annandbob

We are planning a trip to Alaska in July 2006. The three tour companies we are considering are Alaska Tour and Travel, Alaska Group Tours, and Alaska Heritage Tours. We are looking for feedback to help us choose.

tcapp

Is there any particular reason you're going with a tour company? Not that there's anything wrong with it, but Alaska is very doable by rental car or RV. There are also sightseeing trains out of Anchorage, all sorts of flightseeing tours, and different day cruises out of Seward, if you wanted more of a do-it-yourself trip.
If this is not doable, I would ask a reputable travel agency, such as AAA, for advice on tour companies.

tcapp

ttt

BudgetQueen

Contact Murray of www.explorenorth.com He is the expert on tour operators. But I agree, it's simple to go on your own and spend the time where you wish to. No matter how good the tour operator, there is still wasted time and group point to point travel is less than ideal in Alaska.

Miss_Maple

We used Alaska Tour and Travel to plan and book our trip. I found that they were helpful and were easy to work with in regards to changing itinieries. Our trip was land travel via a rental SUV which we booked through the agency. I checked them out with the BBB of which they are a member. We had an element of our trip canceled because of weather and they were quick to credit our credit cards. I would use them again.

I know several posters suggested against using a travel agency and that is fine if you like to do the research, booking and sorting yourself -- but it was nice to have the program laid out for you -- and simply hand them a voucher and move on to your next event or destinination. The only foul up we had was something I had not booked through the agency -- thought I booked a flight to the Kennicott mine via email only to find out when I called the night before - we weren't on the flight list and since we hadn't prepaid - not going. We ended up going to the mine anyway - driving our rented Durango -- had a flat tire and found a place to fix it for the 50 mile ride home (on a gravel road). It worked out but I have to say I felt bad the night before because I thought I had let our family down -- but that is part of the Alaskan adventure I think -- meeting challenges that present you (by the way - the Kennicott trip was so worth it - I would consider staying one night at the lodge there).

pykiwi

I did a week long tour in 2004 with Alaska Ourdoors and it was an amazing trip. We did stay in tents, which I'm sure would put some people off, but this just made the trip even more special. The guides are excellent, the food is superb, the tour options are unlimited. It will go down as one of the best holidays I've ever had. Alaska Outdoors really go out of their way to make this an amazing journey and the guy who runs it, Mark, places huge importance on conservation and respecting the people of Alaska and the land. I really like and respect this about Alaska outdoors. I would definitely recommend them to anyone wanting to tour Alaska with guides.

www.travelalaskaoutdoors.com/