Retire in Alaska

Frommer's Alaska 2010 (Frommer's Color Complete Guides)

Description

• Completely updated every year, Frommer's Alaska features gorgeous color photos of the sights and experiences that await you.
• Our expert author lets you know your best bets for spotting wildlife, catching salmon or halibut, and getting up-close-and-personal with glaciers. Plus, detailed information on Alaska’s most scenic drives and where you can go to interact with Native people and culture.
• Our cruise experts break down the variety of Alaska cruises, from the debate between small versus large boats to who you can expect to be sailing with when you choose a particular cruise line. 
• Plus, the best scenic drives along Alaska's highways, a guide to exploring Denali and Kenai Fjords national parks, "when, where and how" for viewing bears, whales, and other wildlife and insider advice on getting the most out of your Alaska cruise experience

Discover The Best of Alaska
Content from Frommer's Alaska 2010

As a child, when my family traveled outside Alaska for vacations, I often met other children who asked, “Wow, you live in Alaska? What’s it like?” I never did well with that question. To me, the place I was visiting was far simpler and easier to describe than the one I was from. The Lower 48 seemed a fairly homogeneous land of freeways and fast food, a well-mapped network of established places. Alaska, on the other hand, wasn’t even completely explored. Natural forces of vast scale and subtlety were still shaping the land in their own way, inscribing a different story on each of an infinite number of unexpected places. Each region, whether populated or not, was unique far beyond my ability to explain. Alaska was so large and new, so unconquered and exquisitely real, as to defy summation.

In contrast to many places you might choose to visit, it’s Alaska’s unformed newness that makes it so interesting and fun. Despite the best efforts of tour planners, the most memorable parts of a visit are unpredictable and often unexpected: a humpback whale leaping clear of the water, the face of a glacier releasing huge ice chunks, a bear feasting on salmon in a river, a huge salmon chomping onto your line. You can look at totem poles and see Alaska Native cultural demonstrations, and you can also get to know indigenous people who still live by traditional ways. And sometimes grand, quiet moments come, and those are the ones that endure most deeply.

As the writer of this guidebook, I aim to help you get to places where you may encounter what’s new, real, and unexpected. Opening yourself to those experiences is your job, but it’s an effort that’s likely to pay off. Although I have lived here all my life, I often envy the stories visitors tell me about the Alaskan places they have gone to and what happened there. No one owns Alaska, and most of us are newcomers here. In all this immensity, a visitor fresh off the boat is just as likely as a lifelong resident to see or do something amazing.

Alaska's Top Destinations by Category

The Best Views	The Best Alaska Cruises	The Best Glaciers
The Best Fishing	The Best Bear Viewing	The Best Marine Mammal Viewing
The Best Encounters with Native Culture	The Best Hotels	The Best Winter Destinations

Reviews

Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-08-26
Summary: "Great guide to Alaska!"

This book covers visiting the state of Alaska quite thoroughly, with 45 pages devoted specifically to Denali National Park (which is of particular interest to me). The included foldout map is highly detailed and useful. It is great to see that both Frommer's and Fodor's have been increasingly adding more and more color photos to their travel guides. Previously, the DK Eyewitness Travel Guides and Apa Insight Guides had more color photos in their books, but I felt that they sometimes had too many photos at the expense of informative text. Frommer's and Fodor's use fewer color photos and more text on their pages. Thorough coverage of a state filled with beautifully wild and rugged scenery.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-07-21
Summary: "Awesome, very helpful book!!"

After looking through this book I really hope we can make it to Alaska!! There's great tips, helpful info, color pictures. It's organized into sections which is very helpful & gives you page numbers when it refers to something that was discussed in more depth in another section. It has suggested itineraries for different kinds of travelers. I really don't know what more you could ask for in a travel guide.

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Rating: 3 / 5
Date: 2010-07-01
Summary: "good for alaska but not for Yukon loop to skagway"

Pretty good for Alaska but does not cover the Yukon Territory. I realize that the Yukon is in Canada but most of those who drive the Alcan highway or travel from Fairbanks to Skagway must travel thru a portion of the Yukon and will have to purchase a second guide.

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Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2010-06-26
Summary: "handy guide to Alaska travel"

This follows the usual Frommer pattern, and the result is a very useful, comprehensive guide to help you plan a trip to Alaska. Many maps, directions, tips, and all the usual, of course. I also like the intro material on Alaska's political and natural history, and context setting on what Alaska is today.

I got this because I'd like to "see Alaska", but that's a little like saying "see Australia" -- it's a vast place. The "Best of Alaska" chapter at the beginning is an excellent place to start. After reading that it's easy to start thinking of multiple trips.

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Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2010-06-15
Summary: "Great cover but you need more maps"

Frommer's Alaska 2010

I really liked this guide more so than other Frommer's guides I've read. This one just seems to have a personal touch to it. I love the outdoors and Alaska in my mind is THE OUTDOORS place to go. I really liked this book but I know for the things I want to do like hiking and camping and such that I will need better and more maps. As with other Frommer's guides my favorite chapter is the suggested itineraries. You find your basics covered in this book, cost, where to eat, stay, what to see, phone numbers and websites. A full color fold out map is in the back but its not very detailed.