Tag: flights

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Alaska Transportation

Direct International Flights to Anchorage

Millions of travelers from all over the world come to Alaska each year to experience the unique cultures, unspoiled wilderness and all of the other charms the state has to offer. The majority of those visitors coming from outside of the United States enter Alaska by way of an international flight to Seattle and then a shorter flight from Seattle to Anchorage. But depending on where you are coming from, there are several options for direct international flights right to Anchorage. Direct international flights are often cheaper, and are always faster, than having to book both an international and domestic flight.

Frankfurt is currently the only airport in Europe serving direct flights to Anchorage, and these flights are only available in the warmer seasons. Of any country, Japan has the most options for flying to Anchorage, with direct flights departing four different airports. Vancouver, British Columbia is currently the only airport in Canada with direct flights in, and there are none from Central or South America.

Currency exchange is available inside Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. For information on currency, plug conversion and other helpful hints on international travel to Alaska, check out our Alaska Information page.

International Routes to Anchorage

From the Americas

  • Vancouver, BC, Canada (on Air Canada, seasonal only)

From Asia

  • Fukuoka, Nagoya, Osaka, and Tokyo-Narita, Japan (Japan Air)
  • Taipei-Taiwan (China Airlines and EVA Air)
  • Seoul, South Korea (Korea Air, seasonal charter only)

From Europe

  • Frankfurt, Germany (Condor Air, seasonal only)

>> More on finding the right flight to Alaska

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Alaska Transportation

Getting from Seattle to Anchorage

2780880072_9d3eff74b8Alaska is one of two US states that doesn’t border any of the others directly, so it can be a long trip even for Americans. Because its the closest large American city to Alaska, Seattle is one of the most popular starting points for a trip to the frontier state. The two cities have a lot in common, both being coastal northwest cities with a population that likes to get outdoors and explore. Whether you are a Seattle resident or an international traveler stopping there on the way, there are several options for getting from Seattle to Anchorage. There are no rail options that cover the entire route, but trains can get you part of the way, if you want to make the cruise or drive to Anchorage a shorter one.

Flights from Seattle-Tacoma to Anchorage

This flight route is the single most popular way for outside visitors to get to Alaska. There are daily flights year-round on both Alaska Airlines and Continental Airlines from Seattle-Tacoma Airport to Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage. Flight time is about three hours, making this route the fastest option for getting from the lower 48 states to Anchorage. Flying is also usually the cheapest option. To search for flights, enter your travel dates into the form at the bottom of this page.

>> International travelers may be able to skip the stop in Seattle and get a direct international flight to Anchorage
>> More about flying to Alaska

Cruises from Seattle to Anchorage

If you aren’t in such a hurry, and want to see some of the amazing coastline between these two coastal cities, consider taking a cruise from Seattle to Anchorage. Though more travelers board their cruise in Vancouver rather than Seattle, starting in Seattle gives you more ship time, and includes views of the stunning Puget Sound as you depart. The major cruise trips all take about seven days, and ships range in size from the 235-passenger Empress of the North to the huge 2000+ passenger cruise ships from Princess, Royal Caribbean and other providers.

>> Find out more and search for cruises with our Alaska Cruise Guide.

Driving from Seattle to Anchorage

As close as Seattle is to Alaska, in comparison to the rest of the country, it’s still a good distance. Some might be surprised to learn that the driving distance between the two cities is 2,250 miles, about the same as between New York and Phoenix, Arizona. That being said, if you have the time to devote to this drive, it can be one of the most memorable and beautiful you will ever take. If time is no object, and you want to see and interact with both Alaska and British Columbia, this is the way to go. The drive at least five days for a quick trip, and seven if you want to make stops and wander a bit, so it’s really no faster than a cruise.

Photo by bensonkua

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Alaska Transportation

Getting From Anchorage to Fairbanks (and back)

3857293492_a41ef086b9Being the two biggest cities in Alaska, Anchorage and Fairbanks are on the itineraries of many visitors to Alaska, and there are several options for traveling between the two cities. Which one is right for you depends on your budget, your style of travel, and how much time you have to spend.

Flights between Anchorage and Fairbanks

By far the fastest way to get between Anchorage and Fairbanks is by plane. This is also sometimes the only way to make the trip during the winter months, when roads are closed and trains aren’t operating. There are multiple flights daily on Alaska Airlines, and flight time is about an hour. To search for flights, use the form in the right column of this page.

Trains between Anchorage and Fairbanks

Alaska Railroad runs daily service (in the summer months) between the two cities. The trip lasts about 12 hours, and passes through some of the most beautiful countryside in Alaska, including stops at Talkeetna and Denali National Park. If you don’t mind dedicating a day of your trip to this leg, the views are spectacular, and there are always great conversations to be had with your fellow passengers as you watch out the windows for wildlife and scenic vistas. For those travelers looking for more than a simple train ride, there is the Princess Tours Midnight Sun Express, a full-service luxury train with a domed glass ceiling for the best possible views, and onboard fine dining options.

Driving from Anchorage to Fairbanks

As nice as a glass-domed train ride might be, you still can’t stop and choose your own speed on the train, and so some travelers prefer to drive themselves. The only road option is the George Parks Highway, or Alaska Route 3. The 358-mile trip takes about 7 hours, not including stops, and you will want to make stops, since the road passes through not only Denali National Park, but also less well-known spots like Eklutna Lake. Plan on a full day for making this trip – keeping in mind that a full day in the summer can last quite a while. For those wanting to make it more than a day’s trip and stop in the middle, Talkeetna is close to the halfway point and offers a very different kind of Alaskan experience than either of the cities.

Photo by lisahazen

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Los Angeles

Make LA Your Gateway to Australia

melbourneAt 14 hours or so, the flight from Los Angeles to Australia isn’t exactly short. But LA is the closest US gateway to the land “down under”, which makes it the most popular jumping-off point for anyone traveling from the States to Australia.

Most cheap flights to Australia depart from Los Angeles as well so if you’re headed to Oz, there’s a good chance your travels will take you through LA, if only for a short layover.

If you’re planning a trip to Australia, check out these hotels in Melbourne, which, along with Sydney, is one of the country’s most popular cities. Though it often plays second fiddle to Sydney, Melbourne is a favorite of many travelers and well worth visiting.

You can see more and extend your stay in Australia by taking on some temporary work. Check out our guide to working holiday visas in Australia to learn all about the program and how you can travel the continent for up to 12 months while working your way around.

Photo by fotograf1v2

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England travel guide

Combine London with a stop on the Continent

parisnightWhen Americans and Canadians visit England, it takes a bit of getting used to when you hear locals asking if you are also going to “Europe” on this trip. This might stem back from the Colonial days, when the sun never set on the British Empire, and England being part of Europe seemed like a quaint notion, but it’s still true that most Brits refer to the Continent as Europe, and only in the technical sense does that term apply to the UK.

With that in mind, it’s not a bad idea to visit somewhere else in Europe on your England trip. It’ll almost certainly be cheaper than you’d think to add in at least one other major city, and it also adds some really nice contrast to the England part of your trip.

With the possible exception of Dublin and Stockholm, most of England is just about as expensive as things get in Europe. Compared to London, Paris will feel cheap, and compared to Edinburgh, Barcelona is a real bargain.

Continue reading “Combine London with a stop on the Continent”
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Los Angeles Transportation

Getting from Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon

grandcanyonAs two of the certain must-visit places in the US, Los Angeles and the Grand Canyon are easily combined in one trip, but getting from one to the other isn’t quite as straightforward as you might expect. There is a small airport at the Grand Canyon, but there aren’t scheduled flights from major airlines, so it can be a little tricky unless you know how to pull this off.

For the purposes of this article, we’ll be discussing the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, as this is where the vast majority of the tourist infrastructure and famous views can be found. The North Rim is actually a long drive from the South Rim, and it’s much harder to reach from Los Angeles as well. The South Rim is a far better place to visit for first-timers as well, so forget the North Rim for now.

Los Angeles to Grand Canyon

  • Distance apart: 410 miles / 660 kilometers
  • Driving distance: 502 miles / 808 kilometers

Quick summary

Unless you intend to actually spend some time in either Phoenix or Las Vegas, which isn’t a bad idea now that we mention it, then driving to the Grand Canyon is probably the best bet for most people. You can also fly to one of three airports or take a train or bus, but all of those options won’t get you all the way there.

Flights from Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon

This is where it gets complicated. There is a small airport near the Grand Canyon, but it only does charter flights, mostly out of Las Vegas and for aerial tours of the area. This means if you are intent to fly you have 3 options.

Fly into Flagstaff, Arizona (FLG) – This small airport is about 90 miles south of the South Rim, and has a few regular flights that have surprisingly low fares if you book in advance. There’s a bus company called Open Road Tours and they have regular coaches to the Grand Canyon from Flagstaff.

Fly into Phoenix, Arizona (PHX) – This is a huge city and airport about 240 miles south of the South Rim. From here you can rent a car cheaply and it’s a lovely drive as well.

Fly into Las Vegas, Nevada (LAS) – This growing city is about 280 miles from the South Rim, and a bit less to the North Rim. Rental cars tend to be cheap, but then again the drive itself isn’t much farther than driving all the way from Los Angeles.

Trains from Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon

You can’t take a train all the way to the Grand Canyon, but you can take it directly to Flagstaff, which is only about 90 miles away. From there you can take the Open Road Tours bus to the Grand Canyon. One tricky thing is the trains usually leave in the evening, so you arrive in Flagstaff the next morning.

Journey time: About 10 hours
Typical price: About $59 each way
>>Amtrak site

Buses from Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon

The bus situation is exactly like the train situation, mentioned above. You can take a Greyhound bus to Flagstaff and then the Open Road Tours bus from there. It’s a bit slower, and even a bit more expensive than the train, but at least you have the option of traveling during the day.

Journey time: About 12 hours to Flagstaff
Typical price: $64 one-way if you buy online in advance, and up to $85 if you buy on the day.
>>Greyhound website

Driving from Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon

This might be your best bet, since all the other methods are complicated and indirect anyway. You can get specific directions on any online map site, but the quick version is you find your way to I-40 out of Los Angeles, and then drive about 420 miles to Williams, Arizona, at which point you’ll take AZ-64 north for about 70 miles and you are there.

Journey time: About 8 hours

Categories
Los Angeles Transportation

Getting from Los Angeles to popular tourist cities explained

carjump1As someone who grew up in Los Angeles, it’s easy to forget just how complicated the transportation city can be. When I am planning a trip to another city for the first time I have been known to spend a lot of time researching exactly the best way of getting from one place to another, and it can often be far more complicated than you’d think.

You may have already noticed that we’ve been working on this series for a while now, and we’ll keep it going adding new places regularly. The main things we are trying to help people sort out is when is it best to fly or to take the bus, or drive, or is there even train service available? Some of these things aren’t nearly as straightforward as you would guess.

On each of these articles we not only discuss how long each method takes, but also the typical price of each method. Many places on the internet seem reticent to quote prices, for fear that they’ll quickly be out of date, but most of these things are fairly stable, and even if the prices go up by 5 or 10% next year, having this information should still be enough to help you determine which strategy works best for you.

Getting from Los Angeles to…

Anaheim

When most people are planning their first-ever trip here, they at least want to know how they’d get to Disneyland, even if they don’t actually go through with it. The fact is that getting from LA to Anaheim is somewhat complicated and time consuming unless you’ve got a car, but of course this is Los Angeles and you really should rent a car if you can. There are buses and even trains that will help, though they aren’t fast or cheap, which really sucks considering how close Disneyland is to most of Los Angeles.

San Diego

This is kind of similar to Anaheim in that you’d think there would be a variety of cheap and relatively easy ways of getting from LA to San Diego, but again the best method by far is by car. There are buses and trains, but both of them tend to be slow and complicated, and not all that cheap either. You would never want to fly between these two cities, as they are just close enough that it would actually take way longer dealing with all the airport stuff than any of the other methods available.

San Francisco

This one is far more straightforward. Getting from LA to San Francisco is usually done by air, and cheap flights are usually available if you book a bit in advance. There’s also a train, and even though it’s kind of slow and expensive, it’s actually a great ride with incredible scenery. You can of course drive or take a bus, and at least you don’t waste a lot of time making connections on this route.

Las Vegas

This is similar to San Francisco, except with no train option. Getting from LA to Las Vegas is usually done by air as well, and flights can be crazy cheap if there is a promotion on. Driving takes about 5 hours each way, or a bit less if there is no traffic. There are buses, but you really don’t want to take them unless you have to.

Phoenix

Here’s another nearby city with a similar situation, except we add a complicated train trip in as another choice. Getting from LA to Phoenix is very easy by air, and there are nonstop flights leaving every few minutes from one of LA’s five major airports. But if you want to drive yourself it’s a rather nice journey. There are cheap buses, and even trains that will get you fairly close.

Grand Canyon

This one is tricky since there is no proper airport near the canyon itself. Getting from LA to the Grand Canyon means getting to Flagstaff, Arizona, one way or another, and then driving or taking a shuttle bus from there. The instructions are all here, and driving the whole way may be your best option.

New York

This one is obvious, but still there are quite a few people from abroad who wonder if there are trains or buses running between these huge coastal cities. Well, there are, so getting from LA to NYC has plenty of choices involved. Flying is surprisingly cheap most of the time, but one of the land-based methods can make for an unforgettable trip (but avoid the buses).

Categories
Los Angeles Transportation

Getting from Los Angeles to Phoenix

phoenixfreewayEspecially as the December holidays approach, more and more people start thinking about spending a bit of time in Phoenix, Arizona. Depending on where you are from it could seem like paradise there during the winter months, or like a waste of time. Plenty of people from Los Angeles make the trip each winter, and fortunately there are several decent options available for getting there. Let’s go over them below, shall we?

  • Miles apart: 364 miles / 586 kilometers
  • Driving distance: 372 miles / 599 kilometers

Quick summary

It’s actually quite a nice drive the first few times you take it, and the road is about as straight as can be, so you’ll get there fast. But still, there are usually great deals on flights to Phoenix so that’s the way to go for most people. You can often rent a car there cheaply as well, and save the wear and tear on your own wreck. Buses are cheap, but take a long time, and there is a way to get there on the train, sort of.

Flights between Los Angeles and Phoenix

Unless you love driving, this is probably the best way to go for most people. Quite a few airlines connect these cities nonstop, and US Airways (at least the former America West part of it) has a very busy hub at Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) Airport, so there are cheap flights nearly every hour of the day. You can often get great deals out of any of the 5 major Los Angeles area airports, with prices starting around $60 each way if you buy in advance.

Flight time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Typical one-way fare: Starting at $60

Trains between Los Angeles and Phoenix

There used to be a train that went directly between these two cities, but lately the Amtrak service can only get you close. You can take the train that goes to Chicago and get off in Flagstaff, Arizona, but that takes 10 hours and then you have to take a bus from there to Phoenix, which adds another 3 hours or so. You can also take a train from LA to Maricopa, Arizona, which is a bit south of Phoenix, but from there you’d have to take a taxi as there is no scheduled service into Phoenix.

Long story short, as great as trains are, this route is so complicated and time consuming that it’s just not worth it.

Typical fare to Maricopa: Starting at $38 each way
Typical fare to Flagstaff: Starting at $59 each way
>>Amtrak website

Buses between Los Angeles and Phoenix

Greyhound provides service between several parts of Los Angeles and its main terminal near the airport in Phoenix. If you don’t have a car and your funds are low, this isn’t a terrible method, though there is a cheaper bus from another company. You’ll also be happy to know there are plenty of cheap Phoenix hotel rooms once you get there, as long as you avoid Scottsdale.

Typical fare: $40 online in advance, or $54 in person
Journey time: Around 8 hours each way

>>Greyhound website

GotoBus here is like an equivalent of the Chinatown buses in the Northeast. They go between mostly-Asian neighborhoods in many big cities, with surprisingly low fares.

Typical fare: $30 each way
Journey time: Around 6 hours each way
>>GotoBus.com website

Driving between Los Angeles and Phoenix

As mentioned at the top, the driving mileage is about 380, depending on exactly where you leave from. The nice part is that it’s straight and easy, and the desert scenery can be quite nice the first time you experience it, unlike the far plainer scenery going from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.

There are no road tolls to worry about, unless you take that one cutoff down in Orange County, which you probably won’t. One highlight will be driving through that area near Palm Springs with thousands of windmills on either side of the road, as seen in the movie Rain Man, and elsewhere.

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Los Angeles Transportation

Los Angeles side trips: San Francisco is quick and easy

carjumpRecently I discussed how quick and easy it was to combine a trip to San Diego, the Grand Canyon, or Santa Barbara with a trip to Los Angeles, and I got quite a few emails from people asking me about San Francisco. Well, yes, it is quite easy to combine those trips into one, though San Francisco is a bit farther than the others I mentioned, and also usually more expensive once you get there. Anyway, here are the details on adding San Francisco into your holiday.

A side trip to San Francisco

The cities are about 400 miles (620 km) apart, so this isn’t a drive you might do on a whim. The fastest route is the I-5 until you are almost there, but this stretch of freeway is almost scenery free, and there is a notorious speed trap in King City as well.

Flying between the two cities

The flight itself is only a bit over an hour each way, but the hassle of getting to and from both airports can make it feel like an all-day affair. There are also 5 airports in the LA area that have nonstop flights to the 3 airports in the Bay Area, so don’t just assume that LAX to SFO is your best bet. Sometimes it will be, but flights into Oakland or San Jose can be cheaper.

  • Los Angeles airports: LAX, BUR, LGB, SNA, ONT
  • San Francisco airports: SFO, OAK, SJC

One reason I didn’t mention this as an obvious side trip is that Los Angeles is fairly intense and also fairly expensive, and San Francisco is too. When I travel I like to mix and match destinations so part of my trip is a bit more relaxed and even cheaper. So with that in mind you might want to consider adding San Francisco to one of the other side trips discussed before. Cheap flights from San Diego to San Francisco are pretty easy to find, and the airport in San Diego is also very easy to reach from the tourist areas.

Going to Phoenix in between

This would be highly recommended as a way to string together a nice trip. You can rent a car in Los Angeles and then drive to the Grand Canyon on your way to Phoenix. Then you can take a quick trip to San Francisco from there, often with lower airfares. Flights from Phoenix tend to be cheap, partly due to the fact that Southwest and US Air have big hubs there. You can even pay for PHX airport parking while you are in San Francisco and the whole thing will still be far cheaper than nearly any other option. Phoenix is big and parking is plentiful and safe.

Categories
Los Angeles Transportation

Getting From Los Angeles to New York

Los Angeles is a large city located in California that is full of traffic and mayhem. However, many people love to visit on vacation. Los Angeles is home to an estimated 3,849,378 people, some of which are celebrities. Los Angeles has a number of beaches around the area. Some of these beaches are full of people that would be fit for any Hollywood movie, definitely a sight to see. Los Angeles offers hundreds of places to shop for the top name brand products. This city is ranked very high on the places to see list.

Why would anyone want to leave Los Angeles for New York, and what is the best way to get there? The answer is this; New York really isn’t that different from Los Angeles. New York just like Los Angeles is full of Traffic and even more mayhem. The population of the New York metro area is an unbelievable 19,490,297 people, far more than Los Angeles. This city also ranks very high on the places to see list. How do you get from Los Angeles to New York?

By Plane

By far the most popular way to get between these two famous cities is to fly. Since this route is so popular, quite a few airlines have nonstop flights going between the cities all day every day. If you can find a nonstop flight then it should take about 5 hours in the air, though of course the time spent at the airports will add many more hours to that. If the best deal is a flight that connects along the way, you could be looking at 7 to 10 hours from LA to NYC.

Because these two airports are so large and so busy, it is easy to find extremely cheap direct flights. It is not uncommon to find direct, round trip tickets for around $200 at the absolute minimum, but $300 roundtrip is a more normal cheap fare, and during peak travel seasons you might have to pay $500 roundtrip even for the cheapest flights.

Search tip: Los Angeles has 5 major airports and New York has 3, and you can check all combinations if you use the codes QLA to NYC instead of LAX to JFK, but unfortunately the QLA code (for all Los Angeles airports) doesn’t work in all search engines, so if it doesn’t then search for LAX to JFK and use the “search nearby airports” button.

By Bus

Maybe flying isn’t for you, if not you could take a bus. Buses leave out of Los Angeles heading for New York regularly. However, I must warn you, taking a bus ride from Los Angeles to New York will take almost 3 full days. The bus will stop in many different locations along the way, which makes the drive much longer than if you drove straight through to New York. This is more than likely the cheapest way to get from Los Angeles to New York, the cost for a bus ticket runs about $175 each way on Greyhound’s normal fare, but they do sometimes have promotional specials. You will have to add cost for food, drinks, snacks, or anything else you may need on the long ride.

Check the official Greyhound website for all the details, but be warned that the site is confusing and hard to use.

By train

If you fancy the idea of crossing the country by train, just like the Ricardos and Mertzs did when Ricky had ended his Hollywood stay on “I Love Lucy,” then you might be disappointed to know that it’s slow and way more expensive than you’d imagine. First off you take one train from Union Station near Downtown Los Angeles all the way to Chicago, which takes a bit over 42 hours. Then you change there for a different train that goes the rest of the way to New York City, and this leg takes just over 20 hours. There is usually a few hours between these trains, so you are looking at almost 3 full days to get from one city to the other.

The normal fare is around $240 each way, so it’s usually more expensive than flying as well. And of course that’s just for a normal seat in coach, which might not be so comfortable after the first 18 hours or so. Still, the scenery across most of the country is great, and it can be very relaxing as well. There are occasionally good promotional fares on Amtrak, so if you are lucky you might find something cheaper than this. All the information can be found on the official Amtrak website.

By Car

Next you could just drive yourself from Los Angeles to New York. This is another cheaper way to travel, but again you will have to add in for food items as well as hotel rooms you may need, for a break along the way. Driving will take about 43 hours of drive time, the trip is 2,788 miles one way. The fuel cost for the trip in a vehicle with 20 MPG will cost around $300 or more, depending on gas prices at that moment. Most of the drive will be on I40 East, where you will pass through Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. On this drive you will also go through Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

While taking this drive you will definitely want to take you’re time and enjoy the ride. With all these different states you will be driving through, there are numerous things to see on the way. The deserts of New Mexico and Arizona are actually quite beautiful, full of wild life. Just keep you’re eyes open, that way you can catch a glimpse of some natural wonders and beauty that you will definitely pass by on you’re way from Los Angeles to New York.