Caravan Tours to Alaska

[quiltlady]

Does anyone on this forum have experience using on of the caravan tours to Alaska? I see on their websites that the cost covers camping fees and some meals, along with some events. If you did a tour like this would you do it again and was it worth it? There has to be some security in having a tail gunner in case you break down. Also, can you take pets along with you? Your experiences please. Thank you.

[pyoung47]

Most of the really memorable camping sites we had on our trip to Alaska were in roadside turnouts beside some very scenic views. The trip can be very lonely in places, but there is quite a bit of traffic on the Alaska Highway, and there is help available if you need it. The "Tail Gunner" designation is pretty dated -- even the venerable B-52's have done away with them. Unfortunately, most of the WW-2 folks are no longer with us.

[ppine]

As an alternative, I can recommend flying to Anchorage and renting a pick-up with a camper on it. It is easy to see the state that way in a late model truck.

I do not think going all the way to Alaska and going on a bunch of tours with tourists is the way to see AK. I like to stop at road houses and hang around with Alaskans. When you see campfire smoke on a remote road in the Yukon pull over and you might meet a Native family smoking salmon for the their dog team. Alaskans and Athabascans are friendly people and easy to be around.

[MDKMDK]

Here's a link to a sample itinerary for an Alaskan caravan tour.
It might give you some ideas of where to go, what to do, if you decide to DIY it.
Alaska

[quiltlady]

Thanks all for your responses. I usually do all of our planning and reservations well in advance on trips. It looks like about half the tour cost is in campgrounds, meals and events. It something to consider if it is worth the extra cost. Thank you.

[Islandman]

We participated in a Fantasy tour of eastern Canada about three years ago, it was very enjoyable and was good to have someone else do all the planning, permits, reservations, etc. We met some really great RVers on the trip, it was well worth the cost and we have been on a few more trips with Fantasy since then; they offer excellent service. I'm sure that their Alaska trip will be a worthwhile experience too!

[MDKMDK]

Out of interest, I just had a look at the Winnebago Outdoors website to see what was scheduled for 2019, and I didn't see a caravan to Alaska this year. In past years they have held up to 2, 50 day tours, per season.
I'm sure there are other long distance caravan companies/organizations out there that might have plans to head north to Alaska this year, so internet search may be your best bet, if you don't think you can do better yourself, and save some money. There's a lot of info about travel to Alaska in a publication called "The Milepost" if you decided to solo it.
Either way, it's worth the drive.
One other thing I recall reading about the caravans was the requirement to have some sort of CB radio on board, for inter-caravan communications.

Good luck with it.

[Dick_B]

While your are waiting try searching this Forum for `Alaska' then search the results for `caravan'. There are two sides to the caravan issue. Those that want all of the planning work to be done by others for a fee and those who think they can do better on their own. You'll read the details in the search.

[MDKMDK]

No personal experience with caravan tours, but had them offered as a part of purchasing a new Winnebago product, and being given a 1 year WIT club membership. We thought they were pricey, for what they offered, and thought we could do better by ourselves. So, we did 3 years ago, but we plan on going back, because we'd have to stay for a month or more to really see everything on our personal bucket list for an Alaska trip. We were time constrained when we went the first time.

You will need proof of a recent (1 year or less) rabies vaccination for every pet you plan on bringing with you, when you enter Canada, going and coming. If asked. CBSA may or may not ask if you have any pets on board.