[Travelandtourism] back from Alaska
Julie J.
julielj at neb.rr.com
Wed Jun 20 20:27:44 UTC 2012
I priced a trip to Alaska through a travel agent. It would have cost
about $2000 more. We wouldn't have done these things that I personally
picked based on our exact interests and I would have missed out on the
fun of planning.
I think there is a lot of emphasis in the travel and tourism division
about being or using a travel agent. Perhaps this is where some of the
confusion comes from? I enjoy planning my own trips and would be happy
to help others with tips who don't want to go through a travel agent or
large booking company.
Julie
On 6/20/2012 3:20 PM, cheryl echevarria wrote:
> exactly, the names of the places, so I can recommend them to others. You gave me the information I wanted.
>
>
> Yes there is, but it is used through a tour supplier, that makes arrangements with these companies that serviced you.
> That is one of the opportunities of using a travel professional on things like this.
> Leading the Way in Independent Travel!
> Cheryl Echevarria, Ownerhttp://www.echevarriatravel.com631-456-5394reservations@echevarriatravel.comhttp://www.echevarriatravel.wordpress.com
> PresidentTravel and Tourism DivisionNational Federation of the Blind631-236-5138
>
>
>
>> Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2012 15:03:39 -0500
>> From: julielj at neb.rr.com
>> To: travelandtourism at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: Re: [Travelandtourism] back from Alaska
>>
>> I didn't go through a travel agent or tour company. I contacted each
>> guide individually and booked the trips myself.
>> The clam guide was Mary Clock booked through Soaring Eagle Village owned
>> and operated by John Burn. The museum and visitors centers were local
>> things, we just walked in without reservations. The ferry is a
>> regularly scheduled daily or most days, trip. You can purchase tickets
>> in advance, but it's not really necessary unless you were in a big group
>> or something. The kayaking was with Seaside Adventures owned and
>> operated by Rick and Dorla Harness. The fishing was through Skookum
>> Charters owned and operated by Jim Lavrakas. The dog sled place was
>> called the Howling Husky Homestead and the woman was Linda but I can't
>> remember her last name.
>>
>> Something to keep in mind about rural Alaska is that you are dealing
>> with individuals, not large companies. Most have web sites, but
>> internet is not as used up there as it is here. I don't think there was
>> an option to book any of these trips via an internet form. I contacted
>> them by email or phone and set things up. The fishing guide and the
>> kayaking guides live in places that don't have electricity. Sometimes
>> you have to wait days in between messages because they aren't in a place
>> where they have access to internet. Even the mail is only delivered by
>> boat twice a week out on the tiny islands where we were.
>>
>> HTH
>> Julie
>>
>>
>> echevarria wrote:
>>> May I ask which tour company you used.
>>> I loved all of it, please put more, we are thinking of going to UTAH, in 2013 as a division, and possibly maybe in 2014 Hawaii or Alaska, but one trip at a time.
>>> I am actually looking forward to going to Utah.
>>> Reason asking about tour company, I might want to use them as a supplier, or for someone else going to Alaska.
>>> Thank you for posting Julie.
>>> I hope others will comment and post as well, we have over 200 members on this talk list, so hoping that many of you will communicate with us as well.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Leading the Way in Independent Travel!
>>> Cheryl Echevarria, Ownerhttp://www.echevarriatravel.com631-456-5394reservations@echevarriatravel.comhttp://www.echevarriatravel.wordpress.com
>>> PresidentTravel and Tourism DivisionNational Federation of the Blind631-236-5138
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2012 13:54:32 -0500
>>>> From: julielj at neb.rr.com
>>>> To: travelandtourism at nfbnet.org
>>>> Subject: [Travelandtourism] back from Alaska
>>>>
>>>> Heya all!
>>>>
>>>> I've actually been back for almost a week now, but catching up with
>>>> everything has been a huge effort.
>>>>
>>>> Anyhow, Alaska was amazing! I highly recommend it to anyone with a bit
>>>> of an adventurous, outdoor interest. We ended up spending our whole
>>>> vacation, about a week in Homer on the Kenai Peninsula. The weather was
>>>> in the low 50's the whole time. It sprinkled a couple of days, but
>>>> nothing like what we get in the Midwest.
>>>>
>>>> I did not take my guide dog. I used my cane or went sighted guide while
>>>> there. Much of the terrain is fairly rugged, lots of rocks, uneven
>>>> gravel paths, steep inclines etc. It was a challenging travel
>>>> situation, but all the tour guides were exceptional! I did not tell any
>>>> of them in advance of my blindness. That has worked out badly in the
>>>> past. I prefer to deal with things as they come in person.
>>>>
>>>> We went digging for Razor Clams. This is a serious workout and
>>>> seriously dirty work. The clams are very good though, better than I can
>>>> buy in a store here.
>>>>
>>>> We went to a local museum. It was small, but very nicely done. It's
>>>> modern so has the typical combination of things behind glass to look
>>>> at, audio displays, audio/video movies and some things to touch. I
>>>> enjoyed it.
>>>>
>>>> We went kayaking. I've never been before so was a little unsure about
>>>> how this was going to work, but like everything else I figure it out as
>>>> I go. The company uses very stable, double seat boats. My sighted son
>>>> sat in the back seat, so he could use the foot pedals to move the
>>>> rudder. He told me which way to paddle. This particular tour is not a
>>>> sport kayaking trip, but a more sight seeing via kayak trip. We saw all
>>>> sorts of sea critters, sea stars, anemones, jelly fish, many varieties
>>>> of kelp etc. Our guide told us about local land features, history,
>>>> weather, earthquakes, volcanoes, glaciers, the native people and
>>>> wildlife as we went. They were also very easy about my blindness. At
>>>> every opportunity they pulled things out of the ocean for me to touch.
>>>> Sea stars feel like sandpaper. anenomies are like a ball of very soft
>>>> jello.
>>>>
>>>> Next we took a ferry to Seldoviaa, a nearby native village only
>>>> accessible by boat. This afternoon was taken up with shopping,
>>>> sightseeing, a visitors center, lunch at a tiny cafe and coffee at the
>>>> most remote location on the planet. The main road connects to a dirt
>>>> path through the forest. You go until you see the "open" sign on a
>>>> tree. That's where you turn and go down a very windy, very steep dirt
>>>> path to the water. The coffee shop was built over the water, but partly
>>>> over the shore. It was an experience I will never forget!
>>>>
>>>> We visited the Howling Husky Homestead. The lady who runs it does not
>>>> compete in dog sled races, but rescues retired or neglected sled dogs
>>>> and runs them on her land as a hobby. Again I got to touch lots of
>>>> stuff, the dogs, the harness, the sled, clothing and lots more.
>>>>
>>>> Our final excursion was a combination fishing/sightseeing/eating boat
>>>> trip. We did a bit of sightseeing on the way to the fishing spot. then
>>>> we fished for our lunch. I caught two and Kiddo probably caught four
>>>> including a small Halibut. Kiddo and the guide cleaned the fish, which
>>>> was then incorporated into our lunch on a tiny island where the guide
>>>> lives. No electricity and no running water out there. After lunch
>>>> Kiddo and the guide went wading in a tide pool to collect sea
>>>> creatures. They brought them back to the picnic table where I had opted
>>>> to rest and enjoy a bit of quiet time. I got to see all the little
>>>> creepy crawlies while they looked them up in a reference book to try to
>>>> identify the ones they didn't know. Then it was back on the boat for
>>>> more sightseeing and pictures. I have some very good pictures from this
>>>> part of our trip. One is of a seal on a rock and the other is a bald
>>>> eagle over the water a split second after he has grabbed a fish.
>>>>
>>>> Our last day we checked out the Alaskan Islands and Ocean Visitor
>>>> Center, did some shopping and ate some more seafood.
>>>>
>>>> The only really bad part of the trip was the three separate planes we
>>>> had to take to get there and the layovers. I didn't have any problems
>>>> with airport staff, security or lost bags or anything like that. It was
>>>> just going from rural Nebraska to rural Alaska takes a while.
>>>>
>>>> I'm working on a longer more detailed travel log. I'm about half done
>>>> with it. If anyone would like to read it, I'd be glad to share.
>>>>
>>>> I would also like to ask that if anyone wishes to repost this to other
>>>> lists or share it anywhere on the internet that you ask first.
>>>>
>>>> Thanks!
>>>> Julie
>>>>
>>>>
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