This post has been sponsored by Go Campers Iceland. All opinions are my own.

I will admit when my husband and I were discussing the possibility of going to Iceland we both laughed at the fact that you could rent campervans. It was not on our radar at all. Once taking a look at prices and availability of AirBnB’s, hotels and hostels we soon realized that none of them were in our budget, especially searching for ones equipped with kitchens (eating out is expensive in Iceland). After our research we decided to dive a little deeper into looking at the possibility of a campervan, after looking at which seemed like everyyyy campervan rental company in Iceland we found Go Campers. We started to fall in love with the idea of taking a campervan around Iceland. We planned on renting a car, so this idea was almost a two for one deal.

Why a Campervan?

One of the reasons why we didn’t immediately have a camping trip on our radar was because we knew we would be heading to some other countries afterward and would not need camping gear anywhere else. And has anyone been to REI?? Camping gear can get expensive! Along with packing loads of gear then heading to 4 more countries and lugging that around seemed horrendous. Go Campers could have not been a more perfect fit. We soon realized that you didn’t need to pack anything extra than if you were staying in the luxury hotel if booking with Go Campers! Anything that wasn’t included could be added on for a small daily or one time fee! And listen to this…..you can add WiFi on! Seriously this idea could not get any better! We were SOLD!

Their customer service was the most responsive service I have ever worked with. I would send emails asking about add-ons, vehicles, etc and they always responded with in a few hours if not minutes! I was impressed as we were hours apart and working on different work hour schedules.

My husband and I booked the GoCampers Campervan Automatic Smart 2-pak. This van was a perfect size for the two of us.

What is included:

Automatic heating system
Gas stove
All cutlery and dinnerware
Pot and pan
Pillows
Water container
Storage area
Playing Cards
Mattress
Unlimited mileage
Price includes VAT
Free extra driver
Fuel Discount Card

They include a ton of different add ons but this is what we chose:

2 Camping Chairs
1 Table
2 Sleeping Bags (is does get chilly at night, even in the summer)
1 Cooler
2 extra gas canisters (for 9 days this was the perfect amount)
Mobile Wi-Fi router
Power Inverter (great for if you have more than a cell phone to charge, or something that doesn’t use USB)
We brought our own USB Charger but you can add on (or buy one here to own)

We choose the smaller model because we knew that we wouldn’t be spending a lot of time in the campervan. Mainly using the campervan for cooking and sleeping, it worked out perfect. Some roads were narrow and some parking lots were crowded, we never felt like we were driving a car that was too big. By the end of 9 days I was ready to stretch out a little more, but we surprised ourselves being able to say we would 100% get a campervan again.

Reasons Why You Should Campervan Around Iceland with GoCampers:

Affordable

Iceland is expensive, and that is not an overstatement. We typically plan trips pretty far in advanced which helps us save, but even being on top of it we were struggling to find accommodation within our budget. Knowing we were going to rent a car (tours from Reykjavik can add up fast) a campervan wasn’t that much more when comparing what we could be spending on hostels, hotels or AirBnBs outside of the city.

Get to places on your time/Flexibility

The best part of being in the GoCampers campervan was that we had the freedom to explore on our own. The summer months have almost 24 hour daylight. This let us choose what time of the day we wanted to travel. We got to choose if we wanted to get up early to beat the tour buses to the main sights or give ourselves some extra time to sleep in and enjoy a cup of coffee. But face it, its Iceland there is SO much to see you wont want to sleep in! If it wasn’t for our campervan we probably wouldn’t of made it to our favorite spot it Iceland, Thakgil Campground and Hiking Area.

Avoid the crowds

As I said before you have the option to get up early and beat the crowds with a GoCampers campervan. I will say getting up early was 100% worth it. I find it hard to enjoy nature with full tour buses pulling up to the sight and constant chatter. This also gives you the option to see the main attractions later at night (if going in the summer), when the tour buses start heading back into the city.

Save money on cooking your own food

I am one that usually wants to try the local cuisine but I also understood within this trip we will be away from home for 5 weeks. And in Iceland, eating out is a luxury. We were looking for AirBnBs that had kitchens and that was nearly impossible within our budget. So being able to cook with our supplied campervan gear was a major sell for us. I am glad we had the camp stove, we used it every night. Towns in Iceland are small and far between, so one finding a place to eat is hard, and two within a budget it is very difficult.

Saves time

A couple times we were stopped by other travelers to ask about our van. Everyone mentioned how great of an idea it was. That they were spending a lot of their day driving back and forth from Reykjavik because they could not find accommodation in between sights. This let us explore from sight to sight. Not having to worry about back and forth trips. This gave us a lot of freedom to design our own schedule and see as much as we could within our time there.

What should I bring from home?

Quick Dry Towels (these are my favorite and can be used as a blanket, sheet, for picnics and more!)-and we used them for the hot springs and the campground shower houses

Flipflops for shower at the campgrounds

Seasonings (we brought ours in a GSI Outdoors Spice Rack travel containers, to help us save money and add some flavor to our meals)

Plastic Bags (ziplock, for leftovers, wet clothes, keeping things dry in the rain etc.)

Eye Mask (for the summer months)

Tea Towels (used for napkins, clean ups, etc)

Camping Meals (I love the Pad Thai and Chicken Piccata)

Instant Oatmeal

Pourover Coffee (these were a lifesaver, SO cheap, SO easy and fresh coffee grounds, not instant, oh and extremely pack-able)

For my complete Iceland Packing Guide check out my post here.

What are campgrounds like in Iceland?

The campgrounds varied but for the most part they were always clean. All of them had showers and restrooms (occasionally the showers were an extra charge), some even had washers and dryers for a fee, and a space for cooking and eating under a shelter. Campgrounds can be anything that resemble a parking lot to nestled in Iceland’s moss mountains, to right by a glacier. Our favorite was Thakgil campground near Vik.

There are sooo many campgrounds in Iceland, and none of them needed reservations. But we did map out which ones we would stop at to make sure we didn’t get stuck without a place to stay and hours to drive until the next stop. We used Camping.info and Inspired by Iceland to find sites to stop at and look at reviews.

Any surprises in a campervan?

I have to say for the most part we felt like we came fairly prepared between everything that came with the campervan and what we brought with us (mentioned above). The only thing that happened that we didn’t think through before we left, is that one evening during a hike it poured down rain. Luckily we went grocery shopping before our hike and had some plastic bags to put our wet clothes in. Some campgrounds had washers and dryers for a fee. So we went along with a bag of wet clothes until our next campground that had a dryer. We also packed two sets of shoes, a pair of gyms shoes and hiking (I love my Ahnu hiking shoes, they go on every trip with me). That helped let one pair dry out while we wore the other.

I cannot say enough about the GoCampers costumer service. They were always so responsive, accommodating and so so kind. I would recommendation them 100%. Next time I find myself in Iceland the first thing I will do is book with GoCampers. Feel free to ask me any questions if considering a campervan for Iceland, or shoot them an email! they always responded very quickly!