Alaska is like few places on earth. Wild, rugged, scenic, and abundant with wildlife, it is a paradise. We cruised southbound from Anchorage to Vancouver. However, these Alaska cruise tips apply equally to northbound cruises, or those that loop. Alaska Cruise Tips: Planning 1. Plan early. More than other destinations, Alaska cruises tend to book …
Travel to Canada, Mexico, USA and the Caribbean
USA Adventure: Places to Visit on a USA Road Trip
The United States is a big country and planning a USA road trip can seem a bit overwhelming, even for people like us who once lived in the states. However, rather than one giant road trip USA, we have broken our tour of America into small segments. Whether it’s big cities or small towns, road …
Oregon Coast Road Trip Itinerary: Nature at its Best
Our Oregon coast road trip took us from Astoria, a delightful fishing village in the north, to the bottom of the state where we crossed into California. The weather didn’t always cooperate, but that didn’t slow us down. Fresh sea air and ever-changing coastal views are nature at its best. The 560 km (350 miles) …
One Day in Nashville Tennessee – Music City Rocks!
Nashville caught us by surprise. It’s a vibrant, diverse, energetic, and artistic city that welcomes musicians, visitors, and everyone in between. One day in Nashville is simply not enough. Appropriately earning the moniker Music City, it is the birthplace of country music. For us, Nashville was an unscheduled treat. Nature put a hurricane in our original …
Haunted St Augustine: Ghosts in America’s Oldest City
St Augustine Florida is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the United States. It’s a city filled with old world charm, Spanish influence, plenty of things to do, and ghost stories. Even non-believers (like my scientist husband) are fascinated by the legends and stories of haunted St Augustine. Why is St Augustine haunted? Some …
Kauai Excursions: Highlights of Kauai, Hawaii in a Day
The rain beat down as our ship docked in Kauai, an island that is one of nature’s most exquisite masterpieces regardless of the weather. We were ready to see the highlights. We hadn’t prebooked one of the ships Kauai excursions, and we were not going to let the weather slow us down. The fourth largest …
Birds and Alligators of Wakodahatchee Wetlands
Nature surrounds us as we stroll along the Wakodahatchee Wetlands boardwalk in Delray Beach Florida. Wading birds stand tall in the marsh, seemingly unaware as we pass. It’s a brilliant use of former wastewater, now a treatment facility that provides an open sanctuary for wetland birds and other Florida wildlife. Wakodahatchee Wetlands is home to …
Ketchikan Shore Excursions: Our Favorite Things to Do in Ketchikan Alaska
The Ketchikan Alaska cruise port is a stop for nearly every ship sailing the inside passage. Generally the first port for on northbound cruises heading to Anchorage, Ketchikan serves as an introduction to the rugged Alaskan frontier for many visitors. A quick glance at the ship’s Ketchikan shore excursions and it is clear that visitors …
Adventure and Other Things to do in Denali Alaska
Surrounded by some of the most beautiful landscape on the planet, our biggest decision at Denali National Park was what to do first. Did we want to be active and adventurous, passive and observant, or something in the middle? Like everywhere we went in Alaska, there are so many things to do in Denali National …
Seattle Itinerary: Top 10 Things to Do in Seattle in a Weekend
A vibrant city, I instantly fell in love with Seattle Washington. We only had a weekend but found plenty of things to do in Seattle. Located on Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest corner of the USA, it reminded me of our home in Auckland, New Zealand. Water, mountains, forests, and green parklands surround both …
Juneau whale watching, glaciers or other shore tours
Juneau Alaska is the largest US capital city by area, yet it’s also the only US capital not accessible by a road. It’s a metropolitan city surrounded by the rugged wilderness that makes Alaska famous. While Juneau whale watching topped my list, there are plenty of other things to do in Juneau for nature lovers, …
15 Free Things to do in Skagway Alaska: Excursions and Alternatives
Skagway is on the itinerary of just about every cruise ship sailing Alaska’s interior passage. Ours was no exception. There are more things to do in Skagway than hours ashore in this former gold rush town. The options range from expensive Skagway Alaska excursions to free tours, hikes and other mini adventures. Skagway excursions: Popular …
Driving Anchorage to Whittier to Cruise Alaska’s Interior Passage
Traveling slowly from Anchorage to Whittier allowed us time to explore the region and spot some native Alaskan animals. We couldn’t get enough of Alaska, and wish we had allowed ourselves more than a week in this rugged state before heading off on our Alaska cruise. As we quickly discovered, there is not an Anchorage …
Hiking Savage River Trail in Denali National Park, Alaska
The name Savage River is deceptive. Rather than a wildly cascading raging river, we found a bubbling stream inside Alaska’s Denali National Park. The river was named for Tom Savage. The park is one of nature’s masterpieces painted across six million acres of wild land. Private vehicles can only access the first 15 miles of …
Panoramic Views as we Ride the Alaska Railroad from Denali to Anchorage
As Alaska celebrates the 100th anniversary of Denali National Park, we couldn’t help reminiscing. While Denali is spectacular in its own right, one of our Alaska highlights was the 7-hour train travel from Denali to Anchorage. We rode the Denali Star in both directions. The weather was nicer on the way back, but unfortunately, the …
