Are you thinking of ticking Canada and Alaska off your bucket list? Take my advice, now is a great time to go. The strong Aussie dollar and an increase in direct flights to Vancouver have led to Australians exploring Canada by the planeload!
With friends in Canada and family that love to ski, we’re regulars to Canada and we have been to Alaska twice. One question I often get asked is – what is the best way to see Canada and Alaska?
Whilst many travellers to Canada plan the road-trip of a lifetime through the Rockies, if you are over 60 it’s not what I’d recommend. Not only would you risk missing the best sights, as some of the very best scenery is not accessible by road, you’d also need to do some substantial research into routes, hotels and sights. Have I mentioned the driving distances between attractions and the road conditions?
One of the most popular ways for over 60’s to explore Canada and Alaska is by joining an all-inclusive tour. All-inclusive means, of course, the tour would include all your land content; accommodation, meals, sightseeing and even train journeys and cruises. The top inclusive tour providers offer fabulous options for exploring Canada and Alaska, ensuring you tick off all the major highlights, sights and attractions with ease.
But before you choose a tour make sure you know what to see. To give you a hand, here’s my list of “must-sees” for you to take into consideration when planning your Canada/Alaska trip.
Vancouver and Victoria – As well as being your starting points, these are two beautiful and vibrant cities with a great restaurant scene and a lifestyle centered round the harbour (a bit like Sydney).
A Rocky Mountaineer experience – This iconic luxury train journey is one of the most famous in the world and enables you to view the spectacular untouched wilderness Canada is renowned for.
The ‘triple threat’ Banff, Jasper and Lake Louise – These towns offer picture postcard scenery and quaint towns. Highlights of this area are the stunning Bow Valley Parkway and the Columbia Icefields.
A Canadian ski village – Even if there’s no snow or a just light dusting, the Canadian Ski fields are world class with most offering a true Alpine atmosphere.
The all-important Alaskan Cruise – Most Alaskan cruises do a similar itinerary, however it is important to note that some tour operators guarantee a view room as part of your package. In my mind there’s no point doing an Alaskan Cruise if you can’t take in every minute of the view. Choose your travel time wisely for the cruise, particularly if seeing Bears or Salmon is important to you.
So now you know where to go, here are my recommendations for the top 4 tour companies to take you there.
Scenic Tours
Scenic have a well-deserved reputation for being one of the best 5-star all-inclusive touring companies, especially for Canada/Alaska. With local Canadian staff, a focus on personalized service and guaranteed view rooms in the most scenic destinations on their itineraries (including Verandah Staterooms on the Alaskan Cruise). You’d be hard pressed finding a company that knows the area as well as Scenic.
Insight
Insight is highly thought of and also gets lots of great feedback for their personalised service. Although they offer a more limited choice of tours, they certainly cover all the hot spots.
APT
APT have toured Canada and Alaska for over 20 years, they too offer a 5-star experience, fabulously planned itineraries and take a maximum of 40 guests.
Globus
Offering 4.5-star touring of Canada and Alaska Globus packages their product a little differently, which adds a greater degree of flexibility. You can combine a Rockies tour with an Alaskan Cruise, a trip to The Yukon or a tour to the Calgary Stampede.
Actually, it must be time for us to visit Canada again soon…what are you waiting for?