Studies and surveys show that nearly all American workers believe that taking a vacation is very important for them, and most tourists are traveling more than 50 miles away from their homes to take these trips. Overall, this supports a robust domestic tourism industry in the United States, and some destinations have emerged as the most popular places to visit. The sunny, sandy beaches of Florida, California, and Hawaii are typical destination spots and draw big crowds, but that’s not all. Many tourists visit Las Vegas for the nightlife or visit New York City and Chicago for the culture. Meanwhile, some tourists are going up north to Alaska to enjoy the great outdoors there. Alaska may seem like an odd destination at first; it’s cold, thinly populated, and it’s closer to Canada and Russia than the continental U.S. But Alaska proves popular all the same, mainly among outdoors enthusiasts. Tourists can do dog sledding, ice fishing, take helicopter tours, and even try out an Alaska glacier wedding in the spring and summer.
Touring This State
What’s the best way to explore the wilds of Alaska? Some tourists may take the scenic route up close, and go dog sledding or hiking. In fact, dog sledding is a time honored tradition in Alaska and other snowy regions in the world, and often, Siberian Huskies are used for dog sledding. Not only is there dog sledding, but a tourist may go hiking or kayaking up in Alaska and check out all the wildlife there. They can photograph or sketch animals and plants that they wouldn’t find in their own home state. Many tourists in Alaska also like to rock climbing or mountain climbing, after they’ve brought all the right gear.
A tourist in Alaska may go fishing or big game hunting, and there’s plenty of game out there in this massive state. With all right permits and tags, a hunter can look for moose, bear, and other legal game animals on an outdoor adventure they couldn’t experience anywhere else. Ice fishing may be popular here too, often done in a shack on a frozen lake. More conventional fishing might be done in Alaska’s streams and creeks during warmer weather.
How about seeing Alaska from up high? Some vacationers in Alaska may not be so interested in hiking or dog sledding, or maybe they do, but the appeal of helicopters is too much to resist. Why take a helicopter or a plane? The idea is that a tourist (or small group of them) can board a vehicle and allow the pilot to fly them over Alaska’s natural terrain, and up there, the tourists can take in a vast panorama of the state’s endless wilderness. A tour guide on board can explain local history and wildlife, and answer any questions the group might have. Everyone will wear headsets while in a helicopter or plane so that they can hear each other, and a vehicle may fly in all but the worst weather for safety reasons. If a tour vehicle does get grounded, the tourists may want to inquire about refund or rescheduling options.
These tours have to be booked, so an interested vacationer can look online to find some available bookings in their intended vacation time and book one. That should be done either weeks or months in advance, and in some cases, a tourist might book a helicopter tour first, then plan the rest of their vacation around it (if that’s more convenient).
Alaska Destination Weddings
Some creative brides and grooms today like to have destination weddings, often outdoors, and these are often done at rustic farms or sandy beaches. But in warm weather, this can be done in Alaska, too, and the wedding party can scout out some open sites in the state and then book one. The wedding party may also arrange for travel and lodging logistics for all guests, such as flying them up to Alaska and booking hotel rooms in bulk (this may lead to discount offers at the hotels). Taxis and cars can take the guests from a city or town to the wedding site, and this site might also include a party tent. Alaska’s stunning landscape, meanwhile, can make for an excellent backdrop for any outdoor wedding ceremony.
