Renting an RV to explore Alaska and the Yukon with Rolf and Irene Meyer

Rolf and Irene Meyer sit down with Jennie to talk about how to decide if an RV rental is right for you as well as some of their favorite places to travel with an RV in in Alaska and the Yukon.

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Transcript

 Welcome to the Alaska Uncovered Podcast with me, your host, Jennie Thwing Flaming, my occasional co-host and full-time husband, Jay, and I bring you accurate, helpful, and entertaining information about Alaska Travel and life in Alaska.





 



The Alaska Uncovered Podcast is supported by our Patreon members. We are so grateful for our Patreon members who keep us going. You can join them at patreon.com/alaska uncovered, and as a monthly member of the planning club, you can get your questions answered by me every single week.

It's a weekly ask me anything, and every week there's an extra episode with answering everyone's questions. It's really fun. So find us over there. Alright, enjoy the show.

My guests today are Rolf and Irene Meyer, and they're the owners of Go North Alaska RV and Car Rental. And we're gonna talk about RV in Alaska today. But first, I would like to welcome both of you to the podcast. Thank you so much for being here. 

Thank you so much for having us.

Yes, thank you. Yeah. So can you start, with telling everybody how you got to Alaska. Let's start there. 



Oh, that's way back now we're talking 35 years in the past, the way back 

time machine. 

Yeah. Yeah. So there was a time, uh, where, you know, in my personal life I just needed a break and, uh, I had an idea of, .

Traveling to Alaska and do the Pan-American Highway all the way down to Argentina, um, with hitchhiking. So. I made my way up to Alaska and basically short version, , I got stuck after 200 miles, so,, Fairbank. So 

you never left Alaska. 

Well, the plan was to go to Dead Horse. And, , start actually, you know, at the way top on the north of the highway.

Yes. 

And then travel all the way down as far, uh, as it goes., With the timeframe I had available about a half a year and the money ahead available and, um, it just happened on the way up to that horse. I stopped in White Horse and in Fairbanks, sorry. And, . On the way up, I, I went to White Horse, but ended up in Fairbanks and met a few people they were traveling to.

And, , a guy who had a hostel there in Fairbanks. And, we, uh, just decided to go on a river trip in the Brooks Range. Um, and that's what we did. And that was just,. Why go any further if you found that place and did a few more trips up there and then went back home to Switzerland? Save some money for the next trip the next summer.

And, uh, it just repeated itself, took my friends along and the next time the, the friends of my friends and, and then it just,, snowballed a little bit and it became a business. So that's how, it's amazing how it started. 

You know, I feel like that, sentence I. Was going to some blank, but I ended up in Fairbanks and I stayed.

There is like a, you're not the only one with that story. 

There's a lot of that. Yeah, I, hear it all the time. Yeah. Uh very similar stories. Yes. And, uh, we ended up living in, , in Fairbanks for how long? 23 years. 

And Fairbanks was a compromise actually, because he was so in love with the Brooks Range. He wanted to move to Bettles, which is like a 25.

People village. Yes. Accessible off the road 

system. 

Exactly. 

Well that, no, no, not entirely true. There's a nice road going in in the winter time, so which is sometimes drivable. 

That's fair. So occasionally now and then in just the right weather you could drive there in the winter. Okay. I'll give you that.

Listeners, if you're like, what are they talking about? We are talking about the Brooks Range, which is the mountains that are north of Fairbanks, between Fairbanks and the Arctic Ocean, where Gates of the Arctic National Park is, and then bes. If you've heard of Bettles, which you may not have and you shouldn't feel bad if you haven't, you've probably heard of it because that's one of the places that people go to get into gates of the Arctic National Park.

So. Just a little context if people are like, what are they talking about? Okay. So Irene, how, where did you fit into this journey from Switzerland to Fairbanks? 

Well, I knew that man in Switzerland, we have been together and it was, it was very clear. Go to Alaska for, for a few years. Initially he would just go in summertime and, and guide trips and I went along, , and just totally loved it too, of course.

And when, um, he had the plan to go to Alaska for two, three years to start a branch for his tour business, because it was, back then, it was not easy to make bookings from Switzerland and work with people in Alaska. They, everybody had checks over here that you had to send from here from payments. It's something you could not do from Switzerland.

So you needed somebody here. So he wanted to start like 

paper checks, like with a pen 

for business. Exactly. So that, that was, that's a concept we didn't know in Switzerland. So he wanted to go to, to Alaska for, for a few years and build a branch. And initially he actually wanted to go live in Bettles. That to me, living at a place, I, I liked Bettles, but living at a place with only 20 or so people, that, that was not really what I could imagine doing.

Yeah. So Fairbanks then was, was kind of a compromise, but it proved to be the perfect compromise because how would you, how would you start a business, you know, and in such a small place. And Fairbanks was a great place for us to live for many, many years. 

Yeah. And now you live in Homer? Yes. 

Yes. You know, I, I really loved.

Winter time in, in, in Fairbanks is a long time. It's at least half of the year is winter. And it's really cold winter. And it's dark winter. And I never had a problem with the darkness because once when everything is white, once the moon is out, it, it reflects light and you get used. Your eyes cannot even deal with real bright light anymore.

You get used to the light that's there. So you're 

like a nocturnal animal. Like, like 

it's adjusted to the dark, like a bat. Our bodies, our bodies adjust to, to our environment. So, so I never had a problem with that and. Initially, I love just going out in my cross country ski in wintertime, everything is frozen, everything is covered with snow.

So all these swampy areas that in summer are inaccessible. Every place is accessible In wintertime if you go cross country ski or snow machine or whatnot. But I didn't have a machine, so I would go with, with ski and walk my dogs and, and enjoyed it for many, many years. But the older I got. It, it was just an environment that I didn't feel safe anymore to just go out there by myself.

Yeah. And nobody knows where you are at and what if the what ifs started to come up? So yeah, we were looking for a warmer place, but leaving Alaska, like 

Homer 

option. Yeah. Not 

like Hawaii or Arizona. Homer. 

We ask Switzerland for Alaska. Stay in Alaska. So yeah, we, and we knew Homer. We love Homer, so that's very, 

Homer is awesome.

Yeah. Love it. Okay, so we're gonna come back to go north and your, because as I mentioned before, Rolf and Irene are the owners of Go North, which rents cars and well SUVs and um, RVs and those of you who've listened to the pod for a long time have heard us talk about Go North. Before, so we'll come back to that.

But for right now, I would love to have you share just a little bit about RV travel in Alaska in general. And some of the things we'll talk about, these things would apply to people who are driving their RV from the lower 48 as well as people who are,, flying to Alaska and renting an rv.

Like from you. So first of all, let's talk about RV travel in Alaska, and I think it's okay to bring the Yukon into this as well, especially since , you have a location in Whitehorse and I love the Yukon. I know you both do as well. Anyway, so tell us a little bit about. Why RV travel is a great way, not the only way, of course, but why it is a great way to see Alaska and the Yukon.

Do you wanna start Rolf?

I think the real plus is, you know, you, you travel. With a vehicle that has its own bathroom and kitchen in it, it's pretty great. And you, you're just flexible. You know, we talked about wildfires before, , bad weather, rain and whatnot.

So you can kind avoid that if you're not. Really pre-planning every overnight stay in a nor week or a campground or whatnot, so, 

right. 

It gives you a lot of flexibility, let's put it that way. 

Yeah. 

And we like that aspect, and that's why we decided we are gonna let, uh, people drive all public roads, no matter if they're paved or not.

So all of our vehicles are allowed to go on. On gravel roads as well. The motor homes have a small surcharge. We charge a little bit, um, when people return and they were traveling on gravel roads. Yeah, it's, it's just, it's abusing the vehicles quite a bit more going up to that horse or to pre then it would 

just, especially those, the, the blue sewer pipes thing.

Yeah. We go, 

oh, 

oh 

boy. 

Yeah. So I think that's the best, uh, the, the most, positive, A aspect of just the flexibility. 

Yeah, I agree with that. And I will just say, listeners, we're gonna come back to this later, but, even if you are not rv, if you're looking for a vehicle. Like an SUV that you can drive on gravel note roads go north as a good place to rent those from.

So even if you're not rv, just that was important. And I think it's more than fair to charge a surcharge for a motor home on the adult highway. 

All the other vehicles have no surcharge, but yes, the motor homes do. Yeah, not the truck campers. They're four by four., And all the SUVs we have are also four by four.

Not that you need it regularly, but you have it available should you need it. 

Which is nice and higher. Clearance to you is great. 

That too. 



, I have a motor home and I'm the motor home traveler. It's my mode of being on, on the road in summertime.

If I go, I, I go by motor home and I feel. I would not go by car when I want to go someplace and I have the option, do I go in my car or do I go with the motor home and definitely go with the motor home

one big difference for me is where you sit at how high you sit. Oh, 

yeah. 

It makes a difference whether say in a compact core you are. Driving up to a big cathedral. It's just something that's huge and goes up and you enjoy how monumental that is.

It doesn't matter whether you're in the compact car or in a truck, but when you are in Alaska, you drive through nature and it makes a huge difference just sitting a little higher. Even the difference from a compact car to an SUV sitting a little higher and you see further if, yeah. Drive and look over the field of these gorgeous purple fireweed versus sitting low and looking at the green stems and some purple.

I mean, it makes really a huge difference sitting. It does higher and higher when you drive through nature, and that's what you do here and that's why you come here. So that is one big reason for me to drive with the. A pickup truck or with a, with a motor home. When I want to enjoy it, I can enjoy them.

And the other thing is exactly like you said, when you have your kitchen with you and, and your bathroom, if you go explore another area, where is more people at the really nice places, you'll most likely have a restaurant or something. So you drive there, you enjoy, you are outdoors in a nice area for a little bit, and you really suck up the energy of that place and the beauty.

Yeah. In Alaska, you don't have these restaurants. Yeah, there's so few people here. There is nature. But, but not even a, a little truck, food truck or anything on the road. So you come to these beautiful places with a car. You may stop, you may take a picture, but then you're in the car and you go. Right, and all you have is that quick snapshot and with the motor home you come, you park where it's nice to park to sit.

You may make a coffee, you go outside, maybe on a little hike. You just enjoy so much deeper. And with that, of course you travel slower. That's one thing that just naturally happens. People kind of think from their car driving experience when they plan their trip, but with a more, you're gonna be slower because you really stop at these places.

And that to me. Makes me experience Alaska so much more than with a course. So for me that would be one main reason why to go with an rv. Yeah. Personally, gravel roads with a motor home for me or a no go it just so loud in there and you can feel how that whole structure doesn't like what you do into it.

And that's, I, I had a truck camper for a couple years also, and that's what I. Totally enjoy doing during that time because you have high clearance and you have a good truck and whatever happens in the living area behind you, you don't hear it because it's separate. So I, I think you really want to decide what your main goal is, where you want to go, if it's, yeah.

Grave roads, you are much better off at a truck camper. Yes. Paved roads. I like the comfort of being in the same vehicle can to be able and go into the back. Um, and I go with the, 

yep. Yeah, that's really good advice, Irene, and that, that really matches with my experience too, is , listeners who've listened for a while will know that Jay and I took one of your truck campers, the scout campers, up to the Arctic Ocean in the Northwest Territories on the Dumpster Highway, not the Dalton Highway, the Dumpster Highway, and about every 10 minutes we were like a truck Camper is the perfect.

Vehicle for this road, right? There's, there's, I think two restaurants in 500 miles, you know, and they may or may not be open and there's one place to stay. I think it's also a couple in Naik. But, um, and we did. When we were at the Arctic Ocean, we, um, we parked there for a while and we like, made coffee, made lunch, like, enjoyed the view, walked around, and that was really cool.

It, it was really awesome. 

And if it's a perfect place, you know, , I have a hotel booking a hundred miles down the road or 60 miles down the road, or even 40 30. What a pity if you can know, stay there and sleep. Absolutely. Wake up in the morning and see what it looks like and how it feels in the morning.

Yeah, so, and I appreciate that you also kind of raised some of the differences between like a truck camper and a motor home and, and what might be good for different kinds of trips. 'cause I completely agree with that. Okay. So one more thing about you in the motor home, Irene, before we move on. It sounds like you're saying that women.

Can drive motor homes. 

Women can indeed and even hold women can. Yes, for sure. You know, I mean, a lot of our clients are Europeans and they're not used to these big vehicles. Yeah. And are. Kind of used. If you have a pickup truck, that's the size vehicle you have when you drive a truck camper. And with the camper unit sitting on the truck bed really hardly anything changes it.

You know, it's heavy. And with that, it actually feels good to driving these, these big pickup trucks. Nothing changes really with a motor home. Yes. When you take a curve, you have to be aware. And it's kind of slower and not going where the front uh, wheels go. Yeah. But it really is no problem at all. Mostly because lanes are wide.

That that's for the Europeans, you know, because they big truck and if you see the big trucks in Europe, I mean, they take up the whole lane and the little more over here. 

Yeah. You like have to tuck your mirrors in to kind of drive 

through. Right, right. And here the lanes. Right. Plus you have hardly any cities you drive through.

And it's Anchorage and then maybe Fairbanks. But even in Fairbanks, you don't realize you're in a city.

Yeah, I mean, it's a pretty fri I feel like Alaska and the Yukon are pretty friendly environments for. Getting used to driving a new vehicle, you know that sure it's bigger, but you, if you can drive, you can do it.

You know, you've just gotta learn where it is and where the wheels are. And then 

the hardest part is the first 20 miles, right? Yeah. And they're usually in a town and whatnot. And then it gets really easy, just, just going back about, uh, if, uh, women can drive motor homes, they're actually better drivers. Um, we have 68.

Percent of the damages or accidents, um, on the road with our vehicles are men. So women are definitely better drivers. So, 

okay, this is one of my favorite moments. We have proof of three years of this podcast is right here. Thank you. Okay, so you heard it here first. From Rolf, A Man, women are better drivers, at least of rental vehicles.

But I also want to say compared to the lower 48, for example, when I drive a motor home there, um, grocery shop shopping to me with a motor home in the lower 48 is an issue. Where do I park my, my motor home? You know, it's, it's so hard. The vehicle is too big. I don't have that issue up here at all or 

no.

And in, in the, in the more central areas. The, the stores, they really all have big parking lots. You always find plenty space to, to go with your motor home. That's, that, that to me is, is one real big difference. Yeah. And no problem at all with that up here. 

Yeah. Yeah. That's another good thing to um, mention is that.

Yeah, they like if you're at a Walmart or a real Canadian Superstore or a Costco or Fred Meyer. You know, you're gonna be able to park up the far end of the parking lot with all the other RVs, so No problem. Yeah. Even if it's 

huge. Yeah. May maybe, if I can add, you know, the, the, the difference between a truck camp and motor homes, uh, it's the limitation how many people you can comfortably fit in a, in a unit.

Yeah. Um, 

that's a good point. 

Especially the one you had the adventure class, uh, truck campus, I mean. Yep. Two people is just what they're designed for. If you look at the manufacturers, uh, you probably can squeeze in six, you know? Yeah. Whatever they're saying online, but it's definitely not comfortable. So we recommend two people for the smaller ones for the venture, up to three on the, on the larger ones.

But then, uh, motor homes, uh, up to six people. Yeah. If you have a family, um, you know, more than three, either you, you rent a second truck camp or you go with a motor home. 

Yeah, I agree with that for sure. I would love to hear from, from both of you what some of your favorite places are in Alaska or the Yukon to, um, to go in an rv, either a truck camper or a motor home.

The north is, uh, what I fell in love with first in Alaska. And, , one of the most fascinating parts of the world. And there's only two roads going through that and one in Canada, uh, the Dempster and, and the Dalton in, uh, yeah, in, in Alaska.

So this is still, uh, my favorite, but there's tons or really remote, nice areas. Yeah. Denali Highway, you know? Mm-hmm. Not as long road.. McCarthy, you, you name it. So, , that it, it's all beautiful. There's little lakes left and right where you can park and, and, uh, have you, have peace. So, 

yeah. Love that.

What about you, Irene? What are some of your favorite spots? 

Yeah, what role Man, in this areas with few trees where you see, you know, the vast landscape. I like the more southern areas there. Almost rainforest like you have more green and taller green and more colors that, that's my favorite. So ever since living down in Homer, I so enjoy driving up to Anchorage.

Sterling Highway is just so. Scenic very rough along the inlet, and, and you look across that water and see all the mountain. It's 

amazing. 

I mean, driving over tour again, but past and, um, towards Anchor Anchorage, along Tourin or to me, that's just every time I just enjoy that drive. It's, it's so gorgeous.

And or over in the Yukon, the Haines Highway, that, that is my favorite. Again, just the landscape is. So incredible. 

Yeah, it really is. This is really making me wanna go on a red trip like right now, even though it's February. Oh, that's awesome. Okay, so I feel like we've talked about this a little bit, but just to go a little further with some of your favorite spots.

Um, you know, a lot of people who ask me for help with planning their trip or, um. Or send me emails or hire me to do, , a lot of times are really wanting to get away from the same places everybody else is going. And a lot of those places that you both just mentioned as some of your favorites. Are places where not a lot of visitors are going, but I'm wondering what would be your like number one spot for people who have that concern.

And an RV, by the way, is a great way, in my opinion, to address that concern because of the flexibility that you mentioned. Earlier Wolf and because of the like slow travel that you were talking about Irene. 'cause I feel like that's really key is to just be somewhere for a while. But are there any particular places that you feel like are generally kind of underappreciated or overlooked by travelers that are great RV destinations?

I wouldn't say overlooked, but it's, it's like two different types of areas you go to here. The majority of the tourists is cruise tourists. 

Yeah. 

And they have land packages. We have the motor coaches on the roads, and we have roads that are paved and we have the rail belt. We have a. A train from sewer to Anchorage to Denali to Fairbanks.

And that's the area where most of the people are traveling. 

Yeah. 

Also includes for Anchorage down to Seward and home or the paved road because of all the fishermen. In July, you have a lot of fishermen. In July, you come on the weekend where Alaskans, in addition, come fishing on the Kenai Peninsula. You have congestion, something we hardly ever have over here, but you're gonna have wait times because it's just too many people on the road.

Yeah. And if you want to go someplace where there is less tourists, that's actually the reason why we started renting truck campers over 25 30. Over 25 years ago. Um, because we wanted to give tourists the opportunity, the option to go to these remote places, and they are all along the gravel roads. That's where hardly anybody else goes.

Very few tourists are allowed to go, and it's the most pristine nature. It's, it's not made touristy because the cruise people don't go there. So that's like Rol mentioned, that's Denali Highway. Connects the the Glen or the Richardson Highway with the Parks Highway where you can go over and definitely rain.

Saint Elias National Park, which you know is 

amazing 

adjacent to Kwan National Park in the Yukon. Um. Going to McCarthy, um, Ken Cot driving Napal Road or, or flying in to, to a place from there. But with the rv, and I'm talking truck camp only when I, I say RV for, for a gravel road like that. Um, yeah. S and Elias National Park, I would go a hundred times.

Yeah. Rather than going to the Denali National Park, which is nice too, but it, it's just so touristy. 

Yeah. Yep. Do you wanna add anything to that, Rolf, before we move on? 

I agree. Yeah, 100% on, um, on that information that IRE just gave us. Yeah. 

Yeah. 

And we did not mention Dalton versus STEMster Highway, right?

Mm-hmm. You are the kind liking the north. So if you, you like, uh, go further north, . Definitely to me it would be dumpster rather than Dalton. Just because you don't have all these big, rigs that drive the Dalton to go to the oil field. You don't have that on the dumpster. 

Yeah, I feel the same. I, I prefer the dumpster also.

Yeah. What about you Rolf? Do you have a preference of one of those two? I know you love the Brooks Range, so you might like the Dalton better. I, 

I, I honestly don't know. The only time I attempted to go to drive to, uh, Innu, um, I got snowed in and had to turn around. Yeah, pretty soon.

Yeah. 

So I've never done it myself, but I have done the Dalton, I don't know.. 30 times all the way up and back. And it, it never got old. , It was still beautiful., Yeah. 30 times.

Yeah. That's awesome. And the Brooks Range really is gorgeous. I mean, it really is quite stunning. 

Yeah.

Gates of the Arctic is uh, one of my favorite national parks I ever visited, for sure. Yeah. 

Yeah. 

Not easy accessible, obviously. No, 

definitely 

not. So no roads float plane is usually the way to go. So that makes it really expensive. But yeah, uh, it's , incredibly beautiful. Yes. 

Yeah. And then you have an excuse to go to Bettles.

That's always a good thing, isn't 

it? That's right. Yeah. 

What were you gonna say? What Ralph mentioned with the snow, then that's an important thing to be aware of also. Yeah. How far north the north is, right. When, when we say the Ali Highway or McCarthy Road, Nabesna Road, kind of in the middle of that whole big Alaska map.

That is, that is far north already. And if you go to the Dalton or the dumpster, that's areas where in, after mid-August you may encounter blizzards and it can be, 

yeah, 

gorgeous. Fall in, in end of August or very early September. But you need to be aware that this is very far north. So yeah, you, you can get snowed in and you may have to change your plans, which you can easily do with an rv.

You just, 

yeah, 

everything across the Arctic circle, it can snow any month after in June, you know, it can snow and that slows you down. Obviously it's gonna Mel. Very quickly again, but it will slow you down. So when you definitely, when you do plan a trip with a truck camper, you know, don't have inic or took the tuk or, or dead horse on your second last day on your, uh, itinerary.

Yeah. That, that's pushing the lock, right? So. 

Yep. When we were there, it was like the last few days of August and first few days of September, the like five days that we spent on the dumpster. And it was beautiful. Like the fall colors were out and everything, but it was, you know, like well below freezing at night, which was totally fine.

But, um. Obviously we could have had a blizzard. We didn't because it was very dry. But you know, we were aware that like that could happen. So yeah, that's a really important point too. Okay. This is really making me want to take a red trip in a truck camper really badly. Um, okay, so let's talk a little bit about Go North.

And we have talked about it a little bit throughout, so. One thing that I think is super important, I know we've already talked about it, but I'm just gonna say again, being able to drive your vehicles on gravel roads is amazing. And I would just say from the traveler standpoint, another thing that's wonderful is having the option of doing a one-way.

Rental, and of course you pay. So listeners, any car, any vehicle rental in Alaska, if they will allow you to do one way, which many just straight up will not, there's always gonna be a fee for that because then whoever's renting the vehicles has to move them around again. So I know you sometimes run specials in spring and fall, but those are the two things that really stand out to me about Go North that are.

Unique that I want people to be aware of. So can you talk a little bit about where your rental stations are, um, and how, and like a little bit about booking and I, I also wanna come back to campgrounds and campground reservations. So we'll do that in a minute. So tell everybody a little bit about where they can rent a Go North vehicle.

So let's start there. 

So we have,, four stations where you can rent, , motor homes, truck campers, uh, and SUVs. Um, and 15 passenger vans that, uh, let's start in the south, , a little bit south of Seattle. We call it the Seattle station, but it's actually in Alona. That's where we get new vehicles when we purchase them.

Do that every year, obviously to refresh to the, the fleet., That's where they get delivered and uh, we rent them out from there, um, to, , go up north either to, uh, white Horse, which is the next station on, on that road going up north or Anchorage or Fairbanks. And, um. We also have that special, starting September five, , going, down again, from either Anchorage Fairbanks or , white Tours to Seattle.

That's a little bit more limited because our station is not really big down there. We have a capacity to store maybe, maybe. 50, 60 motor homes there. 

Yeah. 

And then, we run outta space so that the fall is a little bit limited, but, , in spring we usually have, um, 30, 40 units, 50 units more because of the new ones we adding.

Our clients are doing the one way starting in May, going up north. People see a lot of wildlife. 

Yeah. 

Uh, going up 

there and, and I'm just gonna say that if you have the chance to drive, if you've always wanted to drive to Alaska and you wanna do it one way.

Which is pretty awesome. This is a great way to do it. So Rolf, can you tell everybody like when Spring is, because sometimes people think of Spring as like March or April. So when is this time after you have the new vehicles delivered, when that kind of window of opportunity is for people to get quite a good deal doing a one way northbound drive.

It's not a clear date where we say you can start doing it. We talk to people and look at their itinerary. If, if one of their main goal is to spend a lot of time in bc that's a different thing than heading up north right away. Yeah. 

So, 

yeah, we, we just tell people don't push it too hard and don't drive, try to drive, uh, into the Arctic before, uh, may.

You know? Yeah. So that's, that's kind of the, you know,, lately springs are a little bit sooner than there were 20, 30 years ago. Yeah. So it's shifting a little bit. , But you know, that's kind of the overall information we give clients. So if somebody is trying to rent in February, that's a no go. You know, we're not gonna let that happen.

Yeah. 

But you know, we talk to our clients and say, yeah, that's probably a smart idea, but just watch the weather and road conditions while going up there. And the, the bulk of the rental starts, mid-May, , in Seattle. That's when it really starts.

Yep. 

Getting busy in, in Seattle. 

Yeah. And typically don't people taking advantage of that one way thing typically have to be there by early June, sometime early June.

Is that right? Or am I off there? 

No, they just do, uh, for the special with no one way fee, they just have to pick up before June five. 

Okay. It's not the arrival time, it's the depression. It's 

not the arrival time. Okay. Great. 

Okay, wonderful. So also I think it's good for people to know, like how they book and make a reservation and when they need to do that.

And I know it varies a little bit for different times of year. Like July is different from May for example. So can you talk a little bit about that, like where people book, how the booking process works, and then when is a good time to be booking? 

Well, I, I can probably start with when , we don't have any availability anymore.

Right. And that usually happens. , In October of the prior year, so last October, we probably told several people already. We don't have anything in June on these particular dates on that station for, for the truck camp, but we still have motor homes. We still have that. We, we have alternatives or if you can move the dates a little bit, but that, that starts usually in October.

Yeah. For certain very specific requests. 

Yep. 

, In general, we are usually 50, 55% booked. New year, um, January 1st, so 

yeah. 

And then it gets a little harder every time, you know, if you have a right really fixed window where you can travel, it's just. The more flexible you are if you make that request before you book your flights and whatnot, that just helps, , fitting, uh, your, your needs with our products we still have available.

Yeah. I'm glad you talked about doing this before booking your flights, Rolf, because that's something I frequently tell people that feels backwards to them is get your, where you're gonna stay figured out. First before you buy your tickets, because changing your trip by one or two days could determine, you know, availability.

And so of course if you're renting a motor home or a truck camper, then that's where you're staying, right? That's your hotel, if you will. So I think that's really good advice to you is to get that figured out while you still have a little flexibility, and then get tickets after that. 

Yeah, be early with the planning if,, or be very flexible.

I would. Put it that way. So we have sometimes in early June, still for walk-ins, we have vehicles, but that really stops mid June, you know? Yeah. Then we solid it booked, uh, yeah. Until, um, mid, mid August. So 

yeah. 

Very rarely. I mean, we also get cancellations obviously. Sure. And something can open up, , if one is lucky.

But, , it's usually not a good way to plan that way. 

Yep. Absolutely. And um, I know sometimes this throws people off, so I just wanted to mention this to you that you're go, what you're going to do on. The On Go North's website is a, like a booking request. Right. And then you'll get a quote back and I don't know if, if you want me to talk about that or if one of you wants to explain, like, I think it's good for people to know there are so many moving parts and you're trying to make it easy for them by understanding what they want and then giving them the right quote based on that.

But could you talk about that a little bit? 'cause sometimes people are like, well, if I rent a like. Toyota Corolla from like Avis, I can just go on and rent it, you know? Can, so can you talk a little bit about like why that process is there and how that's actually helpful for Travelers? 

Well, it, it's helpful that, you know, a, it, it.

It requires a little bit more thoughts to fill out the form online. So that's step number one. Step number two, we, we can, see pretty much with what,, that response is,, what we can help with, with that person that can add,, questions and whatnot. And then we have a conversation with most of our clients.

Yeah. Which is really helpful. 

Yeah. 

To find out is this really the product you're looking for? Yeah. You know, is that what you want? Because some people, you know that they talk about the camper, but they, they're not talking about the camper. They're trying to. Find a, a, a trailer, uh, or they're trying to find a motor home and, you know, just these little things, they're gonna go out of the way.

We, we occasionally still have it that, uh, somebody books a truck camp about expecting a motor home, even though it's, it's all couple of times in writing, right. Yeah. Going back and forth. But, you know, we like the interaction to eliminate as much as possible of those, um, uh, situations and, yeah. It's not as easy as, , in a big city.

Just, uh, yeah, go online, her Avis, uh, you name it. And just, you need four wheels, right? To get around. That's it. Yeah, it's a little bit more, , to it, if you go on vacation in Alaska, in the Yukon. 

Yeah, absolutely. And I'll just say to you listeners that like, you're gonna talk with like an actual person.

Like a real live human. Yeah, we, we have tweet who knows Alaska and knows the Yukon and can really help make sure that you have a good plan and that you're getting the right vehicle, and that's just super important. 

And it's really important, I think for, at least for the first timers coming up here, we also have a lot of repeaters.

Then it's probably a little bit, uh, easier. There's a lot of questions usually and, we certainly take the time to answer those questions and, uh, it's not helping if we don't. If we are not straightforward with potential issues or, or problems we might see with an itinerary or whatnot because the problem is just gonna arrive later when it's,, a lot more work to, uh, solve the issues.

You know? Yeah. Like people want to drive to Dead Horse from Anchorage in two days in a motor home. You know, it's just that. That's gonna be really okay on the map. 

Terrible. 

You know, if you just look the maps, yeah, that's probably doable, but in reality it's not. 

Yeah, yeah, for sure. And by the way, unless either of you wanna elaborate on this, like one of the things that they'll help you figure out is what type of mileage package to get.

'cause you can either pre-purchase miles or. Purchase an unlimited package or, and that kind of thing. And it, that just is so dependent on your situation. And so that's part of why, you know, you guys will help someone figure out, is the unlimited PA miles package the right one for me? Or a day, you know, like, what do I actually need here?

So that's also super helpful. And by the way, listeners, um, you can get a. A small discount on that with our code for the podcast. So thanks to both of you for providing that. And it is, the code is G-O-N-O-A. I'll put that in the show notes too. Um, and so you can just provide that when you're getting your quote.

And, um, that's probably the easiest way to explain it unless, um, at least verbally on the podcast, unless either of you wanna add anything else to that. 

It, it's not too late to mention it at, uh, at the front counter. It, we still apply it. 

Cool. 

I didn't know that. But it, it's easier if we do it upfront. Of course.

Yeah. And, but once the rental, uh, agreement is signed that, that's the cutoff, uh, moment. So, right. We cannot apply it after that. 

Right? So if your trip is in July, and then next January you're like, Hey, look at this discount, 

right? If your trip starts on June 1st, and,, you didn't mention it and you're driving off the lot, it's, it's too late.

It's too 

late, sorry. So do it now and remember it now. Okay. So we, once again, that code is. Five letters and they are G-O-N-O-A and I'll put it in the show notes. Okay. Um, let's see. Let's talk a little bit before we wrap up here, um, about like, what I thought your, your like comment, Irene, when we were talking about this before, about like what type of campgrounds should people expect in Alaska and the Yukon was a really good one.

So can you address that a little bit? What, what should people expect at a typical campground? 

Yeah. Um, there is, there is public campgrounds and there is private campgrounds. That's, that's the biggest distinction. The, the private campgrounds, they usually cost more, a lot more, but they have full hookups, electric water, sewer, other amenities.

A lot of people like that. They have a big shower. , They are usually in or near cities, villages. And you can. Pre, you make the reservations ahead of time with, with those. 

Yep. 

And then there are the public campgrounds, which are usually much more scenic and budget friendly for like $30 a night.

That's campgrounds from Forest Service, from BLM Bureau of Land Management from Alaska State Parks. They are just at these gorgeous sites Set aside, um, for. For people come in and some of them can be reserved ahead of time through,, recreation.gov or through reserve america.com. These sites usually have a lot of them, not even electric.

Some have electric, but they certainly have no sewer. Some you can dump when you leave. Um, but I don't recall any off the top of my head where you could fill up water. The best thing to do personally, I think because they are so nice, , to spend two or three nights at one of those campgrounds and really enjoy the solitude and then have a night at.

The private campground where you have full hookup, you can do laundry, you can take your shower. Yeah. You just need to be aware really, of why there is so limited infrastructure in, in those,, public campgrounds. Yeah. There is no electric. There is just no electric there. So if you were to have restrooms.

You would need a flush toilet, which needs some kind of electricity to get the flush going. Right? 

Right. 

You would have a generator, a generator running 24 hours disturbing everything. Actually, it's not even loud in most of these places to have that kind of noise. So that's why there's this big,, discrepancy in between private campgrounds and public campgrounds.

Yeah. 

And on our website we actually have a, a nice tab,, trip planning, and we talk about the different types of campgrounds there. And we also have campground suggestions along every highway that you can, yeah. Take a look at there. 

Yeah, that's a great resource. And like I was saying before, listeners like these are real people live, live humans who know these places and like are not just renting you a vehicle but also want you to have an amazing time.

Um, like most businesses in Alaska are like, we really want people to have a good experience. Right? So I think that is, . That's super helpful and wonderful. So kind of, kind of last question for you, Irene, kind of along those same lines, like under, so we talked before about the awesome flexibility of it, you know, of being in an rv, but also, you know, if it's like, hey, on Saturday I really need to be able to do laundry near, near, or in Fairbanks, for example.

What do you recommend as sort of like. A balance of winging it and having a planned itinerary and having, um, set reservations. What's your, and I know it varies for different types of travelers, but,, what's your sort of general advice about that? 

Well, it depends a little on whether these people are used to driving or traveling by rv, right?

Just like I said before, there is these places where you're gonna spend time that you would not with a car. And generally people who have not, well with everybody, but people who have not, , pre-booked too lot. We see they drive maybe, maybe through 30% of their vacation time. Just, you know, taking it easy and then starting to reassess what their plans were and they realize, oh, we go much slower than we wanted to, and we don't have a whole lot of roads in Alaska and, and in the Yukon.

So you're kind of limited in what your planning is, and that means oftentimes you then do not that extra loop into Reynolds and Elias or whatever, when you have to reassess and, and, plan how to do so. I, I would recommend. Planning for the first. Week maybe, or five days or four days. And looking at where you might be staying at the milepost is a great, great, um, resource to 

yes, 

find places where you can camp.

You can also camp wild in Alaska.

Can you explain what that is? Irene, when 

you say camp wild, what is that? There's, and they are, they're often quite nice. And you can just camp there overnight. That's, that's not the problem at all. You cannot do that on private property, but you, of course, there's a lot of public places where you can do that along, uh, highways like the Denali Highway.

I mean, that's how everybody is camping there. Yeah. You pull towards a river input or something and that's where you camp. Yeah. So yeah, don't, don't plan the whole. Itinerary that you want to do. If you have to be some place to just take a shower, just to laundry, you'll find laundromats everywhere and can park easily there.

And they, most of them at the more remote the places are, , they have showers also. So it does not need to be a campground for, for that part you can dump, but. Pretty much all Chevron stations. 

Yep. 

There, there are options because people live, there's a lot of people living off the grid here. 

Yes.

Yeah. Even in a city like Fairbanks, you have a lot of people living in dry cabins. Mm-hmm. Have outhouse. They don't have running water, so 

Right. 

Alaska is geared for people coming in a, in a truck camper or in a motor home, because Yeah. People actually live like that here. Yeah. So don't talk too much. On the other hand, be aware of when something special happens.

Right? 4th of July, Mount Marathon in Seward plus it's prime fishing time. These campgrounds, the, the state, , the city campgrounds, they're all reserved online. Yeah, they, they sell out in January when they look. Yeah. So you will be camping in a campground just outside Seward if you come in July and you have not made your reservation.

Yep. 

Weekends or, um, Alaskans are traveling too. So a lot of these, even the remote public campgrounds can be booked. Best thing is to come early, like afternoon, early midafternoon. All these, or almost all these public campgrounds that you can. Reserve on recreation.gov or Reserve America have some sites that you cannot reserve ahead of time.

So they have some walking sites all the time, and there's really a big chance that you always find space if you are there by three or 4:00 PM 

Yeah, 

yeah. But don't plan too much because you have to. Expect that you will change your itinerary. 

Yeah. Oh, that's such good advice. Okay, so speaking of advice, last question before I let you both go, I would love for each of you to share one piece of advice you have for first time Alaska Travelers.

Do you wanna go first in, 

in addition to what we all said already? 

Yeah. If you were just gonna say one thing, it could be something you already said that you're like, this thing is super important. 

Then I would say dress in layers. Follow the onion principle. Right? A lot of people don't know how they have to dress.

Yes. 

And wait, temp. Wait what? The sun being here 24 hours in summer. In, in the interior. Yeah. But the ground being frozen. Yeah. Like three weeks, three feet down, you can dig and then it's frozen. So whether the sun is out or not, that makes 20 degrees difference. 

Yes. 

Day. So. When, when you pack your your suitcase, make sure you can just add layers and take layers off, because that's what you're going to do a lot.

Yeah. And when you're prepared for all these different weathers, then you can go out in nature and enjoy no matter what the weather is. 

Yeah. Love that. Okay, Rolf, how about you? 

Listen to advice from professionals who live here and are in the travel business. So ask the questions, you know, and, uh, we are happy to help.

Uh, Irene and her team are really professional when it comes to all kinds itineraries, and if it's more specific to motor Homes truck campus, then, , the reservations team here as well. So ask the question and , listen to the advice. 

Love that. And I am looking forward to getting back into one of your vehicles, two of your vehicles in June.

'Cause listeners are a small group tour that's happening in June, we are renting our vehicles from Go North. Thank you. Yeah, I know. I appreciate 

that. Thank you very much. 

You guys are awesome. So 

look, 

looking 

forward to 

see you. I know, I know.

It'll be wonderful. Well, thanks. Are you coming 

to Homer on your trip? 

Not, uh, we are, but only for a very short time. We're, um, we are flying from Homer to maybe we should park your vehicles at your house. Just kidding. You certainly can. Kidding. No, that wouldn't be practical. Um, so we are not staying in Homer, but we are driving down there from near Sona to fly over to StuG Harbor, and then we'll have.

A little bit of time, like an hour or two in Homer when we come back. Yeah. So I'll let you know what day it is, and thank you. Maybe we'll see you at a coffee shop

Well, thanks so much to both of you for coming today and talking about Arvin in Alaska and the Yukon. Thanks so much.

Appreciate it. Thank you. I 

hope we see you. 

Talk to you later. Thank you.  📍 



 

 





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