Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 192
Thousands upon thousands of travelers have been stuck recently in transportation hell due to a number of problems. Whether it's weather, lack of airline employees, FAA system failures, it's a real bummer. Stalled before even boarding There is nothing more chilling for a traveler that to arrive at the airport and see "canceled" up and down a flight monitor. That's what happened on Dec. 22, when a bomb cyclone hit the upper Midwest, shutting down 2,700 flights on Dec. 22 and 5,700 the next day....
For 39 years, Angel Flight West has transported thousands of people to medical care – for free. Flights are generally for passengers who can't afford airline tickets, or for whom travel by land or commercial airline could pose a physical hardship, passengers with compromised immune systems or who live in remote areas without access to commercial transportation. Angel Flight West provides air transportation within and across 12 Western states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, I...
For the second year in a row, Alaska Airlines and GCI have teamed up to donate one million miles to the American Cancer Society and their program to help Alaskan cancer patients travel for their treatment. Whether traveling from remote areas of the state or traveling out of state, every patient could use a little more support in their corner. The American Cancer Society can assist patients who need to travel within Alaska for medical treatment. In some limited cases, travel to the mainland may also be possible for patients who cannot otherwise...
In 1994, when I first moved to Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow), the Russian icebreaker "Yamal" cruised into town with tourists aboard. It took 13 helicopter trips just to unload their luggage for transport to the Wiley Post and Will Rogers Airport for the flight out of town. The cruisers themselves were lightered to the beach in Zodiacs. As editor of the Arctic Sounder, I got a helicopter ride out to the ship and landed on the deck. I forgot that ships are like a country unto themselves and hadn't...
When someone in your family is dying whether, it's in-state or the Lower 48, you want to get to them fast. When I was visiting a friend in Kodiak, her mother lay dying in Alabama, and we managed to get her off the island on the last flight out and to Anchorage on a reduced fare, then on to Alabama thanks to Alaska Airlines. Alaska Airlines How does the Alaska Airlines bereavement fare work? If you need to travel within the next seven days due to the death of one of your immediate family...
Twenty-one states have decriminalized possession of cannabis and some allow growing for your own use. Pot shops have popped up all over and the taxes from the sale of marijuana in specialized stores have bolstered many a municipal budget. In Congress, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer introduced the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, which would federally decriminalize weed. However, the bill's passage is uncertain. As a THC user, how do you get from Alaska to another state...
November brings a flurry of seasonal salutes to the whales and eagles that enhance our life here. In Haines, thousands of bald eagles gather to chase the late chum and coho salmon run, while in Sitka the annual migration of humpback whales is saluted with several days of delving into the science of marine life that supports life on our planet. Sitka Whalefest This annual celebration of science and everything marine life occurs in Sitka for three days, November 3 to 6. This year's theme is "How...
As winter's chill comes on, Alaskans start thinking about keeping warm. Aside from muktuk, bacon and caribou soup, the fat Alaskans love most comes from ice cream. If you have children and grandchildren in Austin, Texas, New York City, or Chicago, Illinois, when you visit, bring them to the Museum of Ice Cream. There are also locations in Shanghai and Singapore. However, if you have hearing aids, you might want to block the irritating pop music by turning them down or off. And if you go in the...
Fall in Alaska is to be treasured by Alaskans-no tourists, no tour buses clogging the roads, no sightseeing planes or helicopters flying overhead. Just the sound of the tree leaves floating through the air after they turn gold and fall to the ground. It's time to take a trip and enjoy the beauty of Alaska. September with Get Lost Travel Vans in Anchorage. Travel van and SUV rental rates are just $199 per night plus tax, with just three-night minimum for a savings of up to $100 per night over...
Fall in Alaska comes with many perks - sightings of migratory birds and Alaskans heading to warmer climes, but best is the darkness that brings the awesome Aurora Borealis. Now Explore Fairbanks has a website that shows you the potential for aurora viewing and how many hours of daylight there is at any given time. While it may be sad to watch the light fade, after Dec. 21 there is the joy of seeing the minutes of light adding up. Go to https://www.explorefairbanks.com/#tracker. Fairbanks is the...
To get a taste of how lush Haida Gwaii in British Columbia is, once called Queen Charlotte Islands, think back on that Alaska Marine Highway ferry ride to Bellingham or Prince Rupert. Sailing past the village of Bella Bella through a tight narrows on the Inside Passage, it's as if you could spread your arms and touch both shores. The almost primordial growth of cedars and firs, ferns and devil's club crowd right to the waterline, making access into the forest very difficult, but a beautiful...
While travel by car seems prohibitive with gas prices at an all-time high of $5.51 in June, a drive to a festival may be the cure for he several years of isolation due to the pandemic. Get out and meet your fellow Alaskans or travel to a town you once lived in and see old friends. Kachemak Bay Highland Games, July 2-3, Homer. Men in skirts! Highland games of skill like tossing the caber – a big hunk of wood as far as you can. Clan regalia will be on sale. On Saturday night at 6:30 p.m., there's...
Alaska has museums from Dutch Harbor, to Sitka, to tiny Anaktuvuk Pass in the middle of the Brooks Range. But the most striking-looking building in all of Juneau, and surely anywhere else in the state, has to be the Sealaska Heritage Institute on Front Street. The huge 40-foot exterior panels outside the building were designed by internationally celebrated Haida artist Robert Davidson, and its design represents a supernatural being called the "Greatest Echo," a theme chosen by Davidson because...
Dear Savvy Senior: My wife and I planning to travel much more frequently in retirement and are very interested in educational trips and adventures. Can you recommend any groups or firms that specialize in this type of travel geared towards retirees? - Love to Learn Dear Love: Educational travel, which combines travel with in-depth learning opportunities has become a very popular way of travel among retirees. Here are a few good places to turn to find these types of trips in the U.S. and abroad....
On April 13, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the Transportation Security Administration had issued an extension of the mask mandate until May 3 after the CDC’s “close monitoring of the COVID-19 landscape in the United States and internationally.” But federal officials stopped that enforcement on travel on April 18 after U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle of the Middle District of Florida ruled the mandate exceeded the statutory authority of the CDC. With that, some airlines announced that masks are now opt...
The planes and ships want you back - desperately. But only you can decide if you feel safe enough to go. I ping-ponged back and forth from Alaska to the east coast three times between late summer and winter last year. I wore my mask, disinfected my hands with a spray I carried, wash my hands, and tried not to touch things like doorknobs and railings. I am still alive. Airlines and cruise ships are flinging discounts about madly and maybe if you feel you can go out safely, it might be time to...
On April Fool’s Day, no kidding, Canada will drop the requirement that travelers entering Canada either through airports or land borders prove they have a pre-arrival COVID-19 test result. But only for those fully vaccinated. This is a big sigh of relief for Alaskans whose towns and villages are so close to the international border that residents can only access a road out through Canada or for whom a Canadian city is the closest place to shop, go to for medical services. But wait, there might be a catch. Travelers arriving to Canada from a...
Passed by Congress in 2005, the REAL ID Act enacted the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation that the federal government “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses.” The Act established requirements for state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards and prohibits federal agencies from accepting licenses and ID cards from states that do not meet the requirements. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the deadline to obtain a Real ID has been extended to May 3, 2023. At that time, your non-compl...
Playing Pickleball in Hawaii is just what you'd think: Pleasant weather, tropical breezes, and usually a wonderful, welcoming group of people to play with. It can also be a place where you take the time to practice on your skills at a pickleball camp. Although, with COVID, camps are not as plentiful in Hawaii, there are still places that offer in-house clinics and coaching. On the Big Island of Hawaii, one place is at the Holua Tennis Club south of Kona, where you can schedule a class with a...
As the Civil War drew to a close, soldiers of the 55th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiments occupied a plantation on James Island, South Carolina, which earlier had been held by Confederate forces. They were among the approximately 185,000 U.S. Colored Troops, as they were called, who fought with the North. Visitors may relive that chapter of history, and the story of African slaves who lived and toiled at the plantation. This is one of numerous sites around the country which recount pages from...
In early January, hundreds of travelers taking Interstate 95 through Fredericksburg, Virginia, ran into a winter storm and spent overnight in below-freezing temperatures. And in mid-November 2021, four people died when a landslide covered Highway 99 in southern British Columbia when torrential rainfall and catastrophic flooding hit the region that included parts of northwestern Washington state. Global warming is wreaking havoc on our weather and increasing storm strength. As someone who's...
The recent COVID-19 variant Omicron is affecting travel as the pandemic shows no sign of waning. And for Alaskans, with winter coming on, the need for sun and fun as well as cultural stimulation poses the classic question: "Should I stay or should I go?" Hawaii, our kissing cousin on almost any map of the United States, is our main source of Vitamin D and fresh fruit in the dark time. We can still go there but there are rules. As you know, Hawaii defends its environment from invasive species and...
Chances are if you've lived in Alaska, you've resided in or traveled to different parts of the state. If not, well shame on you. But if you have and your life is not as mobile as it once was, there's a way to visit your old haunts and home towns. Think of these webcams and animal cams as magic carpets. Utqiagvik Ice Cam brings the Arctic to you My favorite weather cam is the University of Alaska Fairbanks Sea Ice Group Utqiagvik Ice Cam at https://seaice.alaska.edu/gi/observa...
The big storm that blew through Southeast Alaska on Oct. 1 sure played havoc with my travel plans. On a Friday night the winds blew at storm force and it rained pell-mell all night long. Although I checked the night before for notices on the Alaska Marine Highway System website for a cancellation, there was none. But on Saturday morning, a friend who was out of town emailed the inevitable - canceled. How to get out and make my flight from Juneau to Boston on Tuesday? A short break in the weather...
I have prided myself over the years on learning new technology, starting in 1992 when I first encountered a Dell computer at work and figured it out. Then through the years, from Boston to Alaska, I entered newsrooms with unknown computer programs I had to learn by myself, as there was no training. At the newspaper in Wasilla, I arrived in the newsroom to find no one knew I was coming, I had no desk assigned and the computer I was given did not have the application I needed to do my job,...
