Revolutionizing the Way YOU Travel
The Friendly American.com

ITINERARY BASICS

ALASKAN TIPS:         THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE PLANNING YOUR TRIP

 

WHEN LOOKING INTO PLANNING A TRIP TO ALASKA, THE FIRST BIG STEP IS TO NOT BITE OFF MORE THAN YOU CAN CHEW.  ALASKA IS BEAUTIFUL, ALASKANS ARE FRIENDLY, BUT ALASKA IS VERY BIG.  DO NOT MAKE THE MISTAKE OF TRYING TO SEE TOO MUCH OR YOU WILL BE IN THE CAR DRIVING THE WHOLE TIME.  TAKE TIME TO SMELL THE FLOWERS AND ENJOY THE VIEWS, THE PEOPLE, AND EVERYTHING ELSE ALASKA HAS TO OFFER.  

 

EXPECT DELAYS - START BY GETTING ON YAHOO MAPS OR GOOGLE EARTH AND START TYPING IN DRIVING DIRECTIONS FROM CITY TO CITY. A GOOD TIP THAT YOU WON’T FIND IN ANY TRAVEL BOOK IS THAT ALASKA DOES ALL OF ITS ROAD CONSTRUCTION IN THE WARMER MONTHS, WHICH JUST HAPPEN TO BE THE HIGH TOURIST SEASON AND LIKELY WHEN YOU ARE VISITING. ALWAYS ADD AN EXTRA HOUR TO YOUR TRAVEL ITINERARY TO ACCOUNT FOR THIS - ESPECIALLY SINCE THE ROADS ARE LIMITED.

 

 

YOU CAN’T ALWAYS TAKE THE WEATHER WITH YOU - ALASKA’S WEATHER CAN BE A TRICKY THING TO TRY AND PREDICT.  A GOOD TIP FOR VISITING DENALI NATIONAL PARK IS TO GIVE YOURSELF AT LEAST THREE DAYS THERE, AT LEAST IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE SUMMIT OF MT. MCKINLEY.  I WAS IN DENALI FOR FOUR DAYS AND DID NOT CATCH A VIEW OF “THE GREAT ONE” UNTIL DAY FOUR WHEN I WAS LEAVING. THE PARK RANGER SAID THAT DENALI SHOWED ITS SUMMIT ONLY ABOUT 25 DAYS OF THIS PAST SUMMER SEASON. IF A ROUGE RAIN STORM DOESN’T GET YOU, THEN THE HIGH ALTITUDE CLOUDS WILL. THE FIRST THING TO PACK FOR ANY TRIP TO ALASKA IS A RAINCOAT AND AN UMBRELLA.  IT’S NOT ALL RAIN AND CLOUDS, AS THE GOOD DAYS USUALLY OUTNUMBER THE BAD ONES, JUST BE PREPARED FOR WHATEVER ALASKA GIVES YOU.

 

BELIEVE THE GOSSIP AND ALWAYS ASK THE LOCALS - SOME OF THE BEST RESTAURANTS AND BARS I CAME ACROSS WERE GIVEN TO ME BY LOCAL WORD OF MOUTH. WHILE IN DENALI I ASKED DIRECTIONS TO A GOOD STEAKHOUSE AND WAS TOLD THE BEST STEAKS IN ALASKA WERE AT CLEAR SKY LODGE, LOCATED ABOUT 30 MILES NORTH OF DENALI IN ANDERSON, AK. ALWAYS BEING UP FOR AN ADVENTURE, I SET OUT TO DISCOVER HOW GOOD THIS STEAK REALLY WAS.  ABOUT 40 MINUTES LATER I ARRIVED AT, BY ALL ACCOUNTS, A TRUCK STOP AND BAR THAT WAS CLEAR SKY LODGE.  THE PEOPLE WERE EXTREMELY FRIENDLY AND I SAT DOWN (AT A FOLDING PLASTIC TABLE) AND ORDERED THE RECOMMENDED RIBEYE.  THE TWO LADIES THAT PREPARED THE FOOD AND TOOK MY ORDER WERE VERY ACCOMODATING AND SWEET. I GOT MY STEAK, ALONG WITH A BAKED POTATO, IN A TIMELY FASHION.  THEN I TOOK A BITE INTO PERFECTION.  THEY DID NOT LIE.  I HAVE TRAVELED ALL AROUND THE WORLD AND THIS WAS THE BEST STEAK I HAVE EVER EATEN!  HAD I NOT ASKED AROUND FOR A LOCAL ESTABLISHMENT, I WOULD HAVE BEEN FORCED TO ENDURE ANOTHER OVERPRICED FISH AND CHIPS MEAL AT THE LOCAL TOURIST TRAP.  INSTEAD, I HAD THE BEST STEAK IN THE WORLD, NO LIE.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMINS - ALL I CAN SAY IS BUDGET, BUDGET, BUDGET, WHEN PLANNING A TRIP TO ALASKA.  A GOOD THING TO NOTE ABOUT RENTAL CARS IN ALASKA IS THAT ONE THIRD OF YOUR TOTAL BILL WILL BE TAXES.  IF YOU HAVE A $600 CAR RENTAL QUOTE, YOU NEED TO AT LEAST ALLOT FOR A $900 CHARGE BECAUSE OF THE TAXES.  ALSO, YOUR CREDIT CARD WILL MOST LIKELY BE CHARGED WHEN YOU DRIVE THE CAR OFF THE LOT (NOT A HOLD, BUT AN ACTUAL CHARGE).  A GOOD TIP IS TO MAKE SURE ALL OF YOUR DISCOUNTS AND ONLINE COUPONS ARE REFLECTED IN THE RENTAL BILL BEFORE YOU LEAVE WITH THE CAR.

 

HERE WAS MY TRAVEL ITINERARY OVER A 15 DAY PERIOD:

 

LOOKING BACK ON MY TRAVELS, THE ONLY THING I WOULD CHANGE IS THAT I WOULDN’T SPEND THE FIRST NIGHT IN KENAI.  I WOULD HAVE SPENT BOTH NIGHTS IN HOMER AND STOPPED IN KENAI ALONG THE WAY.  

 

ALASKA MARINE HIGHWAY - I WAS WEARY OF TAKING THE FERRY OVER TO KODIAK ONLY BECAUSE I DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT.  I WAS EXPECTING TO BE COLD AND UNCOMFORTABLE. I GOT AN INSIDE CABIN BOTH WAYS FOR A NOMINAL CHARGE, AND IT WAS SO WORTH IT.  I GOT THE TWO BERTH NO FACILITIES OPTION (WHICH COMES WITH BED LINENS), AND HAD A GREAT NIGHT’S SLEEP.  THE SHIP WAS MORE LIKE A MINI-CRUISE SHIP RATHER THAN A FERRY.  I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS FOR LONG TERM TRAVEL, BUT I ENJOYED MY TRIP TO KODIAK AND BACK.

 

THIS ITINERARY REFLECTS MY SECOND TRIP AND GROUND TOUR OF ALASKA. IF YOU HAVE A DESIRE TO GO TO ALASKA, YOU SHOULD PROBABLY TAKE ONE OF THE MANY INSIDE PASSAGES CRUISE TOURS FIRST.  JUNEAU, KETCHIKAN, AND SKAGWAY ARE BEST SEEN THIS WAY, AS THEY ARE MAINLY LAND LOCKED.