There are so many places to see and things to experience in this world. Where should I celebrate the big 5-0? It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon kayaking on the Chattahoochee River with some friends. We stopped for lunch and the question came up – where are we celebrating your big birthday? Immediately, Alaska was suggested as none of us had been there yet.
I started throwing out the idea to other friends and before I knew it, we had about twenty people who are interested in going – couples with kids, couples without kids, singles and ages 7-70. Wow!
Initially, we were thinking a week cruise plus a week of navigating through other parts of the state. It was very overwhelming deciding on a cruise line, where to go after, etc. I talked to many friends about their Alaskan cruises, reading articles on traveling around Alaska, spending time with people who lived there and it occurred to me going with thousands of other people, landing in touristy towns with these thousands of people, wasn’t the route I wanted for my first Alaska adventure.
With a cruise being out, now I’m tasked with planning the perfect 2-week Alaskan adventure for twenty of my closest friends. Stressful? Yes! Overwhelming? Yes!
Where do I start? I purchased a map of the state (a really big one) and starting highlighting areas I wanted to see and where there is plenty to do for people of all ages. From there I started researching all of the areas and developing ideas of the activities in each area. Honestly, I don’t think I ever realized how much there is to see and do in the state of Alaska. My excitement grows every minute I work on this trip! After reading about dog sledding, glaciers, whales, hikes, rafting and so many other adventures, my first draft of an itinerary started to come together. Homer, Seward, Talkeetna, Denali, and Juneau – can we really do it all? The answer is yes we can and yes we did.
