One for the Road: Hoshino’s Alaska

by Kelly Amabile on

Neil shared an awesome Alaskan journey with us this month, and a good friend of mine also just returned from a visit to the northern-most state. So with Alaska on the brain today, I bring you Hoshino’s Alaska, a collection of 150 photos that celebrate the life and work of wilderness photographer Michio Hoshino.

Japanese-born Hoshino traveled to Alaska in 1972 for what was to be only a two-week trip. He remained for three months, then returned to live there in 1978, where he lived as a naturalist and photographer driven by a deep commitment to and curiosity about the region. Killed by a bear while traveling in Russia in 1996, he is still widely regarded as the preeminent photographer of the Alaskan wilderness for his breathtakingly beautiful photographs. This recently published book serves as a fitting tribute to his legacy.

GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of June 17

by Adrienne Wilson on

The week is out of here, but before you hit the town or one of Kelly’s many book recommendations for the first official weekend of summer make sure you give these plugs one more spin.

5. A Peek into the Future of Dubai:
From the sound of things Dubai will be a circus of exotic hotels and filled with many more amusements to tickle your fancy before you can say ab-ra-ca-dab-ra. If you’re like me and you hope one day to see it without all the crazy tourism development you better make plans to go now. Otherwise cloud hotels could be fun.

4. A Quest for a Cheap Car Rental:
Summer is here and it is time to hit the road. If you are in need of tips to help you save a buck or more try this one.

3. World Nomad/LP Filmmaker Scholarship:
Here’s an incredible opportunity for budding filmmakers with a desire to travel around the world. The scholarship application deadline closes somewhere around August 15th so hurry young travelers.

2. Travel Stories That Are Rated “R”:
Okay, so these travelers tales AREN’T for everyone. Some of them like Willy mentioned are very off and bizarre even for us here at Gadling. Should your curiosity get you going and you wonder what happened in Vegas or Paris or even Cape Town that didn’t stay where it needed to be, check a few of these stories out.

1. Alaska without the Cruise Ship Part 17: Some Final Thoughts:
Neil’s fantastic Alaska dispatch has come to a close, but never fear! You can still revisit each part by clicking on the fancy icon to the right or the link right above which will allow you to explore them all over again and again and again until one day you finally decide to go on your own. The pictures of Alaska are great, but you got to admit it looks a whole lot better in person.

Alaska without the Cruise Ship Part 1

by Neil Woodburn on

For most people, “Alaska” is synonymous with “cruise ship.” In fact, of the 1.6 million tourists who visited Alaska last year, 1 million did so by cruise ship. For whatever reason, it has been drilled into our heads that there is no other way to see the 49th state.

This is absolutely not true.

While cruise ships certainly have their advantages, there is so much more to gain by traveling without one.

To the novice who has never been to Alaska, non-cruise ship travel may conjure up images of fighting off bears, sleeping in igloos, and otherwise enduring Survivor–like ordeals. Sure, such a vacation is certainly doable if you want to fly into the middle of the interior, but the reality is that one can easily enjoy Alaska on their own with all the comforts, safety, and ease of traveling by cruise ship, but without all the accompanying passengers and tight itinerary. The trick is to shadow the same route of the cruise ships, but to do so on your own steam. I call this, the Land Cruise.

Last June I headed out with four friends to do just that. None of us had been to Alaska before and so we decided to mirror a popular cruise ship itinerary through the southeastern part of the state. The week long trip through Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway proved a wonderful sampler of what Alaska has to offer.

In addition, the Land Cruise gave us the freedom to leisurely enjoy all the adventures we wanted to explore without rushing back to a departing ship. Sure, we missed out on the all-you-can-eat buffets, but nothing quite beats the experience of dining on local food in local restaurants and then washing it all down with a local beer in some 100-year-old bar. Most importantly, we were able to experience Alaska in the off-hours, when the cruise ships have left port and an entirely different atmosphere settles over the small towns as they revert back to their mellow, ambient selves.

Exploring Alaska without the Cruise Ship is a 17-part daily series here on Gadling. Over the next two weeks we will take you with us on the Land Cruise, share its rewards and highlights, and walk you through the surprisingly easy way of doing it yourself–even if you’re the type of person who would normally never do such a thing.

Tomorrow: Quaint Ketchikan

Take A Seat And Help Me Pedal…Please!

by Willy Volk on

Dominic Gill is attempting to cycle 20,000 miles from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in South America. Lots of people (well, not lots, but some) make this trip; what’s so special about Gill? He’s tackling this journey on a tandem bike — and he’s asking the people he meets along the way to help pedal! What a fun idea.

Claiming one of the most interesting aspects of cycle touring is meeting folks along the way, Gill was concerned that such meetings would be limited to stopping-off points. Therefore, by riding a tandem bike solo, he figured there’d be a good chance he’d meet people willing to pedal. So far, over half his trip has been solo. As he heads into South America, I bet his chances of recruiting fellow passengers diminishes — unless he speaks globish.

Naturally, Gill is filming, photographing, and blogging (irregularly) his journey. He also recently gave a short but interesting interview to Vagablogging. If you’re interested in pedaling with him, send him an email. He’s looking for some extra legs.

Top Five Destinations of Travel Writer Christopher Elliot

by Jamie Rhein on

I checked the Baby Boomer Trips website to see what is happening there these days. Last month, I mentioned the feature, Ask Nan. This time I browsed the Interviews section. Christopher Elliot is one of the interviewees. As a person who writes for National Geographic Traveler, the U.S. News & World Report and who is a columnist for the New York Times, I’d say Elliot knows a thing or two.

One of the interview questions asked him for his top 5 travel destinations. Except for Anchorage, Alaska, Elliot seems to like warm climates. Sanibel Island is listed as #1, then the Florida Keys, then Sonoma, California, and then Bermuda. Anchorage is last.

Here’s the briefest of brief rundowns of each of these places. I don’t know what Elliot likes about each, but this is what appealed to me. Each place’s website is filled with details meant to capture a wide range of interests. Sanibel Island is a shell collectors’ dream spot and there is the National Wildlife Refuge & Bird Sanctuary. The Florida Keys is as far south as you can get and still be in the U.S. Plus, it just happens to be the dive and sports fishing capital of the world. (At least that’s what the website says.) One of my friends is in love with the Key West Literary Seminar held there every January.

Sonoma trades the tropical paradise for wine country. Instead of driving yourself from winery to winery, you can take a wine country tour. Good idea since wine tours can make a person tipsy in no time. Bermuda is a place I’d go to see the architecture. There are 785 historic houses that are listed on the National Register. Anchorage is a place to go if seeing a wildlife abundance is your fancy. Within a short distance of the city you can see bears, whales, moose and more–a lot more.

If you want more travel thoughts from Christopher Elliot, check out his own travel blog called “Ellipses.”