How you can get to Alaska for the first time
Decide what you want out of the trip before you go
Important things to know about Alaska
Final Word
How you can get to Alaska for the first time
When you travel to Alaska for the first time, you have a few choices when it comes to how you get there. You can fly there, drive there, or, depending on where you are traveling from, you can take a cruise or ferry there.
In order to take a ferry, there you will need to be in Washington. The Alaska Marine Highway (the Alaska ferry system) only stops in Bellingham, Washington and Alaska. If you want to take a cruise to Alaska, you will need to be on the northern part of the west coast. The majority of cruises to Alaska depart from Seattle and San Francisco.
Flying to Alaska is as simple as going online and buying a plane ticket from the area that you plan on traveling from.
Driving to Alaska would require that you have your passport because you will need to drive through Canada in order to get there. The distance that you end up driving will depend on where you are departing from. If you are driving from Seattle to Anchorage, Alaska it will be about 2,300 miles. So, it will take about three days of driving to get there.
We recommend that you fly there. If you do, you can always ship your car there with us so that you can start driving around shortly after you arrive there.
Decide what you want out of the trip before you go
There is much more to do In Alaska than most people initially think. Sight-seeing, for example, is a big activity that residents and tourists alike enjoy. However, you will likely not be able to see everything that Alaska has to offer until you travel there a few times, or you move there permanently.
So, the point is that you will need to plan out what you want to see before your time there starts. If you want to see the northern lights, you should figure out the arrangements before you even leave for Alaska.
Important things to know about Alaska
Before you trek to Alaska, check out the following tips:
- Be prepared for a dry climate – The climate in Alaska tends to be much drier than most places in the country. There just is not a frequent amount of precipitation in the state.
- Get ready for things to cost a bit more – Most items cost a bit more in Alaska because they need to be imported a great distance. So, expect a slightly higher expense when you buy things there.
- You won’t get great cell phone service – Be ready for your cell phone to have little to no service when you are traveling in Alaska. There are not that many cell phone towers in the more remote portions of the state, thus there is less cell service.
- Alaska is not all snow – The southern portion of Alaska only sees snow as frequently as many places in the rest of the United States. It is the northern portions of Alaska that are covered in snow year-round.
- Alaska is huge – Alaska is actually the biggest state in the United States and its not really close. Texas is half the size of Alaska and Alaska is one-fifth of the size of the lower forty-eight states.
Final Word
Alaska is a wonderful place to visit and/or move to. You just need to figure out what you want to do when you get there as well as how you plan on traveling there. The most sensible option is to fly there. If you do and you want to save on the expense of renting a car, you can always ship your own car there with us.
