Four Tips to Plan a Trip to Iceland

In my travels over the past five years, I've faced some serious logistical challenges. But planning a trip to Iceland has been the most difficult so far.

What makes it hard? Unpredictable weather, unpredictable road conditions and pricey transportation options. Even getting a flight from the United States is hard: Icelandair only flies from airports in Minneapolis, Seattle, New York and Boston. And it's the only airline flying to Iceland from the U.S. It's also not a member of any of the worldwide airline alliances, so you won't get frequent flier love.

Also, the hotel situation in Iceland is a bit different. In some cases, you won't be staying in a hotel - you'll be at a backpackers hostel or even a farm house. In other cases, you can't book online. You'll have to call. Though most people in Iceland speak English very well, that can just mean extra time and accounting for time zones.

There are a few things you can do, though, to help navigate some of the potholes of planning a trip to Iceland. Here are a few methods my wife and I used to plan our trip.

Find a friendly Icelander online. My wife is a dedicated runner, so she looked for running clubs. She made contact with a friendly Reykjavik resident who is active in a local running group. He provided tips on everything from race schedules to transportation.

If you're on Twitter, follow and interact with @ComeToIceland. I'm not sure who is behind the account's tweets, but that person is always happy to provide help. I've asked about everything from pronouncing Icelandic words to good places to see lava flows. And every response has been enthusiastic.

Use a combination of guidebooks. No guidebook seems to be a complete resource for Iceland. But combine Lonely Planet and Frommer's guides, and you'll have a pretty solid picture of geography, culture, logistics and must-see spots. Frommer's in particular has been helpful in illustrating the challenges of car rental in Iceland: It's expensive, and the rental car companies seem to have a reputation for nickle-and-diming - especially since cars tend to get beat up on the rough terrain and often unsealed roads.

Hit the blogs. As helpful as guidebooks can be, it's helpful to find longer, more in-depth accounts of any activities you're planning. For instance, we learned far more of what to expect from hiking in Iceland's remote Landmannalaugar region from the blogs than from the guide books.