The Faroe Islands has to be one of the best countries in the world to discover a piece of the world’s unspoilt natural beauty. Its dramatic landscapes, cloud-scraping peaks and stunning wildlife will without a doubt leave you in awe!
Just like visits to other natural sites across the world, every trip (and what you’ll be taking with you on said trip) needs to be planned for the conditions and experiences you’re planning on discovering.
As you might remember, we recently had the most amazing time visiting the Faroe Islands and this island has no shortage of amazing sights to see (seriously, even a simple thing like a drive to the airport will leave you in awe with its many jaw-dropping stunning sights).
Before my trip, I managed to spend far too much time packing, repacking and even overpacking for the many activities we had planned on the island (hikes, rib-boat tours, horse riding and so much more).
To save you a whole lotta hassle repacking and over-packing like I did initially, I’ve put together the essential items you need to pack for your future trip to this amazing and beautiful country:
Weather
With the Faroe Islands being so far north in the North Atlantic(almost as high as Iceland), temperatures can shift quite significantly depending on the time of year you visit. This can happen rather quickly too. You start the day overcast and within a few hours, it’s the sunniest place imaginable so when you visit, be prepped for sudden changes in temperature and ‘wetness’, alongside blanket fog that can cover the islands.
Temperatures usually range from about 3-13 degrees. The winters are surprisingly mild here though you should expect a high wind chill factor and colder days in the winter months, especially if you’re exploring the country’s coastline.
12 Essentials You Should Pack
These are some of the clothing essentials you’ll most definitely need.
1.) Break that wind, with one of these…
This island nation can be quite blustery at times, especially along it’s coastline or whilst sailing. Make sure to pack your self a windbreaker that’ll protect you on the gusty shores. There are a few different options (and price ranges) and although there’s is little need for a branded (or logo) jacket, it is worthwhile investing in a well-made wind breaker that’ll last you for future trips.
See our recommended Women’s Wind Breakers here | See our recommended Men’s Wind Breakers here
2.) Thermal up like these island inhabitants!
Early mornings and late evenings can be chilly, especially if you stay out late in the summer months. With almost 18 hours of sunlight in August, you’ll probably be outside for most of the day, which can lead to some rather cold legs and arms! Grab yourself some thermals that can also be used at night to keep you nice and toasty, just like these adorable island sheep! 🙂
See our recommended Women’s Thermals here | See our recommended Men’s Thermals here
3.) Snuggle into your hat, scarf & gloves
As you’ve already gathered… the Faroe Islands can get pretty chilly. Keep your fingers nice and warm with a good pair of gloves that’ll keep your hands dry. My favourite is this pair with ‘second skin’ that allows you to use the screen on your smartphone whilst your gloves are on.
See our other recommended Unisex Smartphone Gloves here
4.) Stay toasty like these other famous Faroe Islands residents
Situated in the North Atlantic ocean, it’s inevitable that you’ll need a waterproof, especially if you’ve ventured quite high into the mountains. Grab yourself a waterproof jacket (preferably with a hood) that’ll also keep you warm. A good down coat (borrowing a few feathers from these lovely island geese), or insulated North Face jacket like this will keep you warm and last many years too.
See our recommended Women’s Insulated Jacket here| See our recommended Men’s Insulated Jacket here
5.) These boots were made for walking…
…so that’s jut what they’ll do! 🙂
One of the most important items on any packing list… a good pair of walking boots. Quite a few of the sights you’ll want to discover will require a light to moderate walk/hike to see so these boots will definitely come in handy. Most routes are marked but you will be walking across uneven, wet and sometimes slippy terrain and it’s at times like this a good pair of walking boots will come in pretty handy.
See our recommended Women’s Walking Boots here | See our recommended Men’s Walking Boots here
6.) Lotion like a pro!
Enough about all that rain and cold weather! Contrary to what we’ve spoken about so far, it does actually get quite sunny here. (I said ‘sunny’ not ‘warm’ 🙂 ). Sunscreen and lip balm will be a priority with the weather changing quite quickly and the fact that you’ll be outside exploring for most of the day. If you’re planning some time sailing or even when snow has settled, definitely don’t forget to ladle that sunblock on yourself. In winter, the ‘albedo effect‘ (sun rays reflecting off the snow) will drastically increase your sun exposure, especially to your exposed face and lips.
See some of the best Sunblock and SPF Lip balms here
7.) Case in point with Antler
If you’re arriving by boat or plane, you’ll want to use good quality luggage that you won’t have to struggle to carry. There’s not really a need for a backpack style luggage here, so make like easier with a well-made wheeled case – perfect for those airport transfers and connecting flights.
We chose to use awesome Antler suitcases with their 4 multi-directional wheels (can’t believe once upon a time, I used to travel with suitcases that didn’t have these), polypropylene shell (which makes it nice and light – leaving room for the extra weight the souvenirs will take up) and TSA combination locks (effectively you lock the suitcase and the only people that can open it while it is in transit are authorised customs folks) that kept our gear nice and safe – plus they’ve got some pretty quirky styles, which is loved!
8.) Snap happy
When you visit the Faroe Island you most definitely need to take all your camera equipment with you – iPhone, GoPro, DSLR or Polaroid camera… take it all! The Faroe Islands is serious fodder for landscape photography so you’ll no doubt find yourself snapping faster than the paparazzi when you visit!
In winter months, don’t forget to take a tripod with you to catch the Northern Lights. The Northern Lights also come out so well on a full frame DSLR camera as it captures much more of the landscape your photographing, not to mention being able to capture a lot more detail due to the camera sensor size. The full frame camera I use is this one here (US link here), which is uh-mazing as it has WiFi, GPS and a whole range of lenses to choose from – oh and it’s one of the lightest full-frame cameras you can get (full frame cameras are notoriously heavy).
See the full specs on my recommended Full Frame DSLR Camera here (US one here)
9.) Plug it good
Yup, pretty obvious one but I’m pretty certain that because of how obvious it is, this is one where you’re most likely to have forgotten at least once during a trip or (perhaps even more like) have packed the wrong one for the country you’re visiting. 🙂
Just to clarify, the Faroe Islands use a standard European 2 pin plug so that should be nice and easy to get hold of. Grab yours before you get to the airport as you often find that airport plug prices are highly inflated (as per usual) though if you do forget yours, one place you’re most able to get one for free is at the hotel reception. Lots of travellers leave theirs almost daily at the hotels so they always seem to have at least one on the go.
See our recommended Travel Plugs here
10.) Oh, the shade of it all…
As we already established, the does come out quite strongly here (even though the photo above begs to prove otherwise) so do grab yourself a pair of UV-protected shades that not only look cool but also protect your eyes, just like these super cool shades…
See our recommended (and favourite) Sunglasses here
11.) Layer up!
Take lots of layers… seriously! Grab yourself a load of basic t-shirts and light jumpers that you can pile on in the morning and slowly take off throughout the day. It’s the ‘onion dressing’ principle that works in so many locations outside of the Faroe Islands (e.g. it’s perfect for when you go on safari as the temperate changes quite considerably between morning, afternoon and night). 😉
12.) Juice on the move!
As you’ll be out exploring with Mother Nature (and no doubt snapping like crazy), you may want to invest in a high powered mobile charging pack for your phone. This bad boy of a charger (US version here | UK version here) will keep your phone charged and ready to deal with the hundreds of Snapchats you’ll be posting! (I spent ages searching for a really good one and an affordable one and that one is the best I found after weeks of searching). 😉
See other recommended Mobile Phone Charging Packs here (US Version) | UK Versions here
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