Hubby has a sabbatical coming up this Sept. Four weeks, altho' I can't imagine myself being able to get off work more than probably 3 weeks. He's earned this...
and waited for it for a long, long time. So, keeping fingers crossed that it holds up!

One idea he expressed is...wanting to use it, soon after it's earned (in case there are changes at work) was maybe doing a whirlwind driving tour up the Pac NW coast into SE Alaska via the ferries, etc.

And then, maybe back across to drive down the 'spine' as he called it of the Rockies, etc. Timing-wise, this seems like it could be okay in Sept. Otherwise, more exotic options I considered were Africa somewhere or NZ/Australia. But not sure how either of these would be for the month of Sept?

Would love some early thoughts on such a sojourn. (the big AK driving tour) We HAVE done the PAC NW coast & the Canadian Rockies, a fair amount. So, I wonder if we'd be squandering our time, to do a repeat for much of this? (altho' we do adore the area!)

He just mentioned it came to him
as he figured when else in life could we take such time to DO a driving tour of this magnitude & distance? And that's true.

But, we're only in our early to mid-40's...perhaps staying closer to home like this makes more sense later, if graced w/a long life together. Not sure.

Another thing is....
I wonder if we'd be better off *not* driving, but simply flying into SE AK since we've never seen that. Or go from just Vancouver area or Seattle? (we did do our own little trip of the Seward area, Homer & Denali about 7 yrs ago
but not SE AK)

Is the drive...that infamous drive, I should say on the AK Hwy, scenic
or mostly monotonous & a car destroyer? ;-) The one we'd need to do in the interior?

One never knows.
Just because many speak of it...and attempt it in RV's...I just wonder since there is SO much scenic about this state, if perhaps it's not better seen from other areas...not necessarily that super long road?

Also...if you DO recommend focusing time in SE AK more...please do share any fave tours you've done.
(or even companies w/smaller boats)
I just know he's not interested in super large cruise ship type trips.

Thought it might be fun to 'do our own thing' again. But I don't know how scenic, easy (or NOT) taking the main ferry system is.
And how necessary it is to make reservations far in advance if going in Sept?

All ideas & brainstorming welcome here!!! (as you can see) Thanks!!

Hmmm.....that is a hard one. I have not yet been to Alaska, but going in August and very excited. Going to see bears and then driving the coast. The experts on Alaska will chime in and give you great advice on the areas in Alaska you mention.

You mentioned Africa, so I wanted to put my two cents in on that. Went for 2 weeks last year (and three would be better) and saw the gorillas (amazing) and then did Tanzania. The trip was unbelievable. It was the most mind-blowing trip of my life. I found myself saying over and over, “I can’t believe what I am seeing." Africa isn't the least expensive trip I have done, but I have already paid for most of Alaska and have found Alaska isn't either. And, really, it is just money...can't take it with you!

Figure out how many day in the car. I met up with my family in Seattle and then got on the ferry in Bellingham. It was a lovely few days up the Inside Passage to Skagway. Spent a couple of night in Skagway then drove to the Anchorage area. This was almost a 2 day drive. There aren't a lot of options so we aimed for overnighting in Tok. It's beautiful but can get monotonous when you are trying to get someplace. So that's two more days in the car. (OK, maybe I was cranky because I was the one sharing the backseat with luggage overflow.) If you fly to Alaska you can spend a full day going from Anchorage to Seward but that's because of all the things to see and do along that drive. With three weeks you can fit in Homer and Denali although keep in mind the stretch between Anchorage and Denali is not as scenic as the trip south to Seward. Every area of Alaska seems to have its own personality. See as much as you can without spending all your time in the car. Best wishes for a terrific sabbatical whatever you choose.

When in September would you be in Alaska? I believe you would want to be careful about when and where you spend those 4 weeks, the season is coming to an end then.

If this is a sabbatical, what would hubby like to focus on? There are so many wonderful areas, but he surely would want to spend this time on experiences that will also enrich his worklife. Would be interested to hear.

Thanks so much! Will have to mull some more for sure.
Timing-wise, could be most of Sept. However, to me...
I'm thinking maybe fly & drive vs. driving whole time & way.

Or...that suggestion for Africa. Just wondering if we shouldn't attempt something like that while still relatively young & w/out kids. (in case we happen to still miraculously have some)

But not sure how 'safe' it is to travel there, these days. We have so very many who HATE us. And, I don't blame them. But still, it gives one pause, at times. :-\ Thanks again!

Monica...would love to learn more about your trip.
Did you post any trip reports or itineraries on Fodors? Or, would you be open to emailing me info?
Thanks so much! (Ohh...
and did you go w/ a tour or totally on your own?)

You might look into the Alaskan Marine Highway: much more fun than a cruise, cheaper, too. We drove the Alaskan Highway in 2001, will do it again this summer. The 2008 Milepost is in the mail to us from Amazon--it's wonderful to read even if you never actually take a trip to Alaska, a MUST if you do.

Many times the Alaska ferry is way more costly than a cruiseship. Especially if you want a cabin. I have a friend who goes about every year. Always pays way more than me. Also you need to budget more time, since the arrivals/departures go around the clock.

Another possibility is a combination of air and Alaska Ferrys to explore the SE. I'm doing that in August with an itinerary that looks like this:

Aug 5 SEA to Ketchikan - Air
Aug 8 Ketchikan to Juneau - Air
Aug 11 Juneau to Skagway - Ferry
Aug 13 Skagway to Haines - Ferry
Aug 15 Haines to Juneau - Ferry
Aug 16 Juneau to SEA - Air

I made my air reservations last night on Alaska Air and they were not too expensive - $662.90 - for the entire trip.

My primary goal in using air between SEA and SE Alaska was time. I would have liked to take the ferry all the way but could not make the time to do so.

Anyway, which ever way you go, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Alaska is addictive!

Daydreamer-

I did a trip report over on the Africa board

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...4&tid=34961957

Let me know if the link doesn't work. I did use a travel agent since it was my first trip, but many people do not. If you have concerns about traveling to Kenya at this time, many board members are reporting back on their experiences in their trip reports. Let me know if you have any more questions, I love talking about travel!

Monica

Thanks so much for the further rec's...itineraries & even links to info on Africa! Am so thrilled w/the help I find here & try to give too. You guys are the best!!

Vote for New Zealand. Hubby retired from 30 yrs in military and we took 4 weeks..very, very friendly to US people, fabulous scenery,English speaking and just enough accent and culture chges to mk it "foreign." .
Went in Sept US Fall is NZ Spring (a few Spring showers) ..off season so rooms, rental cars etc were better price. I had tons of FF miles on USAIR and flew Business class (go Business class if possible long flight much more bearable)on Quantas a fabulous customer servcie airline. (USAIR had lost one of our bags on short hop flight to LAX and Quantas found it and gave us a bottle of champagne for inconvieince.)
We rented a 4 person RV..in Auckland (BTW Auckland Sheraton great and harbor redone for recent Americas Cup)...just a word of caution here..they drive on left so maybe for 1st trip you might want to do rental car and rooms..get farm stays etc. ... traveled both North & South Islands..west coast of So Is most fabulous long sandy shell beach ever and great wineries..fjords and glaciers and flew back home out of Christ Church.
We also squeezed in a week of sailing off Australia, charter flight over teh Great BArrier reef and stayed "on the rocks" Hyatt in Sydney Aust.
Trip of a lifetime.

Thanks for the nice overview on a NZ trip (and Australia). Wow!

Way too many cool choices
to know what to do! (and my sister is soon going to Peru...
I also have always wanted to see Greece, but maybe better saved for later in life, if lucky enough to have a long life together?

Do more 'adventure' style trips now while in our 40's?

Our son made a trip to Peru last summer. It was an internship just before he graduated college, but as a guest of the government, he had some other real adventures. He and his co-intern spent their internship working at a town on the coast at one of the major fishing companies (fish oil health supplements. It was Pisco - what a tragedy the town endured in the earthquake! Sad to say, some of his Peruvian friends are no longer with us.

This was during the elections, and they also attended the elections. Then they went to Machu Picchu and truly had an adventure. I think that particular experience really opened his eyes to the wonder that surrounds us. If you have the opportunity, you might consider visiting there.

For Alaska, I'd fly there rather than drive and spend my time IN Alaska. Then I read you had already driven the area, so I'd really fly.

See if you can get any nights at Brooks Falls. The bears fish for salmon in July and again in Sept at the falls. If you can't get spots for overnight, then do the day trip. It is well worth the expense.

I would think you'd want some time in Denali, probably inside the park. The train between Anchorage and Seward is beautiful and then you have the Kenai Fjords in Seward. You can also take the train to/from Anchorage to Denali, but that was not quite as good of scenery as the Anchorage-Seward trip.

After pushing Alaska, I'd like to join with Monica and also suggest Africa. Sept is a good month for most of Africa, including gorilla tracking in Rwanda or Uganda. You have to be fairly fit for that and willing to pay $500 for a one hour visit, though. Gorillas and Kenya in Sept would be a great combo. Or forget the gorillas.

If you did settle on Africa for Sept, you would want to get moving because Sept is high season for much of Africa with great wildlife viewing.

Head over to the Africa board for help if that's of interest. We love to help with trips and safaris over there.

Great opportunity no matter what you end up doing.

Thanks for the add'l tips on AK and also for Africa.

Time for me to learn some baseline info on that region...and the best time
to visit. Thanks again!

In case you check in here again, Daydreamer, here are some charts on what parts of Africa are best in what months. Best means most wildlife and likely highest prices.

http://www.africa-adventure.com/dsp_besttime.html

http://www.bornfreesafaris.com/best_travel.htm

Okay, Daydreamer, you want daydreaming? Seatbelt time. (No, not really, just a little brain fizz here.)

You can buy an around-the-world airline ticket that you could use to fly in September from the US to South Africa, spend a couple of weeks, then cross the Indian Ocean to Australia and NZ, spend a week or ten days there, then return to the US.

But wait. The tickets are good for a year and can also be used for some pretty extensive flying within North America. So save a couple of your allowed flight segments and next June or July, grab a week and go up to Alaska then. All on the same ticket.

September is ideal for visiting South Africa - it's late winter and the dry season, so game viewing is easier due to lack of foliage getting in the way, plus the beasties come to the water, so just hang out by water sources and presto. It's also cooler then and few if any bugs, and sleeping snakes.

The Rand is also very favorably priced against the dollar at present (who knew?) so more bang for the buck.

September is also good for NZ - a few days in early spring on the Coromandel Peninsula will spoil you for springtime anywhere else, for ever.

Alaska can be fine in September, or wet. Crapshoot.

End of brain fizz.

Thanks for the brainstorming!!
Excellent ideas, everyone.

Appreciate the links & charts & idea about airlines!! You guys are the BEST, bar none.

I'd definitely recommend New Zealand as well. My DH and I visited in Jan/Feb 06 (prior to kids) and it was the most fabulous vacation to date. A copy of my TR can be found at http://tinyurl.com/4bqzgl. We've traveled quite a bit and the scenery was absolutely jaw dropping. Also the people and the country itself were terrific. Go see other parts of the world before you start repeating trips.