What a timely post. Sitting in Keflavik airport now, waiting to fly back home.
A thing to keep in mind is that it was an explicit effort on Iceland's part to position itself as a prime tourist destination. After 2008 banking crisis they were in a severe bend and looked for ways out of it. Hence the push for the tourism. Then that volcano erupted. On one hand it all but killed nascent tourism flow, but on the other hand it actually broadcasted Iceland as a land of volcanoes and natural beauty. And the tourist tsunami started.
Be careful what you wish for I guess.
Tourism industry sucked in so many locals that there's now shortage of police force and doctors, because they pay less. But from the visitor's perspective the country now is as comfortable of the destination as it gets.
We did ~3000 km. Main roads are very good. The speed limit is 90kmh, which seems low, but go any faster and you will feel wind gusts starting to throw the car around. Gas stations are there when you need hen. As are hotels and restaurants. Many farms now have cafes or eateries, invariably with unlimited "soup buffets." Cards are universally accepted. In fact I have no idea how Icelandic money look like. Lots of tourists, but the crowd quickly thins out once you leave Reykjavik, or rather its center. Driving around the country side - there's very little traffic. More often than not we were alone on the road. However it's late October, maybe it's different in summer.
The country IS mind-boggingly beautiful. Saying this as someone who've been around the world. Insane scenery. Lava fields covered in moss, pitch black sand beaches, hot rivers that you can bathe in at -1c outside. Really different, invariably impressive.
I spent 2 weeks there doing the ring road. Everyone we met spoke perfect English. I mean absolutely perfect. We were talking to our server at a restaurant in a tiny village in the north and asked him if he had ever been to the USA since his accent was a perfect standard USA accent. He said he'd never even left his village to visit Reykjavik!
I visited a couple of months ago, and if you're an English speaker then there is little in the way of a language barrier. I don't think I met a single Icelandic person who didn't speak English while I was there.
Flights are dirt cheap. Accommodation and food is unusually expensive though, we found - even the tenting/campervaning is nowadays quite pricey.
Language was a non-issue for us. English proficiency was high. For those who don't speak English, if you're friendly enough, you can point to what you need, plus there's so many electronic aids these days if push comes to shove, it's not an issue. Perhaps more importantly, cultural norms will be familiar to Westerners, which makes it easier.
Zero barrier. Everybody speaks English, though contrary to other replies _locals_ tend to speak with a distinct accent. There are also lots of foreigners employed in the hospitality industry - Spaniards, Hungarians, Lithuanians and others - their English is markedly better.
Oh, edit - as others said, things are really quite expensive there, including food and drinks. Research before going. A breakfast of bread, butter, jam, a sausage and two sunny-side-ups can easily be 30 USD. A pint is 8-12 USD. A lunch of an unlimited soup and bread - 15-20 USD.
Not a problem for English speakers - Iceland English fluency is on par with other western/northern European cities. In the city, accents are generally mild.
From the east coast of the US, it's an easy flight. Often cheap too. Or, do a stop-over on your way to/from Europe
/UK.
For an English speaker, there's no problem. We visited about 10 years ago and the one person not speaking any English was an old lady keeping a convenience store somewhere in the north-western corner of the island.
A thing to keep in mind is that it was an explicit effort on Iceland's part to position itself as a prime tourist destination. After 2008 banking crisis they were in a severe bend and looked for ways out of it. Hence the push for the tourism. Then that volcano erupted. On one hand it all but killed nascent tourism flow, but on the other hand it actually broadcasted Iceland as a land of volcanoes and natural beauty. And the tourist tsunami started.
Be careful what you wish for I guess.
Tourism industry sucked in so many locals that there's now shortage of police force and doctors, because they pay less. But from the visitor's perspective the country now is as comfortable of the destination as it gets.
We did ~3000 km. Main roads are very good. The speed limit is 90kmh, which seems low, but go any faster and you will feel wind gusts starting to throw the car around. Gas stations are there when you need hen. As are hotels and restaurants. Many farms now have cafes or eateries, invariably with unlimited "soup buffets." Cards are universally accepted. In fact I have no idea how Icelandic money look like. Lots of tourists, but the crowd quickly thins out once you leave Reykjavik, or rather its center. Driving around the country side - there's very little traffic. More often than not we were alone on the road. However it's late October, maybe it's different in summer.
The country IS mind-boggingly beautiful. Saying this as someone who've been around the world. Insane scenery. Lava fields covered in moss, pitch black sand beaches, hot rivers that you can bathe in at -1c outside. Really different, invariably impressive.
You all should come ;)