Finally, the time has come to begin making plans for our big RV trip of the summer. This summer, we will be spending 2 weeks in Alaska with an RV. Not our own RV, but a rented 31 footer with 2 slide outs. We decided after much deliberating, really over the past two years, that taking our own RV and doing the Alaskan highway just isn’t possible right now. As much as it is a dream of ours, being gone for a least a month is challenging. After nixing the drive to and from Alaska, we settled on flying into Anchorage, renting an RV, and taking our time enjoying the Alaskan frontier for two weeks. Look out moose- I’m coming for ya!
Back in January, when we began to get serious about heading to Alaska, we reserved and paid for our RV. Because we were planning ahead, we got to choose the style, size, and amenities in our RV with little restriction. Planning ahead not only gave us the pick of the newest and best rentals, but it saved us a lot of money, too. Did you know if you book an RV early, you can save money? It’s true! Campers can save a lot of money by booking long before the crowds start booking for the season. We saved about 2,000 by reserving our RV well in advance. We went with a company that is reputable, and provided my family and I three RVs back in 2009 when we caravanned across the Kenai: ABC Motorhome and Car Rentals . We loved the services ABC Motorhome provided us so much, we became return customers. My dad (who was the one who gave me my first RV experience in Alaska in 2009) and I both decided to head back to Alaska this summer to spend time in an RV. This time, we are doing the trip on our own, not together, but we are both very excited to be in one of our most memorable vacation spots. Looking for an RV? I highly recommend ABC!
Even though Pat and I have been brainstorming the trip this summer since January, we began to solidify our plans this weekend. We are 2 months from our trip, the Alaskan RV season is just around the corner, and it is time to look ahead and book our RV sites. Pat and I are planners by nature, so we needed to have a rough itinerary of where we will be traveling, and for how long we will be at each destination. So this morning on cold and snowy spring morning, Pat and I sat with our warm coffees in our hands, and we talked about where we wanted to go, we talked about what we wanted to see, and we decided on what would be best itinerary for our trip.
To begin: we researched. We really love our Milepost Book, and The Good Sam Club website. We found that these two resources are some of the best out there for Alaskan RVers. Once we decided on where we wanted to head, and found the best places to hook up for the night in the towns we wanted to stay in. For us, a full-hook up location is best, especially when the park offers free Wifi. We chose the parks with the highest ratings according to Good Sam Members, and parks that had a functioning website with pictures of the layout, RV parking spots, restrooms, laundry, and other important facilities. Let’s face it. I am a little high maintenance. I can’t help it. That’s why I love an RV. It’s like Glamping, but a little less structured, and a lot more Coors Light and a lot less champagne.
Here is our two week game plan:
Anchorage
Wasilla
Denali
Seward
Ninilchick
Homer
Soldotna
Girdwood
Alyeska
Whittier
…and back to Anchorage!
Now that we have the basics down, and we’ve booked the places we will be staying, we will begin to plan the activities we will want to do in each location. Although we pretty much know what each town offers, we still need to do more research. So far we are thinking ocean kayaking, glacier tours, hiking, and all the fresh fish eating our bellies can handle. Pat wants to know what adventures we will be going on, and I want to know how many moose I may see, how many baby otters I might watch floating on their backs, and if I might see as many bald eagles as I did last time. These are the important things, people. Have you seen a baby otter? If you have, you’d be thinking the same thing too. They are probably one of the cutest animals on the planet.
We can’t wait for more Alaskan RV planning soon! If you have suggestions, feel free to send them our way! We’d love some input on some things to do, places to eat, and the best breweries in the areas we will be heading.
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