best tent camping glacier park image
mr pickle
I am a little ruff and tuff so fancy is not important.
Answer
If you are short on time, the cruise ships to Alaska are having some great deals right now, under $500. That way, you won't have to worry about food and lodging and you can do your own thing when you are in the ports. You can explore around while everyone else is shopping for t-shirts.
If you take the ferry from Bellingham, you can get a stateroom or you can bring a sleeping bag and sleep on deck with other campers. No cooking on deck, but you can bring food or eat in the cafeteria. (cheaper to bring your own for at least one meal a day)
Another idea: Alaska Airlines is having web specials. You have to watch the internet every day, as they change every day. You can also try the online travel sites and other airlines. I would recommend buying a roundtrip ticket from wherever you live to Anchorage or Fairbanks, with a planned free stopover in Juneau. Then, in Juneau you can see the ocean, hike in the rain forest, see totem poles, see a glacier, walk on the beach, etc. Check out the Lonely Planet guide to Alaska and Juneau web sites for ideas of Juneau attractions. You can get to most of those places by public transportation. If you want to get out of town a bit, you can sign up for sea kayaking or take the ferry (Alaska Marine Highway System) to Sitka and back.
Then, take a plane to Fairbanks or Anchorage and see a different part of the state. From Anchorage you can rent a car and see the Kenai Peninsula or ride the ferries between Whittier and Seward and take a train or bus back to Anchorage. In Fairbanks, you can drive north to the Yukon River, pan for gold, see an ice museum. The Alaska Railroad goes between Fairbanks and Anchorage, stopping in Denali National Park. Make reservations ahead of time to take one of the Park buses into the Park. There are commercial tours that go in about 20 miles. You want to take the buses that go at least as far as the Eielson Center, because if the weather is clear you will be able to see Mt. McKinley from there. Also, the farther into the Park you go, the more animals you will see. Make your housing reservations early, too. Don't wing it. There are campgrounds, hostels, B & B's and hotels near the park. In the park, there are only campgrounds.You will need to bring your own food and water on the bus. They are old school buses. Wear a jacket, as you will be in the mountains.
In a nutshell--
visit the coast, the northern part of the state and Mt. McKinley National Park.
Travel by ferry, cruise ship, airplane, rental car and train.
Stay in hostels or if you don't mind carrying lots of stuff, camp out. (you'll need a tent, camping pad, sleeping bag, mosquito repellent, cooking gear, etc.)
Hotels are not cheap.
Bring your camera and have lots of fun! Alaskans are friendly people and there are outdoor concerts and other fun summer happenings. Lots of things to do for free. Go for it!
If you are short on time, the cruise ships to Alaska are having some great deals right now, under $500. That way, you won't have to worry about food and lodging and you can do your own thing when you are in the ports. You can explore around while everyone else is shopping for t-shirts.
If you take the ferry from Bellingham, you can get a stateroom or you can bring a sleeping bag and sleep on deck with other campers. No cooking on deck, but you can bring food or eat in the cafeteria. (cheaper to bring your own for at least one meal a day)
Another idea: Alaska Airlines is having web specials. You have to watch the internet every day, as they change every day. You can also try the online travel sites and other airlines. I would recommend buying a roundtrip ticket from wherever you live to Anchorage or Fairbanks, with a planned free stopover in Juneau. Then, in Juneau you can see the ocean, hike in the rain forest, see totem poles, see a glacier, walk on the beach, etc. Check out the Lonely Planet guide to Alaska and Juneau web sites for ideas of Juneau attractions. You can get to most of those places by public transportation. If you want to get out of town a bit, you can sign up for sea kayaking or take the ferry (Alaska Marine Highway System) to Sitka and back.
Then, take a plane to Fairbanks or Anchorage and see a different part of the state. From Anchorage you can rent a car and see the Kenai Peninsula or ride the ferries between Whittier and Seward and take a train or bus back to Anchorage. In Fairbanks, you can drive north to the Yukon River, pan for gold, see an ice museum. The Alaska Railroad goes between Fairbanks and Anchorage, stopping in Denali National Park. Make reservations ahead of time to take one of the Park buses into the Park. There are commercial tours that go in about 20 miles. You want to take the buses that go at least as far as the Eielson Center, because if the weather is clear you will be able to see Mt. McKinley from there. Also, the farther into the Park you go, the more animals you will see. Make your housing reservations early, too. Don't wing it. There are campgrounds, hostels, B & B's and hotels near the park. In the park, there are only campgrounds.You will need to bring your own food and water on the bus. They are old school buses. Wear a jacket, as you will be in the mountains.
In a nutshell--
visit the coast, the northern part of the state and Mt. McKinley National Park.
Travel by ferry, cruise ship, airplane, rental car and train.
Stay in hostels or if you don't mind carrying lots of stuff, camp out. (you'll need a tent, camping pad, sleeping bag, mosquito repellent, cooking gear, etc.)
Hotels are not cheap.
Bring your camera and have lots of fun! Alaskans are friendly people and there are outdoor concerts and other fun summer happenings. Lots of things to do for free. Go for it!
How do you decide HOW MUCH money to spend on your family vacation?
LM
I assume this varies from famility to family, but is there a good rule of thumb on how much is a "right" ammount related with your income?
Is a month's worth of your salary too much, too little, just right?
how do you do it?
LM
Answer
My rule of thumb for *any* entertainment is this: don't spend more than you can earn in the same period of time. For example, if I earn $20/hr, then I'd better not spend more than $40 at a movie theater for a two-hour movie, and yes, this even means not spending more than $20 for an hour-long dinner at a restaurant. Similarly, I wouldn't want to spend more than $800 for a week-long vacation ($20/hr * 40 hrs/week.) The reason is simple... I don't want to have to *work longer* in order to *play less*.
For vacations, we love to go tent camping... and that's great, because it's one of the cheapest family vacations available. As a result, our family tradition is four years of camping vacations followed by one splurge year... and in this case, we'd prefer the splurge to stay within the rule of thumb above, but we're flexible this time, since it only happens once every five years.
As for this year, we're going to go tent camping to Glacier Nat'l Park (we live in the Northwest.)
Have a great vacation this summer!
My rule of thumb for *any* entertainment is this: don't spend more than you can earn in the same period of time. For example, if I earn $20/hr, then I'd better not spend more than $40 at a movie theater for a two-hour movie, and yes, this even means not spending more than $20 for an hour-long dinner at a restaurant. Similarly, I wouldn't want to spend more than $800 for a week-long vacation ($20/hr * 40 hrs/week.) The reason is simple... I don't want to have to *work longer* in order to *play less*.
For vacations, we love to go tent camping... and that's great, because it's one of the cheapest family vacations available. As a result, our family tradition is four years of camping vacations followed by one splurge year... and in this case, we'd prefer the splurge to stay within the rule of thumb above, but we're flexible this time, since it only happens once every five years.
As for this year, we're going to go tent camping to Glacier Nat'l Park (we live in the Northwest.)
Have a great vacation this summer!
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