Verðbólga*

*Inflation.

I've been lucky in the past with my Icelandic excursions.

I’m a frugal traveler and while Iceland has always been expensive in the last couple of years prices there have jumped. Part of this is due to Covid’s depressing effects in 2021 and 2022, the other part is general inflation world-wide.

One constant throughout has been Icelandair’s erratic flight pricing. I’m sure they have their own rationale; the day of the week of departures and returns matters a lot—a difference up to $500 dollars for basically the same flight!

My travel dates are pretty well set beforehand in that I want to have a full weekend before Iceland Airwaves begins (thankfully, Airwaves has not gone up in price) to catch some theatre productions. This time I did manage to snag a round trip which was somewhat higher than what I’ve paid in the past, but not as bad as a day or two later.

Getting from the airport to the city via Flybus is another thing. The price jumped from about $17 to $32 in a couple of years! There are other options but none are as practical—you need at least 4 people to make a taxi cheaper, and the Stræto bus is slow and erratic.

The first thing I always do when arriving in Reykjavik is head for Vesturbærjarlaug, my favorite swimming pool. When I turned 67 admission was free but the cash-strapped city figured out that doddering old tourists using the facilities should be paying something. Single admissions are about $8 but seniors can get a year pass for about $32. Since I’ll be using the pool at least 10 times, it’s still a great bargain:

The biggest price jump is in lodging. The last time I stayed at The Castle House it was just at the end of the Covid shutdown and a one bedroom apartment was $114 a night. Now a studio is double that:

Even the cheap eats have gone up. A hotdog at Bæjarins now over $5 (but still cheaper than  the Minnesota State Fair):

After my $440 meal (now $600) the last time I was here, I’m guessing that this trip will be a good time to go on a diet.