Buying Alaska

Above, Skagway, Alaska in 2001. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A couple of days ago, I found a channel that caught my attention through the Roku channel.

It is called Buying Alaska. In each episode, couples and families leave the lower 48 states and go to Alaska to buy a home. Also, some episodes have Alaskan residents looking to buy a cabin for getaways for recreation (hunting and fishing). 

Besides the natural beauty of the state, they show three properties shown by a realtor and leave it to the viewer to guess which one was the final selection before it is revealed. 

It is interesting to see homes with unique decor with some described as "definitely Alaskan" or similar descriptions. 

I have been to Alaska through a cruise with my mom and daughter in 2001. The natural beauty of the state is really something to behold. 

If your television is Roku-equipped, be sure to check out Buying Alaska.

5 Best Cruise Lines For Retirees

Above, a cruise ship near a Alaska glacier. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To be honest, taking cruises isn't my favorite mode of travel. Yes, I've been on three cruises and enjoyed each one of them. My favorite mode of travel is RVing. If a cruise comes up that is very interesting to me, I may indulge myself and go.

That being said, for seniors who do not have an RV, cruises may be just what one's doctor ordered.  

Above, a view of Skagway, Alaska. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Kiplinger has posted the five best cruise lines for seniors. Of the five, I have cruised with one of them, Celebrity Cruises. The cruise I took was to Alaska.

They begin with:

Retirement is the perfect time to set sail. Whether you’re chasing fun, adventure, or bucket-list destinations, cruises offer seniors the comfort, easy access, and unforgettable experiences they deserve after years of work.

According to Shore Excursions Group, seniors make up a significant share of the cruise market, with 32% of passengers being 65-plus.

"Additionally," says Jason R. Margulies, Partner & Maritime Attorney at Lipcon, Marqulies & Winkleman, "since cruises are a mode of transport in and of themselves, seniors don’t have to worry about the chaos of packing and unpacking at each port, moving to different hotels and rooms every night, and the other concerns that come with traveling by land or air to the next destination."

If you’re looking for an experience on ocean waves or river swells, dive into why cruises offer an out-of-this-world adventure for retirees, what to look for in a cruise line, and our top picks for the five best ones suited to active golden agers.

Above, our ship, Celebrity Mercury, docked at Juneau, Alaska. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To read more, go here. 

Book Your 2019 Alaska Cruise Now

Above, Alaskan totem poles. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Back in 2000, my mom, daughter and I took an Alaska cruise with Celebrity Cruises. It took us to places such as Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan and Mendenhall Glacier.

Condé Nast Traveler has six Alaska cruises profiled. The thing of it is: you should book now.

They begin with:

Calling all adventure travelers: Priceline is offering some big discounts on 200 Alaskan cruises for 2019, with sailings starting at $449 per person for four- to seven-day routes. That's $449 to cruise the Inside Passage, swing by glaciers and fjords, and spot all the wildlife. Yes please. It's all part of the Alaska Cruise Month offer, which highlights deals from major lines like Celebrity, Holland America, Princess, and Norwegian, and helps you save up to 75 percent when you book (think up to $1,000 of onboard credit and up to an additional $200 in shore excursion credit). Travel is available from April through September 2019—the best time to cruise in Alaska, as previously reported by Traveler—and you have the rest of October to book. 

If an Alaska cruise suits your fancy, the time is now to take advantage of discounts.

To read more, go here. 

What You Need To Know About RVing In Alaska

Above, Skagway, Alaska. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The first time I've ever heard of going to Alaska in a RV was when a friend's dad joined a guided group caravan of RVs. That was around 30 years ago.

I have been to Alaska, but that was on week-long cruise with stops at Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Mendenhall Glacier and other places.

RV Life has an article on what to expect if one is going to Alaska by RV along with tips and advice.

They begin it with:

To most people, the largest state in the nation conjures up visions of natural adventures, untamed places, and wild people.  Alaska is a BIG land.  If you overlay the state of Alaska with the contiguous US, it would stretch from the California coast to the Florida panhandle and north to the Great Lakes.  Even with its large land size, Alaska ranks 48th in population with fewer than 700,000 people living here, making it one of the most sparsely populated areas in the world (approximately 1 person per square mile).  Roughly half of Alaska’s population lives within Anchorage, leaving the rest of the enormous state vast and unpopulated. 

Alaska is considered to be the “Last Frontier” and truly, it is.  You have to be pretty hearty to deal with the harsh climate, wildly changing length of day from season to season, raw wilderness that composes so much of the state, and also the remoteness and isolation.  Those who do well in this environment are self-reliant, possess plenty of patience, and have an ability to adapt, improvise, and create in order to best experience all that Alaska has to offer.  Keeping all of this in mind, here are some tips and advice to consider when planning your Alaskan RV trip.

If I were to consider going to Alaska by RV, I would do it the same way my friend's dad did. At least there would likely be a mechanic within the group (in case of mechanical problems) as well as a guide.

To read more, go here.

Cruising Alaska? Alternatives To Pricey Excursions

Photos by Armand Vaquer

It is cruise season in Alaska and Japan Today (of all places) has an article on saving money on off-ship activities (referred to as "excursions").

According to Japan Today:

JUNEAU, Alaska —It’s cruise season in Alaska, with more than 1 million cruise passengers expected between April and September in port towns from Ketchikan to Seward. 

Cruise passengers who sign up for shore excursions can spend hundreds of dollars, if not more in the case of families, in each port they visit. Taking a helicopter to see Juneau-area ice fields can easily run $1,000 for a family of four for a one-hour trip. A nature tour near the tiny town of Ketchikan can run $89 for adults and $50 for kids. 

But there are many low-cost and even free things to do in Alaska port towns, from hiking to exploring glaciers to learning about Alaska and Native culture. 

They then provide some ideas from some of Alaska's most-visited ports.

Back in 2000, my mom, daughter and I took an Alaskan cruise with Celebrity Cruises.  The accompanying photos are from that trip. We found then that the off-ship excursions were pricey.  We settled for a (relatively inexpensive) tour and talk about totem poles at a park in Ketchikan.

We saw some beautiful scenery that included glaciers, forested mountains, whales, eagles, rustic towns and, of course, totem poles.   We even toured a fish hatchery.

We also visited Juneau (Alaska's capital city), Ketchikan and Skagway.  We wandered around and did some shopping.

To view the full article, go here.