For years, we had this idea floating around in our heads: one day, we would buy a camper van and travel around Europe with total freedom. Sleeping wherever we wanted, improvising routes, waking up to picture-perfect views…
When we organized our trip to Iceland, we decided it was the perfect time to try out that idea. Plus, after doing some research, we realized that most people do it that way.
The reality of the “cheap” camper van
We rented our camper van from GoCampers because it was the “cheapest” we could find. And I put that in quotes because between the rental, insurance, and extras, it cost us around 3,000 euros. Yes, Iceland is very expensive, and this was the most affordable option available.
The camper van had a mattress in the back, a mini fridge, a gas stove, some kitchenware… and that was it. You couldn’t stand up, there was no bathroom, and there was no room for anything else. As soon as you unfolded the mattress to sleep, everything had to go underneath it because there was no space left.
I am someone who values cleanliness, comfort, and order. So, from the very beginning, it was a challenge. The first thing that struck me was the condition in which they delivered our things. The duvet was dirty, all wrinkled, with a questionable smell. The blankets and cushions came without protection, without hygienic packaging, and had clearly passed through too many hands. I imagined something cleaner, vacuum-sealed, sanitized. How naive of me.
€99 for a dirty pack
As the camper van comes with absolutely nothing, not even sheets, GoCampers offers you a pack for €99 that includes a duvet, sheets, two towels, and a table with two chairs. We rented it because it’s cold in Iceland even in summer, but it was a mistake. We hardly used the chairs and table, and they just took up space.
The rest of the items weren’t even folded. Everything was dirty and unhygienic.
Honestly, I didn’t even use the towels. I brought my own from Porto and used those because the GoCampers towels disgusted me. I think the experience is completely different if you have your own camper van, with your own things, your own standards of cleanliness, your own towels, and your own blankets.
The sad reality of Icelandic campsites
Our first campsite was at the airport. Fortunately, it was half empty, because we then realized something important: campsites in Iceland are not prepared for the number of people they receive.
The bathrooms and showers were dirty, with hair and dust from hundreds of people who had been there before. They are only cleaned once a day, which is clearly not enough. And, on top of that, there are no covered areas. Which is absurd when you consider that it rains almost all the time in Iceland.
If you wanted to go to the bathroom, you got wet. You came back from showering… and got wet again. Since there is nowhere to hang or dry things, the towel you used to dry yourself was always wet, and we carried it as best we could inside the vehicle.
What’s more, the atmosphere at those campsites was not at all what I had imagined. I was expecting something cool, relaxed, in touch with nature, and what I found was more of a chaotic and even slightly scavenger-like atmosphere. People were literally fighting over a power outlet, glued to their phones all day so they could charge them. They were killing each other for a free washing machine. Everything was uncomfortable, messy, and restless.
Sleeping wasn’t what we expected either.
Moreover, there was the constant noise at the campsites. Vehicles came and went all night long. Doors opening, doors closing, engines starting. Plus, since campsites are basically parking lots, there’s no privacy or cozy atmosphere.
In Iceland, by law, you are required to sleep at campsites. You can’t just stop in the middle of nature and stay there, which is what I had imagined at first. So, every night it was a matter of finding a campsite, arriving, organizing everything… and repeating the same exhausting process.
And then? We didn’t last four days.
After three nights, we decided to give up. I couldn’t take the precariousness anymore. Everything was uncomfortable: to eat, you had to set things up and take them down; to sleep, you had to reorganize everything, open suitcases, put them under the mattress, run to the bathroom with all your things, shower in a hurry, come back soaking wet…
Honestly, no, I can’t handle this. For people like me, who need their space, their order, their basic cleaning routine… this was a constant stress. From then on, we started booking hotels, and the difference was huge.
Perhaps with a large caravan, with your bathroom, your kitchen and your order, the experience would be different. But this improvised camping life, renting something else, without space or conditions, is definitely not for me.