Alaska TravelGram

Finally. Here are some great deals on Alaska Airlines. You have to purchase these tickets no later than Nov. 24 for travel through Mar. 11, 2009. There are a few blackout dates: Dec. 19, 20, 27, 28 2008 and Feb. 13, 14, 16, 21, 22 2009. All these fares are one-way, plus taxes and fees. 

Between Anchorage and:

Billings/Bozeman/Missoula other MT destinations:  $259 ea way

Seattle $209 ea way

Chicago $259 ea way

Eugene, Medford, Pendleton, Bend other OR destinations: $239 ea way

Fresno $259 ea way

Spokane, Walla Walla, Pasco and other WA destinations: $239 ea way

Idaho Falls, Lewiston, Boise and other ID destinations: $239 ea way

L.A./Long Beach/Burbank, Orange County/Ontario $279 ea way

Portland $239 ea way

Phoenix/Tucson $299 ea way

Minneapolis $299 ea way

S.F., Oakland, San Jose $259 ea way

San Diego $279 ea way

Washington, DC $319 ea way

Newark $319 ea way

Yakutat (yep, Yakutat) $139 ea way!

Cancun $289 (lots of taxes and surcharges for Mexico fares!)

Puerto Vallarta $219 ea way

Guadalajara $219 ea way

Cabo San Lucas $229 ea way

Mazatlan $219 ea way

La Paz $229 ea way

Between Fairbanks and:

Fresno 309

Spokane 289

Las Vegas 349

Minneapolis 349

Palm Springs 329

Bay Area (Oakland, SFO, San Jose) 309

L.A. Basin (LAX, Burbank, Orange County, Ontario, Long Beach) 329

Reno 309

San Diego 329

Seattle 259

Portland ( and other OR destinations) 289

Washington, DC 369

Newark 369

…many more

Between Juneau and 

L.A. Basin  (LAX, Long Beach, Orange County, Burbank, Ontario) 259

Phoenix/Tucson 279

Bay Area (SFO, Oakland, San Jose) 239

Reno 239

Portland (and other OR destinations) 219

Seattle 189

San Diego 259

Washington, DC 299

…many more

There are other cities, but I cherry-picked the most popular. Check the website for full details at www.alaskaair.com

From the mountains to the sea, the Great Alaskan TourSaver, with more than 135 2-for-1 offers, lets you see the best of Alaska for less.

Think about it: you get your Honey to buy the book for $99.95 (He loves you, right??). Then, he pays for his cruise, his flightseeing trip, his hotel, his train ride and his admission to the cool attractions all around the state. Here’s a shot of the 2-for-1 train ride up to Denali Park from Anchorage:

Here comes the great part: you go for free, when you have the Great Alaskan TourSaver. 

Love it? We do. We thought you would, too. Here are some of the top picks on the 2-for-1 list around Alaska:

Let’s be clear: EVERY one of these offers is TWO-FOR-ONE!

a. Flightseeing to Denali, with Glacier Landing from Talkeetna Air Taxi! Check it out:

b. Whale-watching in Juneau!

c. A cruise on “Deadliest Catch’s” Aleutian Ballad in Ketchikan!

d. An expedition to an adventure lodge at Ailik Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park from Alaska Wildland Adventures.

e. A week-long wilderness adventure into Lake Clark National Park. Folks–this is an INCREDIBLE trip from Alaska Alpine Adventures. Check the site: www.alaskaalpineadventures.com

f. Helicopter flightseeing in Denali National Park from Era Helicopters.

g. Bear viewing/flightseeing in Kodiak with Island Air. Here’s a preview:

h. Glacier cruise from Renown Tours in Seward into Kenai Fjords National Park. Check it out:

i. Fishing in Juneau, Kodiak and along the Kenai River.

j. Sail on the Riverboat Discovery in Fairbanks.

k. Hike on a glacier with St. Elias Guides in Wrangell National Park.

l. Accommodations near Denali, in Kennicott, in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Valdez, Juneau, Kenai, Seward, or on the Kenai River.

m. See the Valley of the 10,000 Smokes in Katmai National Park!

n. Stay and sail to see the glaciers in Glacier Bay National Park! Oh–air fare from Juneau is 2-for-1 as well!

o. 2-for-1 air fare between Anchorage and Fairbanks on Era Aviation! Here’s a shot of one of their Dash-8s:

Don’t miss out on Alaska’s best travel deal. Order between now and Nov. 15 for FREE shipping to U.S. Addresses. Just $99.95 for more than $20,000 in 2-for-1 travel deals.

Am I excited about the new edition of the Great Alaskan TourSaver? OMG! Truly, Madly, Deeply! HAHA!

Order now: www.toursaver.com

Nothing like a little snow on the ground here in Anchorage to remind us that winter is on its way. 

After you’ve changed out your snow tires, get out your calendar and start planning for your 2009 travel. Alaska Airlines’ PFD offers must be purchased no later than Oct. 13. 

Don’t wait until the last minute, either. Plan now to get the best dates. Whether you’re going from Anchorage to Miami, Fairbanks to New York, Juneau to Hawaii–or anywhere in between, make your plans now and save a bundle with Alaska’s PFD travel deals. Here are some of my favorites:

Within Alaska:

Anchorage-Fairbanks $97 each way

Anchorage-Juneau $128 each way

Fairbanks-Juneau $163 each way

Fairbanks-Kodiak $185 each way

Juneau-Nome $244 each way

Juneau-Ketchikan $155 each way

From Anchorage to:

–Washington/Oregon/Idaho including Eugene, Klamath Falls, Walla Walla, Spokane, Boise, Pullman, Yakima, Medford, Portland: $229 each way

–British Columbia, Chicago, Minneapolis, Montana, Bay Area (SFO, Sacramento, Fresno, Reno, Santa Rosa): $249 each way

–So. Cal: $269 each way

–Dallas, Denver, Phoenix, Tucson: $289 each way

–Newark, Washington, DC, Boston, Orlando, Miami: $309 each way

–Mexico: $349 each way

–Hawaii: $289-$399 (depending on routing)each way

Fairbanks to:

–Seattle: $249 each way

–Pacific NW (WA/OR/ID): $279 each way

–BC, Montana, Bay Area: $299 each way

–Alberta, So. Cal.: $319 each way

–Chicago, Minneapolis, Dallas, Denver, Phoenix, Tucson, Las Vegas: $339 each way

–Newark, Washington, Boston, Orlando, Miami: $359 each way

–Mexico: $399 each way

–Hawaii (via Anchorage): $329 each way

Juneau/Sitka/Petersburg/Wrangell to:

–Seattle: $179 each way

–Pacific NW: $209 each way

–BC, Montana, Bay Area: $229 each way

–Alberta, So. Cal: $249 each way

–Chicago, Minneapolis, Dallas, Denver, Phoenix, Tucson, Las Vegas: $269 each way

–Newark, Washington, Boston, Orlando, Miami: $349 each way

–Hawaii (via Anchorage): $309

Specials sale fares available to/from Nome, Kotzebue, Cordova, Yakutat, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Bethel, Dutch Harbor, Adak and Barrow.

We took another trip on Alaska’s Marine Highway this week, back from Ketchikan to Juneau on the mighty m/v Taku. I took this shot off the stern as we were coming into Wrangell at about 9:00pm: 

In Ketchikan, we stayed at the Best Western Landing hotel because it’s got free wireless, a good breakfast spot– and it’s right across the street from the ferry terminal. In fact, here’s a shot of the hotel that I took from the deck of the Taku. That’s the ferry terminal on the left. The hotel has the green roofs. Squint and you can see the “Best Western” logo on the building on the right. And although they have a free shuttle, you don’t really need it.

We rented a car from my friend Rob Skinner at Budget, located at Skinner Sales and Service. 

While we were there, Continue Reading »

Barely 20 miles out of Juneau is some of the wildest country you’ll ever see. But you can’t drive there. You have to get there by boat, plane or helicopter. 

We opted for a boat. A friend’s boat, actually. One of my good friends, Jack Manning, is active in a local outdoor-enthusiast’s group: The Territorial Sportsmen. This group builds and maintains cabins on public lands for sportsmen, hikers and adventurers. Here’s a picture of his boat, anchored in the Taku River:

After setting out from Douglas Harbor, across the bridge from Juneau, our first landfall was at the Taku Glacier Cabin. Continue Reading »