Frommer's Alaska 2009 (Frommer's Complete) (Paperback)

by Charles P. Wohlforth (Author) "As a child, when my family traveled outside Alaska for vacations, I often met other children who asked, "Wow, you live in Alaska? What's it..." (more)
Key Phrases: individual parks, king salmon, small boat harbor, Forest Service, Southeast Alaska, Denali National Park (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
America’s #1 bestselling travel series

Written by more than 175 outspoken travelers around the globe, Frommer’s Complete Guides help travelers experience places the way locals do.

• More annually updated guides than any other series
• 16-page color section and foldout map in all annual guides
• Outspoken opinions, exact prices, and suggested itineraries
• Dozens of detailed maps in an easy-to-read, two-color design

From the Back Cover

Frommer's. The best trips start here.

Experience a place the way the locals do. Enjoy the best it has to offer.

• Insider advice on enjoying the great Alaskan wilderness, from whale-watching and kayaking to fishing for Alaskan salmon.

• Outspoken opinions on what's worth your time and what's not.

• Exact prices, so you can plan the perfect trip whatever your budget.

• Off-the-beaten-path experiences and undiscovered gems, plus new takes on top attractions.

Find great deals and book your trip at Frommers.com

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Frommers; Revised edition (December 3, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470289740
• ISBN-13: 978-0470289747
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #27,972 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #7 in	Books > Travel > Reference & Tips > Cruises
  #16 in	Books > Travel > United States > States > Alaska
  #51 in	Books > Travel > Guidebook Series > Frommer's

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Alaskan Perspective, December 18, 2008

By	Bob Kaufman "[e-mail]" (Anchorage, Alaska) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Frommer's, Fodor's, they are the same, January 17, 2009

By	G. Baker "Independant traveler" (US) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you are only going to use one book to plan a trip, well it will do. It is practically the same book as Fodor's. While Amazon does not have it, a friend gave me a new book "Pauline Frommer's Alaska: Spend Less - See More" that is the best of all the books out there for those not on a tour or cruise. REPEAT - for those not on a tour or cruise.

I purchased this book on Bob Kaufman's recommendation. I was not impressed with the book, but was with the web site he suggested.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars If you have to choose one Alaska guide, go with Fodor"s, February 12, 2009

By	S. Case "Adult viewer/listener/reader" (Connecticut) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have read both Frommer's Alaska and Fodor's Alaska 2009, and the Fodor's is by far more comple, and much better illustrated with color photos, too. For persons interested in the Alaska bush for example, Frommer's kisses offthe native town of Bethel and the surrounding country as having little interest for a visitor, while Fodor's spends several pages on the town, its surroundings, places to stay and eat, and back country guides and adventures. Go with the Fodor's.