Packing for the Faroe Islands Sailing Adventure Trip
I’m not a fan of checking bags when I fly. I avoid at whenever I can because it’s a pain and I like to travel as light as possible. I don’t want to worry about airlines losing my bags or about little gremlins taking things from my bags. Both have happened, and it’s not something I want to repeat.
Packing for a sailing adventure does require more kit/gear though, and even though I tried, there was no way I could fit everything I needed into a carry-on and my personal item aka backpack. So I ended up with my XL waterproof duffel that I checked and my trusty backpack.
My Faroe Island Sailing Adventure Packing List
Rubicon3, the company who put on the sailing adventure provided a kit list, but I also added a few other things I thought would be essential for the Faroe Islands part of the trip.
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Here’s what I brought:
For the Flight
- Ear Plugs
- Eye Mask
- Travel Pillow
- Headphones
- Phone
- Phone charger
- Battery Pack
- Snacks
Clothing – Upper body
- (3) Base layers – merino wool is my favorite
- (3) T-shirts
- (3) Long-sleeve shirts
- (1) Light jacket
- (1) Heavy-duty Rain Jacket
- (1) Fleece Jacket
Clothing – Lower body
- (5) Underwear
- (1) Base layer
- (2) Pants/Trousers
- (3) Waterproof Pants/Trousers
Feet
The Faroes can be pretty rainy and wet, and I was expecting to do some hiking, so I went with my waterproof, lightweight hiking boots instead of sneakers. The rubber boots were for the sailing part of the experience and the crocs were for around the inside of the boat to let my feet breathe. They also double as shower shoes.
- (5) Socks
- (1) Lightweight Waterproof Hiking Boots
- (1) Waterproof Rubber Boots
- (1) Crocs
Head & Hands
- (2) Wool Hat
- (1) Ball Cap
- (2) Hat clip
- (2) Buff – 1 lightweight & 1 mid-weight
- (2) Sunglasses
- (1) Chums for the Sunglasses
- (3) Gloves
Gear
- Sleeping Bag
- Waterproof Compression Stuff Sack
- Headlamp/Head torch – needed to come with the option of a red light and waterproof
- Dry Sacks – different sizes
- Camera
- (2) Water bottles
- (1) Waterproof Duffel bag
- (1) Foldable hand truck to wheel duffel around
- (1) Backpack
- Satellite Phone (rented from Skycall Satellite)
Extras
- Sea sickness medication
- Ginger candy to prevent sea sickness
- Mints to help get the taste of death out of mouth in case sea sickness happened
- Herbal tea
- Electrolyte packets
- Treats/Sweets from home to share
- Travel clothesline
- Travel detergent packets
- Sink Stopper
- TSA Luggage locks
- Toiletries
- Basic First Aid Kit
Travel Insurance
As a U.S. citizen, finding adequate travel insurance for off-coastal sailing/yachting for more than 30 miles out to sea is a little tricky. I found a company that looks like it works pretty well with U.S. citizens and many others:
- DogTag Sports Insurance
- I had to go with the Extreme+ to make sure it covered the type of sailing we were doing.
While Dogtag covered the activities, it didn’t have the other benefits regular travel insurance includes like trip cancellation, trip delays, lost luggage, etc. So I had a second insurance that covered that part of it. I’ve used World Nomads for my Everest Base camp trek, Mt. Rainier, and Inca Trail to Machu Picchu treks and have been very pleased.
Included in the Rubicon3 Sailing Adventure
Here’s what was included with the sailing trip with Rubicon3:
- Pillow and pillow case
- Foul weather gear
- Lifejackets
- All on-board food and accommodation (we definitely never went hungry)
- All training and certification
Logistics
Flights to the Faroe Islands were more available than I first thought. I flew to the international airport in Iceland, spend a nice, long layover in Iceland feasting on delicious Icelandic food, then made my way to the domestic airport in Iceland and flew to Torshavn in the Faroe Islands.
Accommodation
In Torshavn – Booking.com helped me find the perfect hotel to spend my first night in the Faroe Islands as I recovered from my jetlag and adjusted to the time difference. Hotel Streym was exactly what I was looking for. Clean, good value, and close to the harbor where I was to meet the crew and the boat.
In Klaskvik – Airbnb is my other go-to when looking for great places to stay and I found a charming place in Klaskvik at the end of my sailing adventure. I had the apartment to myself and was able to rest, catch up on laundry, and enjoy my last few days in the Faroes before flying home.
If you’ve never tried Airbnb, it’s a great way to see new places and get to experience more of where you are because you are staying with the locals. It’s much more of a rich experience. If you want to give it a try, this link will give you $40 towards your first Airbnb stay.
Transportation
Getting to the Faroe Islands – In Iceland, I took the Gray Line Bus from the international airport to the bus terminal, then onto the domestic airport. Since I had a 10 hour layover, I stored my luggage in the airport lockers to be picked up on my way to the Faroe Islands later that day. I caught a taxi from the domestic airport to the Harpa concert hall to join the food tour I had organized for the layover.
After my food tour and wandering around downtown Reyjkavik, I walked back to the domestic airport, got my luggage from the storage lockers, and caught my flight to Torshavn.
At the airport in the Faroes, I shared a taxi with a few others as we drove the 45 minutes to Torshavn. The rest of the trip I either walked or sailed until we reached Klaskvik, 11 days later.
Getting back home – On the return trip, I caught the 400 bus in Klaskvik to Torshavn, then switched to the 300 bus that took me straight to the airport. I was super impressed with the public transportation in the Faroes and how easy and cheap it was to get around.
I flew back to the domestic airport in Iceland, caught the Grey Line bus again back to the bus terminal and then straight to the international airport. Then flew back to the States from there.
What I Would Do Differently
The motion sickness patch to help prevent seasickness ended up being too strong for me and made me a zombie for the first 24 hours after putting it on. They last 72 hours, and I was fine after the first day, but I was so sleepy and out of it, that it wasn’t worth it. With advice from the captain and first mate, they had me try a different medication to prevent seasickness, and that worked much better and didn’t cause zombie-like symptoms.
Would I go back to the Faroe Islands?
Heck yes!! I LOVED everything about the Faroe Islands and would love to explore more of it. I almost hesitate to post about it because it’s still one of the world’s best kept secrets and hasn’t been spoiled by mass amounts of tourists.
How to Take This Trip
To take your own sailing adventure to the Faroes Islands or another exotic location, I would recommend checking out the company I went with, Rubicon3. This is now the second trip I’ve been on with them and I absolutely love their adventures! I have not been compensated to recommend them, it’s just an honest opinion. If you’re looking for unique adventures, small groups, breathtaking locations, off-the-beaten path trips, are open to learning new things and meeting wonderful people, it’s definitely worth exploring.
Questions about the trip?
If you have any questions about the trip, the boat, the gear, the flights, or the Faroe Islands, please feel free to reach out. You can leave a comment and I’ll do my best to answer. Thanks!