The Texan
Summer: A Cool Climate Winter: A Warm Climate
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Joined: 01/16/2004
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alaskan-rver wrote:The Texan wrote:...Alaska is a state, just like Florida or Georgia.
Except that our politics make you yearn for the calming logic of a Jerry Springer show! Florida was in that same spotlight 4 years ago. 
Bob & Betsy - USN Ret'd '78 & FL LEO Ret'd '03 
FMCA #F203528
'05 HR Endeavor, 40PRQ (Our Home) w/400 Cummins - With -'05 GMC Sierra SLT, CC Z-71, the pusher- With -
'07 Arctic Cat 500A & Wilderness Kayak, riding in the pusher -
Our Current Location
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bee_46
Jarrettsville, Md
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Joined: 02/03/2005
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We have gone twice by ourselves and prefer the freedom to spend extra time some places and leave early or skip others entirely. For our first trip I did research caravan itineries online to get a feel for things to see and do and then tailored the trip to our likings. We often found others in the campground to socialize with and compare notes with as we traveled and often ran into them in other campgrounds along the way. We did talk to folks who were with caravans who were having a good time, but it was not worth the extra money to us. We never felt the need for the added security. Alaska and Canada are just a safe as anywhere in the lower 48 and probably safer than some places.
Bobbie
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Tee Jay
Port Angeles, WA
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Joined: 11/25/2007
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CARAVAN - quick way to drop $5,000
They favor motorhomes. The leaders are clueless about trailers. Watching a Caravan pull in to a RV park is better than a circus. The motorhomes get pull-thrus and the trailers get back-ins, without regard to size. I've watched 'em for most of a summer in Alaska, mostly Fantasy.
May be worth it if you meet and like the people on the tour, but the tour may have people you prefer to avoid.
Try the Visitor/Tourism sites for Alberta, BC, Yukon and Alaska. Get the Milepost . Look at the older Trip to Alaska threads here. Lots of free information.
I'm prejudiced. I own property in Alaska, I've lived there in the '60's and 70's, and I return frequently. But I would not pay a premium for an RV tour of the Southeast, or any other area of the country.
For info, a Verizon phone works as far as Ft Nelson, and again from Tok. Don't know if anyone else offers better coverage. Lots of dead areas, no matter the provider. Also, Satellite radio quits around Kluane Lake.
Whatever your decision, hope you have a good time.
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BobSmith
Varies
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Joined: 08/18/2007
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I think that folks who consider going with a caravan do so for specific reason. Such as they prefer to travel with a group of others. Or they some "concerns" they feel a caravan will alleviate.
Maybe post why your are considering a caravan and others who have made the trip (with or without caravan) can address your specific issues.
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campalaska
Alaska
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Joined: 05/09/2008
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ALONE, with others you will see to much you dont want to see and not enough of what you do.
- 1999 GMC Sierra 2500 Extended Cab 6.5FT Bed
- Firestone Ride-Rite Airbags.
- 1999 Adventurer 810ws
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campalaska
Alaska
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dosnt take me alone with 500,000 others any longer to go traveling here and it can be very different. a lot of people don't own cars and get around with atv's and snowmobiles. if your talking RV kind of traveling in the summer its the same in the winter i cant get by with out the plow on my truck, and there's no campgrounds so you plow your own. for most people when there here its exactly the same.
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rlennox
Rochester, NY
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I don't think I could take caravaning any more than I could a cruise or one of those 7-European-countries-in-6-days things. I like to stay a while where I find things interesting. We're planning an AK trip in '09 with friends - a caravan of two 5ers - with no set return date.
Been there twice before - winter (for the Iditarod) and summer (tent camped for 8 weeks) during the Klondike anniversary year.
The fiver will seem like 5-star digs.
Bob & Nancy Lennox
2005 V-10 F-250SD SC - Line-X, Custom Flow, Highway Products
2005 Jayco Designer 31RLS
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Hayes
Grand Prairie, TX
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We have been on one commercial caravan and will never do it again. We had to make the same trip the next year so we could have the time to see everything. Everything is too rushed with the caravan schedule.
We went to Alaska alone and loved it. We did what we wanted to when we wanted to. If we wanted to sleep in occassionaly, we could. Do not worry about problems along the route. There are plenty of other Rv'ers that will stop and assist, if necessary. You still get to make a lot of new friends along the way as you generally would stop at the same places and stay in some of the same campgrounds.
Hayes
Jerry, Alma & Jasper the lovable Corgi
International 4700 Custom Tow Truck (Pepaw's Pull Toy)
38' King of the Road Marquis fifth wheel.
"Running the roads seeing God's Great Creation!"
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Hjudge49
St. Augustine, Fl.
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I've never been on a caravan, but I have been on a 21 day coach tour in Europe. Even though we had a wonderful driver and a fantastic tour guide, and the people on the coach were interesting and fun, I would never again subject myself to someone else's timetable. There were many instances where our family would have stayed places longer, or left earlier that the group tour dictated. When we were in Fairbanks this summer, some of the folks from a caravan were trying to do laundry. They had to stop before the clothes were dry because it was time to catch the bus to the "salmon bake". I guess if you are someone who doesn't like to plan for yourself and likes a packaged life, caravans are okay. IMHO, the perfect trip is DW and I and maybe 1 or 2 other couples (in their rigs!). That way you have companionship plus flexibility. Either way you should find Alaska to be the trip of a lifetime.
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DonP
N-E-Where-USA
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In 05 we spent the summer in AK on our own kind of. We traveled at our pace but met lots of people. In Seward we were going to stay the weekend and were there 10 days. We did meet some people from a caravan that hated it, they were dropping out the next day.
Don
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