sayhello
Have Camera, Will Travel
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2006
That's actually not a bad idea in regards to the Viking pics! What a fun idea!If someone from ABD reads this and does NOT add those Viking pics to the itinerary they are making a mistake! Those look awesome and I want one!
28 hours on a bus with long lines for bathroom breaks = a hell no from me. I'm glad I'm going to be able to see the trip through your eyes because I can't do that. I hate road trips.
I took a look at that Nat Hab trip, and I agree, it looks amazing. The pricing is , however, their single supplement is only 12.5% vs. ABD's 40%, so the price difference is not *quite* as huge. I doubt I'll be going back any time soon, but it does look like a phenomenal trip.So excited you started your trip report! We loved Iceland when we were there on our DCL cruise in 2015, and it's definitely on the list of places we want to visit again. You already know how I feel about large group sizes, so we won't be doing the Iceland ABD, unless they do cap the trip size at a reasonable amount of guests. But there is a Nat Hab Iceland trip that looks amazing, so if we can ever afford it, lol, it might be the winner. But we are absolutely going to do that Viking photo shoot if/when we go back. Your pictures are fantastic! And your food tour looked really cool. We have never done a food tour, but it is going on the list of things to consider when we have pre- or post-days around some of our trips. It really does seem like a great way to both sample the local cuisine and see a bit of the city or town you are in. Looking forward to the rest of your report...
Thank you!The first food tour we ever did was in Reykjavik -- the same one you did. Now we do it in every new city. It is such a great way to get to know the place and people. Also, I LOVE your Viking photos. I would not have thought they would be so great but you look amazing!!
I took a look at that Nat Hab trip, and I agree, it looks amazing. The pricing is , however, their single supplement is only 12.5% vs. ABD's 40%, so the price difference is not *quite* as huge. I doubt I'll be going back any time soon, but it does look like a phenomenal trip.
And I do highly recommend doing a food walking tour. In my experience, not only do you sample the local cuisine and see a bit of the city, but you get a great view into the local culture, as these trips are almost always run by locals, who like to throw in a lot of commentary about life in that city. I'm definitely hooked!
Sayhello
See, for me, a private trip, as a solo, just doesn't hold that much appeal. Plus the exorbitant cost for one person! The only thing that makes this trip even close to plausible is that the single supplement is so much lower. I have gotten to a point in my life where serious active vacations just aren't my thing any more. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt, body not going for it any more. I like trips that are a mix of cultural and active.The cost of that Nat Hab tour is a bit shocking!! However it is a bit longer than ABDs, includes all meals and gratuities and is a max. of 10 people. I'd probably rather do a private tour for that price. Not sure. Iceland is not in my radar at this point. Dd is a junior now (I have no idea how that happened!) and sadly our summer trips will likely be slowing down. When I travel solo I'm likely to book Backroads in shoulder season because I would much rather take an active vacation (my kids are not into them).
See, for me, a private trip, as a solo, just doesn't hold that much appeal. Plus the exorbitant cost for one person! The only thing that makes this trip even close to plausible is that the single supplement is so much lower. I have gotten to a point in my life where serious active vacations just aren't my thing any more. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt, body not going for it any more. I like trips that are a mix of cultural and active.
Sayhello
Backroads started as a cycling tour provider. They really excel at that.I don't think I'd enjoy a private tour solo either. Although we met a solo traveler in South Africa over the summer who had a TA in S. Africa arrange the trip, then she paid for him to join her. She was in Rwanda, Tanzania and Sabi Sands and I think she may have had security concerns. We shared an internal flight with both of them (as well as a short layover) and both were lovely. I got the name of her TA because he was very, very impressive and quite personable (he even scored us some reservations at a very popular restaurant in Johannesburg at the last minute!). But as a soon-to-be solo traveller, I think I'm going to give Backroads a try. I am an avid cyclist and would love to do a cycling tour in either Croatia or south of France.
It really, really is. I'm glad that they are a "thing" now.We LOVE doing food tours and thought the one in Iceland was excellent. It's a great way to get oriented to the city when you arrive.
A lot of people do self-drive tours. It's very common for folks to rent a camper van and drive the entire ring road, stopping along the way & spending the night in campgrounds. I'm not sure how the hotels along the ring road are if you want to do it that way. But it's obviously doable!Great trip report so far! Iceland is on my bucket list. I briefly considered it for next year but decided to wait a few years so my youngest will be able to do all the activities. In my short time researching it, I found some local companies that arrange self-drive tours and day trips from Reykjavik. We'll probably go that route since all the fully guided tours will be very expensive for 4 people.
Can't wait to read about the rest of your trip!
Thanks! I was glad to do a lot more than I did in my 1 1/2 days there in 2015!Great TR! I was in Iceland for 2 days on the August DCL tour and I'm looking forward to seeing all the things you had time to visit that we just didn't have in our short stay.
Well, it's good to know they are learning! I'm glad I was able to ride, too! I'm not sure I would say I was enthralled with them, but they were pretty cute.Oh my goodness, your horses are all saddled up and ready to go! That was a learning experience for ABD, I think. We got there, and they then saddled the horses one by one. Much better to have them ready and waiting. I did LOVE this day though, and I'm so glad you were able to ride. I was totally enthralled with those horses, and my younger son was as well. Here he is with his, after the ride: