4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Alaskan Perspective, December 11, 2008
This review is from: Frommer's Alaska 2008 (Frommer's Complete Guides) (Paperback)
As someone who lives in Alaska, operates a popular Alaska travel website (Alaska.org), and helps people plan custom Alaska vacations, I can confidently say this is the most useful general guidebook to our state. It's more comprehensive, more readable, and more detailed than other Alaska guidebooks.
I think this is mostly because Charles lives in Alaska and updates the book each year. Most travel publishers update their books every couple years and use writers who live in New York or somewhere else. As a result, this book offers details and specifics you learn only by actually doing what you write about--and these are the very details you need to plan your Alaska trip. For example, when writing about halibut fishing in Homer, he mentions the possibility of seasickness. When writing about other activities, he tells you what to bring and wear. Prices and schedules are exact.
Alaska is a complex and unfamiliar destination. Most people don't know where to start when planning a trip. Unfortunately, that's why so many people take a cruise when they might have enjoyed a land tour more--if they only knew how to plan it. That's where the "Planning A Trip" section comes in. It discusses the various travel styles and trip types possible in Alaska and why you would choose one over another.
It contains the kind of insight and authority that come from really knowing a destination. Charles writes, for example, "Studies by Alaska tourism experts have found that many people choose escorted packages to avoid risks that don't really exist." Or, "It's also possible for an independent traveler to obtain some of the predictability a package tour provides. You can reserve accommodations and activities and control your expenses by using a good travel agent experienced in Alaska travel." This is the type of authoritative, insider advice you need to plan a successful Alaska vacation.
This book seems to improve each year--I think because the author maintains a website for reader questions and incorporates the answers into subsequent editions. For example, the book has a section on Suggested Itineraries for trips of different lengths, for family trips, for winter trips, etc.. Itineraries are hugely helpful, because even if you know where you want to go and what you want to see in Alaska, it's sometimes really hard to figure out how long to spend in each place and how best to get from one to the next in a state with limited transportation infrastructure.
In response to reader questions about inaccurate Mapquest information, Charles added a driving times table which sets the record straight on how long it takes to travel the various rural Alaska highways, how fast you can drive, where the best views are, and where you can get gas. Another really useful section is Charles' "Best of Alaska" list. Alaska is so vast, with so many travel options, that this section helps you cut to the chase if know your primary interests.
Two other things separate this book from others. First, it's written from the perspective of someone who seeks out unique and different Alaska travel experiences. Charles writes, "The mistake some people make is to focus only on the largest and most famous destinations." Accordingly, he gives quick coverage to the big attractions you can learn about online or anywhere else and instead gives more coverage to unusual, off-the-beaten finds. Examples include describing a hike near Seward to an old military fort where you can explore underground with flashlights, or explaining how to hook up with a local guide on in Barrow to go polar bear viewing on a Humvee. You won't get these ideas from other guidebooks--and they'll probably end up being your most memorable Alaska travel experiences.
The other thing that differentiates this book is how readable it is. Unlike most travel writers, Charles is a serious author with other non-fiction, non-travel titles to his name. His literary writing style is interesting and fun to read.
I don't really have any criticisms of the book. In fact, if the truth be told, it was Charles' authoritative, honest approach that inspired me when I wrote my own Alaska.org travel planning website. Even today, we keep a copy in our Anchorage travel agency call center for our agents to refer to when helping visitors plan trips to remote parts of the state the agent may not have personally visited.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Condescending to Cruisers, August 21, 2008
This review is from: Frommer's Alaska 2008 (Frommer's Complete Guides) (Paperback)
My wife and I are in our 30s, and took our first trip to Alaska to cruise and see the beauty of the coast and its wildlife. In preparation for the trip, we bought 3 books: (1) Frommers Alaska, (2) Lonely Planet - Alaska, and (3) Fodor's Ports of Call. If you are taking a cruise, and are buying less than 3 books (or if you don't want to check a 2 pound book in your luggage) - then you should not buy Frommer's Alaska.
Frommers Alaska is the largest / thickest of the books discussed above, but much of the information is irrelevant to a cruise ship passenger (cities in the deep interior, hotels, suggested 2 week-long itineraries, etc). There is one 20 page chapter, not written by the author, devoted to choosing a cruise-line, which can be helpful. However, better information can be found in a cruise-specific "ports of call" book.
One of the irritating aspects of the Frommers Alaska book, is the author's negativity towards cruise vacationers. Every chapter that discusses a port, includes a backhand remark regarding cruisers / tourists. It is much more pleasant to plan the vacation using a book that is more cruiser-friendly (or at least neutral, such as Lonely Planet).
Frommers Alaska is geared towards the land-traveler, and cruise passengers are better served with a cruise-specific book.
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