Delta Air Lines is now flying JFK New York to Keflavik International 5 times a week during high season. More competition for those wanting to get to Iceland is a good thing.

Icelanders laughed when I told them I was flying the discount airline, Iceland Express. IE is famously BAD compared with full service Icelandair. And not always cheaper.

What happened to me is that my direct flight KEF to EDI EI0255 on the 17th was (for some reason unexplained) rerouted via Oslo, Norway making for a much longer flight. AND a missed connection.

I arrived at my final destination, Galway, Ireland, perhaps 6hrs later than my original itinerary.

If you are considering visiting Iceland one day, some tips:

• consider shoulder season (before June 15th or after Sept 15th) or even off-season to get great prices and near unlimited availability of accommodation.

But be aware that many tours only run high season.

If you do go in the Icelandic summer, it’s probably best to book all transportation (aside from bus) and accommodation (aside from tenting) months in advance.

A standard short itinerary is the Golden Circle near the capital.

Much better is what I did, a week or longer in a rent-a-car touring the Route 1 or the Ring Road, something that many Icelandlubbers have not even done.

Cheapskates will like the rent-a-car / hostel package as I did.

Alternatively, you can take a bus around the Ring Road, tenting and hosteling as you go, but most feel a private vehicle is worth the higher cost.

Be award that regular vehicles are not allowed on the truly heinous (F rated) mountain roads. For that you need a high clearance rental.

Leave a comment if you’ve additional tips on this wonderful holiday destination.