I used an airline hack to turn a layover into a mini trip to Iceland. It was worth the short detour — and saved me money.

After five fabulous days exploring Norway's stunning fjords in mid-September, I was enthusiastic to try an transporter journey hack I'd been eyeing for months: Icelandair's "stopover" program.

Icelandair allows passengers traveling between North America and Europe to halt in Iceland for up to 7 nights on a norm ticket without paying additional airfare. Higher-priced flex tickets authorize up to 21 nights.

I chose a $455 one-way norm economics escape from Norway to the US alongside a four-day stop. All of Icelandair's transatlantic routes already continue through Keflavík International Airport near Reykjavík, making it an uncomplicated detour.

This scheme efficiently added a second holiday onto my trip. I soaked in geothermal h2o amid moody volcanic landscapes, ate my way through Reykjavík, and explored part of the south coast.

The stopover was value it, and I felt I had adequate period to explore, but it was not a liberated vacation.

Iceland is expensive, equal during the high arm season, and during the transporter doesn't accusation additional for the stopover, it does not shield accommodations, tours, or transfers.

Still, the journey hack — which concerning a dozen another earth airlines recommendation — let me sojourn a distant nation that had been at the top of my catalog for years without having to publish a distinct trip throughout the Atlantic.

Booking my 4-day stopover was amazingly simple.

Icelandair's booking motor has a dedicated stopover option. I entered Bergen, Norway, as my base and Portland, Oregon, as my final destination, chose the dates I wanted to attain and depart Iceland, and booked the two flights on a sole itinerary.

I stopped in Iceland on my way residence from Norway since the logistics and airfare worked out improved than they had on my outbound trip. Flight prices can change extensively by day of the week, so it's value comparing a few departure dates before booking.

The escape from Bergen to Iceland was two and a fractional hours, and the escape from Iceland to Oregon was concerning eight hours. Icelandair's economy service was extremely essential and felt sparse for an global flight. Water, coffee, and tea were complimentary, although meals and snacks disbursal extra.

Saga Premium, the airline's highest-tier cabin, was a marked stage up, alongside a wider recliner seat, additional legroom, meals, WiFi, and complimentary drinks. It looked far additional comfortable but came alongside a important cost jump — up to $2,000 or additional one-way, depending on the date.

Four days gave me period to see additional of the country.

Booking a few days in Iceland proved to be key to enjoying the stopover. Staying lone one night would likely be additional attempt than it is worth.

Keflavík Airport is approximately a 45-minute run from Reykjavík, so an overnight stop power amount to one of Iceland's iconic lagoon soaks, afterward dinner, sleep, and another trip downward the identical highway.

Two or three nights is ideal if you desire to get a awareness for Reykjavík. And the freshly baked cinnamon rolls at Brauð & Co are arguably logic adequate to add a few-day stopover.

I established that staying for four or additional days let me divided my trip, spending a few days in Reykjavík and a few days exploring deeper into the desolate, basic country.

The stopover does not contain a inn or action discounts.

Icelandair does not contain a stopover hotel, and passengers must arrange that separately, but they are eligible to publish tours and transfers through the airline.

Some another transporter stopover programs do recommendation passengers liberated overnight accommodations.

For example, Turkish Airlines stopover passengers can choose from particular comped hotels, Etihad Airways offers eligible travelers up to two complimentary nights in Abu Dhabi or Al Ain, and Qatar Airways sells Doha stopover packages, including inn stays starting at $14 per person.

However, the stopover hotels are sometimes far from the city's chief attractions, and passengers are frequently improved off booking on their own according to what they desire to do.

I established that not having a set inn gave me the liberty to explore.

I spent two nights at The Reykjavík EDITION, a 5-star luxury hotel, for about $800 a night. My area had harbor views and put me inside uncomplicated attain of the city's chief attractions. Reykjavík additionally offers additional affordable hotels, guesthouses, and hostels for prosperity travelers.

I additionally stayed a few nights on the south coast, anywhere group can do additional adventurous activities.

You volition need a scheme to get beyond Reykjavík.

Iceland looks compact on a map, but its best-known sights are scattered hours from the chief city, and there are no passenger trains.

Bus assistance reaches many towns, but travelers who desire to efficiently attain sights beyond Reykjavík volition apt desire to rent a car, employ a driver, or associate a tour.

We drove downward to the south shoreline to see beyond the city life. We stayed at a boutique inn called Hotel Rangá, near Hella, concerning 60 miles from Reykjavík. It was about $650 a night, but we had plentifulness of hot tubs and straightforward admission to several of Iceland's finest outdoor adventures.

While we pieced together our own trip, passengers can additionally publish excursions, akin horseback riding, whale-watching, lava tunnel adventures, and a Golden Circle and lagoon day, through Icelandair.

However, booking through the transporter doesn't necessarily average getting a discount, so it's value comparing prices alongside idiosyncratic tour operators before reserving.

More energetic travelers can associate guided glacier hikes or ice-cave tours, or bounce throughout dreary dirt in a buggy.

For me, the stopover was value it

Michael Raucheisen, Icelandair's North American communications manager, told me the transporter formally began promoting stopovers in the 1960s.

The item was not merely to create connections small tedious, but to disclose travelers to Iceland and advance them to return: "That's benevolent of the goal, to provision you a small small sensation to create you desire to arrive back," Raucheisen said.

It worked on me.

Iceland is dissimilar any of the dozens of another countries I've visited, from its moody volcanic vistas and geothermal action to its down-to-earth people, world-class hot dogs, and the country's nose-wrinkling national drink, Brennivín.

But Iceland is not a cheap nation to visit. While traveling alongside another individual helped us divided the inn costs, I evaluation my portion of our four-day trip was concerning $510 per day, or approximately $2,050 total, excluding airfare.

That includes inn nights and representative regular expenses for food, sightseeing, and local transportation. Travelers could apt lesser that disbursal by choosing small costly lodging.

Still, although I may not do it as expensively all time, I appearance onward to adding a few nights in Iceland whenever the path and diet create awareness — it's a chance to see additional of the nation without paying for a entire distinct trip.