Last update: August 16, 2024. We’re currently taking on new clients for Iceland trips you’re taking at any time!
Contact us to plan your fall or winter 2024 trip to Iceland. Or it’s not too early to plan your summer 2025 trip, or your 2026 Iceland eclipse trip! If you plan to visit between mid-July and mid-August 2025, the best lodging can fill up quickly. If you’re traveling during those times we’ll work to lock in refundable lodging in Iceland within 2 weeks of when you sign up.
I wrote the travel guide book Iceland With Kids to help families plan an amazing trip to Iceland. And I’ve received so much wonderful feedback:
This fantastic second edition (Feb. 2020) of Iceland with Kids by Eric Newman is, without doubt, the best guide to visiting Iceland.
The book is full of practical advice that I do not remember finding in other travel/guide books I read about Iceland.
We purchased (or borrowed) several Iceland guidebooks including Lonely Planet, Frommers, Rick Steves, and Lonely Planet Ring Road, but this was my favorite.
But I also get e-mails from people looking for more help. The book is over 100,000 words, with more than 300 pictures, dozens of maps, and probably thousands of tips. It does take time and effort to plan your trip. So, by popular demand (well, popular before Covid-19!) I am excited to announce Iceland With Kids custom Itinerary plans!
About Iceland With Kids Itinerary Planning
We offer two different options: Itinerary Planning and Personal Tour Guide services. Let me note up front that 100% of both services will be handled personally by me, Eric. If you sign up for Itinerary Planning, I’m planning your trip. If you sign up for Tour Guide services, I’m going with you to Iceland!
Iceland Itinerary Planning
When we plan your Iceland vacation, you’re not just getting a pre-planned list of things to do. I will interview your family, to try to figure out what I think you’d like to do while in Iceland. I’ll find and recommend lodging that’s a good fit for your family, and that’s available on your exact travel dates. I’ll create a personalized itinerary, factoring in your arrival and departure times. You’ll be able to access your one-of-a-kind, relentlessly customized itinerary on your phone while you’re in Iceland!
We are a fee-based travel planner. That means our main source of income is the fee you pay us, not commissions we receive. Nearly everyone else who offers an Iceland itinerary is only going to recommend lodging and tours that pay them a commission. Not us! We’ll plan your trip like we would plan our own.
We can’t say enough about how awesome an experience we had with Eric. In the introductory video call, he dialed into the type of travel we like and then created a custom itinerary that reflected our travel preferences.
– MATT AND CINDY ZINN
And you’re not just getting an itinerary. I’ll ask about your phones and phone carriers, and help you figure out the best way to get your cell phones working in Iceland. I’ll send you power adapters to work with whatever devices you are bringing. I’ll also send you a print copy of my new book, 100 Tips for Visiting Iceland, and a print copy of my children’s book Lundi the Lost Puffin if you have younger children. Oh, and you’ll also get free access to my video driving course, Driving in Iceland.
Such a no brainer to hire Eric. He is immensely knowledgeable, shares his knowledge and will run down odd questions and requests. He updates you when ferry times change, knows if a certain restaurant is closed and recommends the right size car for all your luggage. He is responsive and comprehensive.
– DAVID WEST
Check out some of our Iceland itinerary planning reviews!
You’ll arrive in Iceland with working cell phones, confident driving skills, and an itinerary perfect for your family or group.
Current prices (last updated August 2024): The price is $2,000 US for a trip of up to 7 days, plus $150 for each additional day of your trip. We plan one travel day for free, so a Saturday to Saturday trip counts as 7 days, not 8.
Prices are valid for trips taken now through the end of 2025. 2026 eclipse trips start at $2,500.
(Prices valid for a single family, multiple families traveling together, or a multi-generational family group with a total of 8 travelers or fewer. We can help with a group of 9 or more for an additional fee; contact me for details!)
For that price, we help you plan everything! Lodging, rental cars, specific tours, and even restaurant or grocery store recommendations. (And even places to charge your car if you rent an EV!) We’ll also craft custom self-drive tours for areas like the South Coast or Golden Circle. This can save you hundreds since you don’t need to pay for a tour!
We also can usually save you some money on you car rental, since we can give you a discount in lieu of the commission we would normally receive.
The detailed itinerary took so much stress and worry out of traveling, and provided the perfect balance of sightseeing and down time.
– Heidi
I’ll work with you to plan lodging within 1 week of when you sign up, and then tours the following week. Then I’ll add a car (if you’re renting one) as well as detailed touring information 1-2 months before your trip. A couple of weeks before your trip starts, I’ll look over the itinerary with you just to make sure nothing needs to change.
If you’re ready to work with us just fill out the form below, or e-mail us. You can also e-mail us any questions you have.
My son and I just returned from an incredible 10-day road trip around Iceland and we couldn’t have done it without Eric’s phenomenal itinerary planning service.
– Tara
All itinerary purchases include:
Multiple one-on-one video calls to make sure we plan the best vacation possible for your family.
Specific lodging recommendations for every night of your trip
A free print copy of our award-winning children’s book, Lundi the Lost Puffin
A free print copy of our brand new book, 100 Tips for Visiting Iceland (published in February 2022; new edition coming in 2024)
Access to our video course to teach you how to drive safely in Iceland
Power adapters you can take on your trip (US customers only)
A highly customized Iceland trip itinerary for your group. Each itinerary is unique!
A mobile app that gives you access to your itinerary while you’re in Iceland
Thanks to your expert planning, resources and guidance we had the best trip of our lives!
-Melissa
See more reviews from clients here. Book now for your 2024 of 2025 trip! Just fill out the form below to get started, or for more information.
Iceland VIP Tour Guide Service
If you’re looking for a totally worry-free Iceland experience, you could consider my VIP tour guide service. I’ll still plan your trip, as with the Itinerary Planning option above. That saves you at least $1,700! But I’ll also show up to Iceland and serve as your personal tour guide! I am only doing this for a single family at a time— no giant tour buses here. Sadly it looks like I won’t be allowed to be the driver, but I’ll make sure you know everything you need to know to drive us. (That includes free access to my Driving in Iceland video course!) I’ll build you a flexible itinerary and help you make decisions in real time. Want to stay longer at that black sand beach? No problem. Want to skip that late-night activity and just go to bed? That works.
Once again, this isn’t a big service with dozens of tour guides. You’ll get me, Eric, the guy who wrote the book. And so I will only have a handful of openings each summer.
The cost is $5,000 for a 7 day trip, $6,500 for a 10 day trip, or $8,000 for a 14 day trip. That includes the custom itinerary planning fee. We have plenty of availability for the summer of 2025.
E-mail me to let me know you’re interested in tour guide services, or book a free half-hour consultation with us.
Our Iceland planning cancellation policy
I’ll do my best to make sure you don’t lose your money.
Changing the date of your Iceland trip
For the Itinerary Planning, I’m fairly confident that you’ll be able to visit Iceland. But if you have to change your travel dates, for any reason, we will work with you to update your itinerary for new dates. There’s not additional fee even if we need to change your lodging and your entire trip plan. I can update your itinerary for the new dates, even if it’s in 2026 or later. Even if we raise our prices, if you paid for 8 days, we’ll still update your 8-day trip for no additional cost.
Canceling your Iceland trip
If you do sign up with us and then want to fully cancel (that is, if you are no longer able to visit Iceland), we do also offer cash refunds. If you cancel more than 3 months before your departure date, you will receive a 90% refund. (This assumes we have already had our initial consultation.)
If you cancel less than 3 months out, we offer a 50% refund. (But remember, you can change your travel dates with no change fee whatsoever!)
Finding refundable vacation options for Iceland
I am almost always able to find you fully refundable options for lodging, car rental, and tours. The only concern is airfare, where you can usually only receive a voucher except at higher fare classes. It’s best to pick your flights so I can work on exact touring plan with you. But then I think it’s fine to make reservations for everything except for airfare. You do take the risk that airfare prices increase, but usually that’s not too expensive. (Think about an increase in airfare prices as cheap trip cancellation insurance!)
You can book your own lodging and tours once we agree on my recommendations, or I can do it for you. It can occasionally be cheaper if I do the booking, but I’ll always let you know what the options are. I can book airfare for you, though I usually recommend you book directly with the airline. (If I book travel, it goes through my travel agency.) Either way, I can’t be responsible for any change fees or wasted airline tickets if you or the airline change your flights.
Wait … who is this Eric guy, anyway?
I’m a travel writer and father of 5 kids. In the summer of 2016 my wife and I took all 7 of us to Iceland for the summer. Since then, I’ve:
- Written two travel guide books about Iceland: Iceland With Kids (which I mentioned above) and 100 Tips for Visiting Iceland.
- Created a Driving in Iceland video course to teach tourists how to drive when visiting Iceland. The head of a major car rental company in Iceland said he was “blown away” and that it was the best driving instruction content he had ever seen.
- Written a children’s picture book about puffins in Iceland. Lundi the Lost Puffin recently won a Silver Medal at the Moonbeam Awards for best children’s picture eBook in 2020.
- Started a podcast called Iceland With Kids
- Become a certified Inspired by Iceland Specialist
- Earned a Gold Certification as a fee-based travel expert for Iceland
I focus exclusively on Iceland— I don’t offer tours or advice for any other destination! Here’s a little more about me on my media sheet. Iceland With Kids 1 page Expert
That’s it! E-mail me with any questions, or if you’d like to set up a (free) call to discuss your travel plans. You can also go ahead and set up an initial video call here. We plan your Iceland vacation like we plan our own!
Both we and Iceland are LGBTQ+ friendly!