The Traveling Professor has run quite a few small group tours to Iceland.  In fact, he just returned from his last small group tour to Iceland last week.  Here are his top tips on a visit to Iceland.

Avoid a Taxi from the Airport to Reykjavik:  This is the first thing a traveler needs to be aware of - how expensive things can be in Iceland.  A taxi ride from the airport to downtown Reykjavik will run about $130-$150.  Ouch!  There are shared shuttle services for about $25 that will take you from the airport to a transportation center then to the hotel.  I don't recommend it, especially in bad weather. Spend another $10 and get a shuttle service (they are all available in the airport) to take you right to the hotel.

Eat at These Restaurants:  Snaps, Solon, and for fresh fish on the harbor, try Kopar.

Avoid Group Tours:  The problem with these tours is they follow scripts with little or no variation.  It's a plain-vanilla tour.  Get a private tour guide and tell them you want to see the REAL Iceland.  It is going to be expensive, so you are better off traveling on a small group tour with friends or a private company in order to share costs.

Use Licensed Guides Only:  Due to the big tourist boom in Iceland, a lot of people seem to be carpenters one day, insurance salesmen the next, and then tour guides on the day after that.  Don't fall for it. Get a licensed, professional guide or you may wind up wasting your time.

Go to the Duty Free Shop:  The Reykjavik Airport has the best duty-free shop I've seen.  Upon arrival at the airport, go to the duty-free shop and pick up all the alcohol and snacks you can.  Why?  Those $25 cocktails and $15 beers add up very quickly at the restaurant.

Get Wet:  Enjoy the waterfalls and Blue Lagoon.  Whenever we tour around the island we bring an extra set of dry clothes.

Visit Anytime of the Year, Except December:  There's practically no daylight in December!