Sen and I visited Iceland during its winter season for 9 days, and I wanted to share some tips with you before you go:

After flight fare searching from Google Flights, I found a great deal on WOW Air. The flights were about $400 for each person, round-trip from LA to Reykjavik, including all the luggage (we had one checked bag and two carry on) and seat assignments. That's still almost 50% off from all the other airlines!

I do have to mention, though, you will have to pay for carry-on luggage, check bags, seat assignments (which were all included in the cost I mentioned above), as well as in-flight food and any entertainment on top of the airfare. Yes! That means no movies, so make sure you bring something to watch or read. Other than that, I'd say go for WOW Air and save your traveling budget for the rest of your trip.

Transportation -

The flight between Los Angeles International Airport and Keflavik International Airport is about 9 hours. There is another 40 minutes’ drive to Reykjavik, Iceland's capital and largest city. We landed at around 4:30 AM on February 14, picked up the rental car from Thrifty Car Rental, and drove to the hotel. I would highly recommend that you rent a GPS from the car rental company, as it helped us tremendously. The car rental cost was about $100 a day, including the GPS, additional driver, and an additional drop-off location fee. Parking in Reykjavik varies at $2-$4 for the first hour, then $0.50 to $1.50 for the extra hours. We rented a car for the first three days of our trip to "hunt" for the Northern lights. If that is not part of your plan, I suggest skipping the rental car and taking a taxi instead. Taxi rides between our hotel and the City Center of Reykjavik were just about $20 each way. All the other attractions in Reykjavik are within walking distance.

Hotel -

We stayed at the Hilton Reykjavik Nordica and booked completely using points that we earned from Chase Sapphire Reserve. However, one downside is that Chase secures the hotel through Expedia, not through their own negotiated account. This prompted the hotel to not recognize my gold status, hence no complimentary breakfast, which is why I booked the property. Now, most of you know that hotels won't let you check-in at 6 AM in the morning if you booked for the same day since most check-in times are at either 3 PM or 4 PM. So, I booked the hotel for the night before on February 13th and E-mailed the hotel (very important for them to keep your room since their day "turns over" around 2 AM, and you will be considered a "no-show" and risk losing your reservation) and informed them that I will be checking in the early morning on the 14th.

Post on tips after arriving in Reykjavik coming soon! Feel free to comment below and let me know of any questions you have about our booking process!