Useful Apps to Download Before Traveling to Iceland
I must confess that I have a bad habit. I like to check the weather frequently. Too frequently. I know, I know. That doesn't go with the whole "care free" attitude that we as frequent travelers should have. We're supposed to be all "go with the flow" right? Well, unless there is some "weather checker anonymous" group out there, I just don't "go with the flow" when it comes to weather. I like to be prepared as possible, and that's even more so the case when going to a country with such extreme weather as Iceland.
By extreme, I should clarify... constantly ever changing barely predictable weather. Yep. It's enough to make my OCD weather- checking self go a little crazy. We are quickly coming up on our trip there, and of course I find myself reviewing multiple weather sites to find out which is the most "accurate". But let's be honest, the only reason I'm checking multiple ones is because I might find one that I like what it says better than the other. That doesn't exactly get us very far if we're stuck in a blizzard, because I decided I liked the Canadian weather sites' prediction of "30% chance of snow showers" better than the Icelandic one saying "stay the eff inside you tourist." Haha. Ok, I made that up, but that's basically what they say... nicely.
I've made my way over to the Icelandic weather site, and found it particularly vague, with references like "windy" and "snow/snow showers particularly in the south part". Though, when it comes to Icelandic weather, I'm not sure it's even possible to be specific until two-three days in advance. It's pretty much all over the place. Then, I discovered they have an app! Come on! Everyone in unison: Oooooooo. I downloaded it pronto. And then received a quite similar notice on it that basically WAS the polite version of "stay the eff inside you tourist." More particularly it read: "Increasing wind is expected in the south tomorrow evening and strong wind is expected in most parts on Sunday with snow or snow showers and snowdrift. Those considering traveling are advised keep this in mind." That's handy! It also has a much more specific forecast, while I'm sure can't always been 100% accurate, I'm more keen to believe the Icelandic forecast than the Canadian one that's changed more than 5 times in two days.
So all this talk, and what's the app you say? It's called veður. Which is Icelandic for weather (smart, eh?).
Click here for the link for Android.
Click here for the link for Iphone.
I would have to say be sure to get this app for your trip. It will undoubtedly come in handy dealing with the variable Icelandic weather.
After reviewing the weather, and considering we will be doing some rural driving during this trip, I started to wonder... what the heck do you do in Iceland if you DO get stuck? I mean, we're Canadian and pretty snow smart/hearty people, but still. Iceland seems like a whole new ball game. Of course there's an app for that!
It's called 112 Iceland. It connects to the GPS on your phone and allows you to "check in" your location with the Icelandic emergency authorities and even send your location and call in an emergency. Of course, this is super handy, especially for winter travel like we're doing. Think about it, no service on your phone because you are in the middle of nowhere, and you can still reach authorities through GPS! Brilliant really. Why don't we have this at home?
To download 112 Iceland:
Click here for the link for Android.
Click here for the link for Iphone.
I would say this is a good app to not leave home without!
I somehow found myself watching this video about driving safely in Iceland. I'm not even sure how this happened, but I ended up watching the whole thing.
I'm sure you'll understand what I'm getting at, but I did note several new signs I wasn't particularly familiar with. If you want to get more familiar with Iceland's road signs, there's an app for that too.
It's called Icelandic Road Signs. Utterly complex, I know, but useful!
Click here for the link for Android.
Unfortunately, this isn't available for Iphone.
You brilliant Apple users are just supposed to know these things!
Lastly, if you're looking for a good road guide to Iceland, there's even an app for that too. Iceland's admittedly pretty keen on keeping tourists educated... or perhaps just tired of us getting stuck (can't help but feel that video above really was targeting a certain audience).
It's called Iceland Road Guide. Which is pretty self explanatory.
Click here for the link for Android.
Click here for the like for Iphone.
What's even better about all these apps is they are free!
It's super important to make sure you prepare for the unexpected when traveling. Of course you can "go with the flow", but a smart traveler is always a safer traveler.
Sponsored: Looking for a hotel to stay at while in Iceland? Check out Agoda for great rates!
Gregory and Laura Brinkmann are travel, lifestyle and wedding photographers based out of Ontario, Canada who adore traveling. Please follow this blog for more tips, ideas, and advice... and sometimes just some silliness.
