California: Sausalito

Sausalito is a small and beautiful town, where it's usually sunny and warm on days that San Francisco is totally covered by clouds and windy.

Travel Information: Rental Car insurance

Rental Car insurance Information

The information in this post applies to rental car insurances issues in the United States.

Always look at the exclusions section in the policy. Usually, standard policies don't cover cars driven off road, exceeding certain value, trucks and SUV. Even, some policies don't cover cards driven in specific countries or states. Checking all the details it's a boring and time consuming job, but it has to be done. The advertisements look very nice, but there are so many exceptions that can produce a false sense of security.

Car Insurance
Your own car insurance will many extend to car rentals for a specific period of time. Always call them and verify, as there are certainly going to be exclusions. Remember that if you make a rental claim against your car insurance, your policy costs could be increased. Most credit cards offer secondary coverage only, that is, your car insurance pays first and the credit card the rest. But I've found some good coverage at affordable price, read bellow.

• Only the coverage you have on your own insurance will be extended to the rental. For example, if the car insurance only covers liability , then comprehensive and/or collision won't be covered.

Allianz Rental Car Damage Protector
This policy is very affordable and I like the coverage very much. The coverage only covers damage and loss, it does NOT include liability.
Quick Facts:

• $9 per day. 
• Covers vehicles up to $40000, including SUV (which isn't common). There are some exclusions, read the policy. In regards to SUV coverage, I called customer support and the representative told me that the SUV are covered, except when they are used as off road as 4x4 vehicle (they don't cover 4x4 vehicles, and I think that they also don't cover off road driving but I didn't ask this last one).
• This is primary coverage. 
• I've purchased it from American Airlines' website or by phone. The process is pretty quick, about 10 minutes.
• The policy certificate can be downloaded from Allianz web site (I don't know whether this link is going to be valid in the future. But I took it from the same place where I purchased the policy)
• I've seen that other companies offer the same coverage from Allianz. However, when I went to Allianz web site, the coverage offered was for $35000 only.

American Express Premium Card Coverage
This is the best Rental Card policy I've seen so far. Not only due to the superior coverage, but also the affordable cost. The only limitation is that the full cost of the car rental has to be charged to an American Express card.
Quick Facts:

• $24.95 for up to 42 days
• Up to $100,000 of primary coverage for damage or theft of a Rental Car.
• Up to $100,000 of Accidental Death or Dismemberment coverage ($250,000 for California Residents).
• Up to $15,000 for excess medical expenses per person.
• Details in Amex web site.
• On Line enrollment is needed before being able to use this coverage (see above site)

Travelguard Car Rental Collison Coverage
I didn't  look too much at this one as it doesn't seem as good as Allianz or American Express.
Quick Facts:

• $9 per day
• Up to $35,000 in coverage minus a $250 deductible. Sold per vehicle, not per person. This plan covers the cost of repairs for damage to a rental car, up to the limit of coverage, for which the car rental contract holds you responsible.
• It is not clear to me whether a stolen card is covered by this policy. I would confirm by calling them before signing up.
• Also, I haven't checked whether it is primary or secondary insurance.
• SUV not included in the coverage.
• Online purchase form at Travelguard's web site.

Rental Car insurance from credit Cards
Read carefully the policy coverage included by credit cards. Most of them are secondary insurance. It seems that when a car renter doesn't have car  insurance, the credit card would act as primary car insurance, but I haven't confirmed this yet. Also, ready the restrictions carefully. Most credit cards limit the coverage to standard cards costing less than $50000, not including truck, SUV. In general, I read the statement saying that the rental has to be paid fully with the credit card.  It is not clear to me yet, whether a car paid with miles and taxes with credit card, is also covered. Afaik, it wouldn't.

• Visa Signature Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver
  Receive Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver coverage for damage due to collision or theft up to the actual cash value of most rental vehicles. Simply complete the entire rental transaction with your eligible Visa Signature card and decline the auto rental company’s collision damage waiver (CDW/LDW) option or similar provision. You will be reimbursed for the repair or replacement oReceive Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver coverage for damage due to collision or theft up to the actual cash value of most rental vehicles. Simply complete the entire rental transaction with your eligible Visa Signature card and decline the auto rental company’s collision damage waiver (CDW/LDW) option or similar provision. You will be reimbursed for the repair or replacement of covered losses to your rental vehicle when certain terms and conditions are met.f covered losses to your rental vehicle when certain terms and conditions are met.
• Citibank Citicards Auto Rental Insurance Product List & Disclosures (here is some information I've collected, but always check the details specific to your credit card)
  VISA consumer card: Automatic coverage when you charge the entire cost of your rental from a licensed rental agency with these cards and decline the car rental company's collision, loss/damage waiver insurance.Visa Auto Rental Insurance coverage is secondary coverage and underwritten by Indemnity Insurance Company of North America. Certain conditions, restrictions and exclusions apply. Not all vehicles and not all countries are covered. Details of coverage will be provided upon cardmembership.
  Mastercard consumer card: Automatic coverage when you reserve and rent a vehicle with this card and decline the car rental company's collision, loss/damage waiver insurance. Excess Collision Loss/Damage Insurance coverage (of up to $25,000 per occurrence) is secondary coverage and is underwritten by Triton Insurance Company. Certain conditions, restrictions and exclusions apply. Not all vehicles and not all countries are covered. Details of coverage will be provided upon cardmembership.
  Mastercard business card: Automatic coverage when you reserve and rent a vehicle with these cards and decline the car rental company's collision, loss/damage waiver insurance. MasterRental Insurance coverage (up to $50,000 per incident) is underwritten by Virginia Surety Company, Inc. Certain conditions, restrictions and exclusions apply. Not all vehicles and not all countries are covered. Details of coverage will be provided upon cardmembership. Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver - Business Card:  Automatic coverage when you charge the entire cost of your rental from a licensed rental agency with these cards and decline the car rental company's collision, loss/damage waiver insurance.
  Visa business card: Visa Auto Rental Insurance coverage is primary coverage and underwritten by Indemnity Insurance Company of North America. Certain conditions, restrictions and exclusions apply. Not all vehicles and not all countries are covered. Details of coverage will be provided upon cardmembership.
  American Express card: Worldwide Car Rental Loss & Damage Insurance Coverage :  Automatic coverage up to $50,000, when you charge the entire cost of your rental from a licensed rental agency with these cards and decline the car rental company's collision, loss/damage waiver insurance. Worldwide Car Rental Loss & Damage Insurance Coverage, which provides coverage in excess of other insurance, is underwritten by Federal Insurance Company, a member insurer of the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies. Certain conditions, restrictions and exclusions apply. Not all vehicles and not all countries are covered. Details of coverage will be provided upon cardmembership.

Alaska - Day 4: Anchorage

Today was the last day of this trip. After an excellent night of rest at the Sheraton Anchorage, I started looking for some flight seeing tour departing from Anchorage, after the failed attempt two days ago. There are several plane companies, but three of them seem to be the ones offering standard tours:

• Regal Air
• Rust's Flying Service
• Alaska Air Taxi

I called with very short notice as I needed a tour for the afternoon. Unfortunately, most of them were sold out already. For Rust's, I found a 10% discount coupon on one of those Alaska travel magazines (I don't recall the name) that I picked up from the airport upon  arrival. I didn't find any discount for the other two companies. However, after a few calls, Regal Air was the only one with a tour available. They would take two passengers if each one paid $40 extra per ticket. I think that most of these flight seeing tours have a minimum requirement of 3-4 passengers in order to break even. It's pretty expensive to operate a plane. Several companies are charging 2-5% fuel surcharge. The flight seeing tours aren't cheap, but they seem to be well worth the price.

Regal and Rust's  have seaplanes (did not check others), departing from Lake Hood at the Anchorage International Airport, which is just 15 minutes away from the hotel (about 5 miles). But  before arriving to Lake Hood, the wind started blowing, and they told us that although we could fly safely, it would be very bumpy. Bummer !  They said that  we wouldn't probably enjoy the flight, and offered to call later if the weather improved, which didn't happen.... I'll have to leave this ride for next time.  In this trip, I've been able to confirm how unpredictable Alaska's weather is. 

Ten miles away from Lake Hood seaport, lies the Alaska Native Heritage Center .

Alaska Native Heritage Center

The entrance cost might seem a little bit high, but not bad considering this rich source of information, and that they offer a free shuttle to the hotel. Alaskan natives are available inside the place willing to tell their stories and answer questions.  I recommend visiting this Center, and take the time to visit the reproductions of native Alaskan homes, which are not commonly seen at other places, and in particular, listen and talk to the natives. They told us super interesting stories about their ways of life.

Alaska Native Heritage Center

Alaska Native Heritage Center

Alaska Native Heritage Center

Afterwards, we headed to the Botanical Garden. It is a nice optional place to visit if time is available. It has tons of plants with their corresponding name tags. This visit took about 30 minutes, just a quick walk as there wasn't anything in particular that caught the attention (perhaps because I'm not deep in this topic, or perhaps this isn't the best time of year to visit).

Alaska Botanical Garden

From the garden, we drove to downtown. Close by, there is a small park called Resolution Point. This place has  breath taking view of the mountains. In clear days, Mount McKinley can be seen. Although today wasn't one of those clear days, the view was still great. A life size bronze statue of captain Cook stands in the middle of this view point. After taking several pictures and some fresh air, we headed to downtown for a coffee... what an unsuccessful enterprise. All of them were closed by the time we arrived (probably 8pm).  There were lots of bars and gift shops open, but the mood was for coffee. I would think that hotels were still serving coffee in their lounges, but we didn't try this option and decided to visit once last place before driving back to the airport.

Resolution Park - Anchorage

Captain Cook

Earthquake park is very conveniently located about 15 minutes away from downtown, and 10 minutes away from the airport. The park is small and it only takes 15-30 minutes to visit, take a look at the awesome views, and  read information about the terrible earthquake and tsunami that hit Alaska in 1964. I also recommend this park for a quick relaxing and informational stop.

Earthquake Park Anchorage

The airport wasn't crowded, and going through security was pretty fast. I printed the boarding passes in the machine located at the front of the rental car office (very convenient!). I could get lounge access in this return leg, which is of course a nice way of waiting 4-5 hours before boarding. 

Lounge  in Anchorage - Alaska Airlines

The lounge of Alaska Airlines offers little food (some cheese, vegetables, and chips  & salsa), but they offer very good wine and beer (limited to 3 free glasses).  The bar has 3 or 4 different types of Alaskan beers, all of them outstanding. The lounge includes free WiFi, as I think all of them do. However, it is kind of loud (the door to the hall was open) and it might be difficult to sleep there. Still, I enjoyed staying there for such a long wait.

Anchorage Airport at 11:30pm (notice the daylight)

Alaska - Day 3: Kenai Fjords National Park

In Seward, there are two main companies that give tours on the Kenai Fjords area. I've read only good comments about both of them. So it's matter of reading what they offer and picking based on individual tastes.

Kenai Fjords tours

I decided to use Kenai Fjords Tours, and the experience was excellent. 

Kenai Fjords Tours

It's very recommended to take the longer tours, that go deep into the park. The shorter , 4 hours, tours just stay on Resurrection Bay.  The 7 to 10 hour tours are very well worth the time and money spent. The captain was very knowledgeable, telling about the sealife and animals all the way back and forth, and adding a lot of very good humor to the story.  Also, he gets very close to sea animals, and to interesting places.

Resurrection Bay - Bald Eagle

Kenai Fjords - Wale

Kenai Fjords - Puffin

Kenai Fjords - Sea Otter

Kenai Fjords - Mountain Goat

Kenai Fjords - Seals

Kenai Fjords - Bear

Kenai Fjords

Kenai Fjords - Puffins

Kenai Fjords

The ship stopped very close to the glacier, less than 1/2 mile away, giving a very nice opportunity for taking pictures and enjoying the view. Also, at this point, the wind stops and it doesn't fill so cold.

Kenai Fjords - Glacier

In order to enjoy the tour as much as possible, be ready for cold weather. Dress in layers, and take winter clothing and gloves. The weather at Seward port and Resurrection Bay is milder than closer to the glaciers, where it gets quite cold with frozen wind. Free coffee is available inside the ship, it's  a nice resource.

One of the tours includes a 1 hour stop at Fox Island for a great dinner of Ribs and Salmon... all you can eat!

Alaska - Day 2: Talkeetna and Seward Highway

Started the day with some views of the city...

Anchorage

Anchorage

Talkeetna

The first town to visit was Talkeetna, about 120 miles north of Anchorage (2.5 hour drive). The road was very nice, surrounded by pines of all tones of green.

Talkeetna Historic District

US Post Office - Talkeetna 

Tip: Public restrooms are available at this place

Talkeetna Air Taxi

Art shops in Talkeetna

TIP: If you're looking for souvenirs, always check the country of origin. As everywhere in the USA, most cheaper stuff is made in Asia. There are beautiful crafts from local artisans, more expensive, but since we're in Alaska the idea is to get native artwork. Some nice and less expensive native souvenirs can still be found.

Talkeetna  is a small town, but there's quite a lot of people walking around. Probably because lots of tours to Denali depart from this location. If somebody is looking for a flight seeing tour, this is probably the best place. There are several companies to choose from, and most of them offer some kind of discount (either through their web site or free travel magazines).  The weather changes very fast, and the flight seeing tours will be cancelled if the weather isn't optimal (refunding the deposit).
Talkeetna has some good beer, it's a good place to have a beer and a meal. People is also very friendly, as in most of the other places we visited in Alaska.

The Seward Highway

After a few hours in town, it was time to continue to the next destination,  Seward, 5 hours driving to the south of Talkeetna.  After passing Anchorage, the Seward highway has magnificent landscapes and view points.  There are lots of places to see, and thanks to the long Summer days, it's possible to be driving late at night and still be able to enjoy all views.

Seward Highway

Indian Valley Mine

Indian Valley Mine

Indian Valley Mine 

Indian Valley Mine

The Indian Valley Mine is a good stop on the way.  The people who own the place are very friendly, they invited us some tea and told their stories. It's a good place to stop by. The entrance fee for their small is only $1.  They can also teach how to pan gold (didn't have time to try it, don't know the cost).

Bird Point

Bird Point - Seward Highway

Seward Highway

Seward

We reached Seward after 10pm. Hungry, but all restaurants were closed. Fortunately, the supermarket (Safeway) is open until midnight, which saved our dinner.

Safeway at Seward

The hotel for Seward's night was the Harborview Hotel.  I would categorize it more than a Motel rather hotel. But the price is good (compared to the other options), located about 5 blocks of the port. The hotel is safe, clean, offers free WiFi and free parking. However, it will be kind of noisy after 7pm, when guests start waking up and turning on showers.

Harborview Hotel room

Harborview Hotel room

Alaska - Day 1: Getting to Anchorage

Arriving to Anchorage at 6pm...

Alaska

At the airport, I rented a car.  Something to note is that rental car companies have to charge high taxes at the airport. I've heard that it is cheaper to take  a cab to the hotel (about $20), and rent a car in Anchorage city where taxes are lower. But I couldn't find a rental car agency that was open on Saturday evening.


The first night, we'll stay at the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel & Spa. Alaska hotels are more expensive than in the rest of the US, and they get even more expensive the farther we get from Anchorage and Fairbanks.

Sheraton Anchorage

The hotel is very nice, but it does neither  include free parking nor free Internet WiFi. However, some Starwood membership levels (SPG) include WiFi for free and complimentary lounge access. The lounge is small, but it has very nice views of the mountains and is open between 6am and 9pm, serving breakfast, finger foods, and drinks. The hotel parking is $10 per day, but during the weekend, the car can be parked on the street for free. During weekdays, on street parking is free between 6pm and 9am (just in case, read the notes on the meter!)
This Sheraton is very nice and comfortable, with ample room and good views. The downtown is an easy walk of 3 blocks.

Sheraton Anchorage room

Sheraton Anchorage room

Here's a sky view of Alaska at 9pm.

Alaska - sunlight after 9pm

At the time of this writing, it 12:30am and it is just starting to look as sunset, but not dark yet...

Alaska: Day 0 - Preparing the trip...

Late, I paid attention to the holiday schedule and noticed one coming up by the end of May... cool opportunity for a long weekend trip. I've been thinking about traveling to Alaska for a few years now, and this time I'll stop postponing it and just do it.  The weather should be pretty good at this time of year.


As usual, I like to prepare my own tour and learn about the place before going. The reference material I'm using is the following:

Books:

• Alaska for Dummies , Wiley : Very good source trip planning. Not only gives it a lot information about Alaska, but the author takes the assumption that Anchorage is used as a base for traveling to other places, which is exactly what I was planning to do. 
• Alaska Ports of Call , Fodors: This book is mostly for Cruise travelers, but has a good and useful brief description from each town and short activities that can be done.
• Alaska , Lonely Planet : Nice book, also good size for taking it on a trip. It includes a lot of good information for trip planning, but also a few pages with Alaska history and some other information. I'll take this book on my trip.

DVD:

• Alaska, Spirit of the Wild : Mostly about nature. Not very for trip planning but good to understand the majesty of this place.
• Alaska, Globe Trekker: More useful for adventure travels. Shows different towns, that I won't be able to visit due to lack of time. But still informative to get an idea of how Alaska is.

Alaska Travel information Web sites:

• Alaska.org :  Very informational, with up to date schedule and prices. 
• Fjord Tours from Seward:  (I've ready very good reviews for both companies bellow, so it's seems that the choice is related to what the traveler wants to do)
• Kenai Fjords Tours
• Major Maritime Tours
• Look inside alaska.org pages, where full information of the tour companies is provided.
• Look inside those two web site, under the 'deals' pages. Some of them could be pretty good if they match your travel plans.
• Fligthseeing Tours from Talkeetna:
• Hudson Air Service
• K2 Aviation
• Talkeetna Aero Services
• Talkeetna Air Taxi

Alaska Coupon and Discounts:

• Alaska.org deals : This page contains many discounts that are free to use.
• Alaska Tour Saver :  This is a book with coupons that can be purchased. Check the coupons before ordering, as they provide full information online. Some coupons are valid during certain days only, or are restricted.  They could help saving hundred of dollars, if they match the plans of the traveler. The book sales for $99. It can be returned if unused.
• The Northern Lights Coupon Book : Another coupon and discounts book available for purchase.
• Look inside the deals of the tour companies. There are many good offers inside the pages from the Fjord and Flight seeing tours. 

Travel Information: Seating options from American Airlines

I haven't paid much attention before to the different type of seats available in American Airlines planes. Today I took a few minutes and cleared my doubt.

SEATING OPTIONS

American Airlines has enhanced its seat choice offering to provide a more customized travel experience.

Pre-Reserved Seats

• You may select an available seat based on seat inventory when you book your flight or any time prior to departure at no charge
• If there are no seats available or you choose not to select a seat, you will receive an automatically-assigned seat at no charge at check-in as early as 24 hours before departure

Preferred Plus Seats

• Reserved exclusively for premium* and full-fare customers, Preferred Plus seats are window and aisle seats toward the front of the aircraft and include exit row seats
• Preferred Plus Seats offer the same number of desirable seat options as always and are set aside at no charge for premium and full fare customers

Preferred Seats

• For customers interested in desirable seats near the front of the main cabin, Preferred Seats are available for purchase when you book your flight, up until the airport check-in cutoff time, beginning at $4 USD per flight
• Preferred Seats can be purchased through AA.com, AA.com mobile, Self-Service Check-In machines and AA Reservations
• Premium and full-fare customers have complimentary access to Preferred Seats
• Preferred Seats are also complimentary for active U.S. military and their family members traveling on a military or government fare in the same reservation. If not traveling on a military or government fare, active U.S. military can request a Preferred Seat from an airport agent if available.

We're excited to provide you with even more options to customize your travel experience based on your needs.
Want more information about Preferred Plus Seats and Preferred Seats? Check out our frequently asked questions for details.
Terms and Conditions

*AAdvantage Executive Platinum®, AAdvantage Platinum® and AAdvantage Gold® members, as well as AAirpass®, oneworld® elite customers, and their traveling companions on the same reservation. Also, Alaska Airlines MVP^® Gold and MVP^® Gold 75K members.

Source: American Airlines