it was a no-frills flight, so I dealt with all nine hours of the flight. Also note, that there is a service charge when the flight is over a certain length of time. GOTCHA again. Regardless, the value of the flight versus the conditions was well worth the discomfort. It actually wasn't a huge difference than the conditions in coach in most airlines and is definitely worth the lower costs.
The final travel tip for you is to plan out your meals. On board, you'll be paying for EVERYTHING you get on board. I bought a can of Pepsi for $3 USD and instant noodle for $5 USD. They also have sandwiches and more depending on your flights. If you have to choose between the airport and the plane, there isn't too much difference in the price, but if you bring a sandwich on board like I did, then you save a boatload of money, which you'll need because the food in Iceland is quite expensive. By the way, on the way home, the policies seemed to be a lot lighter, as I checked-in myself, my baggage and cruised through security without any issue. Can't guarantee it will be the same for you, but my time at KEF was great, as the airport is beautiful.
When arriving in Iceland, you'll probably try to figure out the best way to get from the airport to the city, which ends up being a 45 minute drive. I mistakenly booked my transport for that evening and instead of waiting another hour for the next shuttle, I booked FlyAway at the airport counter and got a ride to my hotel for about $30 USD (one way). It's an additional $5 USD to get to your hotel. How it works is a larger coach bus takes you to their terminal and from there, you get off and if you paid the extra money, you get on a smaller bus which takes you directly to your hotel. While they did a great job getting me to the hotel, they didn't do a great job with helping me correct an error I made. It was my mistake ORIGINALLY, as I told them the wrong hotel, however, I tried to correct it TWICE and while I was assured both times I would be taken to the correct hotel, I still ended up at the wrong hotel and paid more for a taxi to my right hotel than I did for the my transport to the wrong hotel. Long story short, if you get the hotel info right, it's a great service. I used Airport Direct (orange van) to go from my hotel to the airport. This service runs like a Super Shuttle in the US so you'll book a time and be picked up directly at your hotel and depending on your luck, will travel through the city until all the passengers are picked up. Luckily, I was the last one to get picked up so I didn't stay in the small bus too long. They were also nice enough to refund my money for MY ERROR despite their cancellation policy. I fully expected to not be refunded, but definitely will use their services next time because of their customer service. They pick up near the Hertz Rental Car counter.
On a final note, don't forget to save all of your receipts because at the end of your trip, you can always try to get a tax refund, which you must do before going through security!
Regardless, if you're thinking of taking WOW and are skeptical of the cheap flights, I would say, go for it because as I think back, there is no way I would find a better value for the cost of this flight. With flight, baggage, food (on flight), and any additional fees, I paid less than $400 and that definitely is something to WOW about.
What should you do when you get to Iceland? My next blog will cover all of that!
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