Discover Alaska Journey
PRE-DEPARTURE MEETING
The pre-departure meeting will be held at the designated hotel in Anchorage the evening prior to your expedition's departure. All administration will be completed in the UK prior to your expedition's start date.
Below is a comprehensive list of things to take into consideration before joining any of our expeditions.
PERSONAL TRAVEL VISAS
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These vary in price according to your nationality and they are ultimately your personal responsibility to obtain.
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Most nationalities can obtain a free 3 month visitors visa upon entry into the United States.
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Please double check with your travel agent to see if you require a visa prior to arriving.
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In most circumstances you will require a return air ticket within a 3 month period of entry into the United States.
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Please contact us for more detailed information if required.
PASSPORTS
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Please ensure that your passport has at least 2 free pages, is valid for at least 6 months and has the required electronic strip at the bottom on the details page which means it is machine readable.
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We will require a scanned copy of the passport you will be using during your trip to be e-mailed to the UK office as soon as you have conformation of joining the expedition.
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PASSPORT PHOTOS are not required on the Alaska expedition although it is always a good idea to have a couple with you when you travel.
PERSONAL TRAVEL INSURANCE
VACCINATIONS
MONEY
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Money is always a major concern while travelling so we recommend you bring it along in three forms - cash, travellers cheques and credit cards.
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Cash is always the easiest but only take along what you can reasonably afford to lose. We recommend you take one third of your money along in cash in U.S. Dollars.
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Travellers cheques can be difficult to exchange and you may end up paying a commission to exchange them but they are by far the safest option. We recommend you take along one third of your money in TC's but make sure you get them from an internationally recognised institution and find out where they have offices and if they charge commission.
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Credit cards are one of the safest and easiest ways to pay and withdraw money throughout Alaska.
RECOMMENDED BUDGET
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One of the most important aspects to consider and the hardest to give an estimation of, on any overland trip, is how much spending money to budget for. Your budget really depends on a huge array of things, for example: Are you happy to eat from the local, side of the road street vendor’s, or would you prefer to eat out in midrange/expensive restaurants? Do you drink alcohol? If so, how much on average? Are you always buying drinks and snacks? Are you the type of person who buys a lot of curios/souvenirs along the way?
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We recommend an average of Au$20 per day, or Au$130 - Au$200 a week to live comfortably (not including visas, any flights and optional extras). You could get away with spending a lot less than this, but equally, you could manage to spend a lot more!
OPTIONAL EXTRAS IN USD$
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Prince William Sound Glacier Tour - $141
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Kodiak Island Float Plane Tour - $300
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Independence Mine Entry Fee - $20
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Denali National Park Bus Tour - $50
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Prudhoe Bay Oilfields Tour - $36
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Dog Mushing – approx $1US per minute
(If you are still not sure what gear to take after reading through following, please ring or email with any questions you may have).
SLEEPING
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Spend some time looking for comfortable sleeping equipment - you will be using it every day.
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Sleeping Bag - A minimum of a good quality 5 season sleeping bag is required for this expedition.
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Sleeping bag liner - ideal and very effective when cold.
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Pillow - an essential item not only for use at night but also handy for naps on the truck. Forget about the blow-up ones and get yourself a real one. – just make sure it’s half the size or a proper therm-a-rest travel pillow.
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Sleeping Mat - a 4cm thick ‘therm-a-rest’ type travel mattress is recommended for this expedition. Not only does it provide maximum comfort, more importantly the thickness insulates you from the cold. Remember to bring along a puncture repair kit.
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Tents - are included in the Alaska Overland 3 week expeditions.
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Mosquito Net - we recommend you bring a mosquito net along with you as at different times of the year mosquitos are about. The type that can hang from a hook are best.
LUGGAGE
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Your luggage will be limited to only one 100 litre backpack/sportsbag and one day bag (in order for your day bag to be stowed under your seat you are best advised to have one with the dimensions of 20cm x 30cm x 40cm).
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We are obviously restricted by the amount of luggage stowage space so we can’t accommodate people bringing more than one back pack and you will most likely buy a lot along the way as well.
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Another reason for not bringing a lot of extra gear is because we cannot carry anyone's luggage across borders if they are not present to be responsible for it, so if you want to go off and explore on your own for a bit, the last thing you want is to have more gear than you can comfortably carry.
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If you bring more than one 100 litre backpack/sportsbag and one day bag (with the dimensions of 20cm x 30cm x 40cm) you will be asked to leave it behind before we depart.
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Do not bring more than you can comfortably carry and lift easily. Everybody always brings far more than the need (or even use), try to be very hard on yourself while packing. You can always pick up anything you need along the way.
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If you are looking at purchasing a new backpack, bear in mind that some backpacks have a zip-off day bag which is convenient when trekking etc. If you don't want to travel with a backpack you can of course just bring along 100 litre sports/equipment bag and some form of day-bag but you may find it impractical when you have to transport it from the truck to a hotel for example.
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Due to the overall size when stacking, wheelie bags/suitcases will not be permitted.
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Please note. When packed up and ready to go your backpack should have your sleeping bag inside of it. We have a separate locker for your tents and roll mats.
FIRST AID KIT AND TOILETRIES
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Although we will have a comprehensive First Aid Kit on the truck for emergencies, you need to bring your own basic one too.
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Basic First Aid Kit - which includes plasters, second skin (for blisters if you planning on trekking), antibiotics, headache tablets, antiseptic cream, bandages and iodine.
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Prescriptions - for any glasses or contact lenses, if required
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Shampoo – you will be able to re-stock along the way easily
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Soap container
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Hair brush
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Tooth brush / Tooth paste
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Suntan Lotion – this can be picked up easily along the way
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Insect repellent with DEET - you’ll be able to pick up local brands along the way.
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Wet Wipes – You can find them easily along the way
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Toilet paper - at least one to start with
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Sewing kit - a small compact kit is very handy
Ladies: There are a lot of occasions to dress up and go out along the way, so if make up and a ‘stepping out’ dress is your thing, then feel free to bring that type of thing (it’s not all roughing it)!.
CLOTHES, SHOES & WET WEATHER GEAR ETC.
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1x Good quality water- & wind-proof jacket - a good quality one suitable for extreme cold climates
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1x Wet weather trousers - not ‘essential’
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1x Fleece Jacket – a good quality one suitable for extreme cold climates
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1x Fleece top – a good quality one suitable for extreme cold climates
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1x Cold weather hat and gloves – good quality. And another pair of gloves for digging – gardening gloves are good.
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Sunglasses
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T-Shirts – 3 of each
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Underwear - we will leave that for you to decide
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Socks – at least 4 pairs - 2 good quality thermal pairs are required.
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Thermal underwear – proper good quality thermals are essential. At least 1x top and bottoms are required
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Trousers - 2 hard wearing pairs of whatever you are most comfortable travelling in
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Shorts – 1 hard wearing pair
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Trekking boots – if you planning on doing some serious trekking otherwise a good quality trekking shoe/trainer will do (boots take up a lot of room, but if you are taking some, a worn in pair are best)
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Walking sandals - good quality hard wearing ones – these can be replaced in most places so don’t feel you have to buy new ones for the trip.
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Flipflops/Jandels - for the shower
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The right clothing and equipment is essential on this expedition, Northern Alaska can be extremely cold– but with the right equipment you don’t have to be!
WASHING/LAUNDRY
BITS AND PIECES
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Head torch – Essential. The best one we have found is the 'Petzl Tikka Plus'
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Camera(s) - obviously a personal choice
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Bear Repellent Spray and Bear Bells – these are recommended when walking in Alaska and they can be purchased easily from different outlets in Anchorage at the start of your expedition. Your leader will advise you on all ‘bear safety matters’ at your pre departure meeting.
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Rechargeable batteries and charger - we will have a 4 battery recharger on the truck that will take AA and AAA but people have brought along solar re-charging units in the past which seem to work very well.
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Ipod/MP3 players - bring a cigarette charger for it.
Bring everything you have so it can be recharged with a 12 volt cigarette charger and bring the cigarette charger for it.
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Zip lock bags - for batteries, film, cameras, etc.
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Binoculars - not essential, but a compact pair would be very handy for spotting wildlife
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Maps - the driver will have, but you may want your own if you want to mark out exactly where we have been and where we are headed.
ABOUT YOUR ALASKA OVERLAND EXPEDITION
Your expedition vehicle will be different to all of our other expedition vehicles. It will be either a 6 or 8x4 purpose built vehicle, especially adapted and designed for the cold weather climates. There will be a fridge on board for the safe and hygienic stowage of fresh food and also a heater has been installed for those cold travelling days.
As bears are abundant in the wilds of Alaska, special precautions must be made and observed. These are basic common sense requirements that ensure the safety of the group and will be explained to you at the pre departure meeting.
Although by the very nature of our expeditions, we advise everybody that changes and problems do occasional occur and are always to be expected, a day to day itinerary will be provided when you start your expedition. Please be aware that this is an ‘indication’ of your proposed schedule only, it can and often will change around a little.
Your crew will comprise of either a single driver/leader or a couple working together as a driver/leader team.
Your Expedition is expected to be 100% camping and your accommodation (the tents provided) are to be on a shared basis. |
