Driving Alaska Highway Is An Adventure
Q: I would like to drive the Alaska Highway one way. Are there such rentals? And which city would be best to start the trip in?
A: You can do it, but your choices for one-way rentals appear to be limited to recreational vehicles. The 1,523-mile Alaska Highway links Fairbanks with Dawson Creek, British Columbia. The highway and other main roads up there are similar to two-lane country roads in the lower 48 states, with less traffic and more bumps and construction, as the winter takes its toll on pavement, and summer is the only practical time to fix roads.
This - along with the high cost of accommodations and their scarcity in the summer - makes a motor home an attractive option. Motor homes are fairly easy to drive, with automatic transmissions and power steering.
Along the Canadian stretch (80 percent of the road), there are RV stops every 30 miles or so, along with turnoffs where you can park for the night. A staff member at the Tourism Yukon Visitors Center in Haines Junction estimated that 60 percent of vehicles on the highway in summer are RVs. You will also have a hard time finding an automobile-rental outlet in Alaska that allows its cars into Canada or onto rugged roads in wilder areas.
ABC Motor Homes, in Anchorage, offers one-way rentals between Anchorage and Skagway or all the way to Seattle - a trip of about 2,400 miles from Anchorage. A 20-foot motor home, suitable for two persons, is $190 a night, with a $400 drop-off fee and a 10-night minimum rental. ABC suggests at least two weeks for the Anchorage-Seattle trip. Rates include unlimited mileage, insurance ($1,000 deductible), linens and kitchen gear. For pickup in Anchorage, there is no tax. The tax is 4 percent for pickup in Skagway, 8.6 percent in Seattle. Contact ABC Motorhomes, 2360 Commercial Drive, Anchorage 99507; (800) 421-7456.
Q: My husband and I will go from Paris to London in October. How much is the train through the Channel Tunnel and how can I make reservations?
A: Fares depend on class of service and whether you have a Eurailpass, or similar unlimited-mileage rail pass.
In Premium First, the highest class on the Eurostar service between Paris and London, the one-way fare is $293 a person, including deluxe meal service, luggage transfers, champagne and a taxi anywhere within London upon arrival. No smoking. The ticket can be used for a flight between the cities instead.
First class, one step down, provides an airline-type meal, newspapers and more comfortable seating than standard class (27 to 39 seats per car, versus 52 to 60 in standard). As with Premium First, you can check in 10 minutes before departure; otherwise, show up at least 20 minutes ahead. One-way fare: $199.
Standard class is $129 one way. Meals can be purchased from a food cart. All these fares are fully refundable or can be exchanged for rail tickets of equal value.
If you are sure of your travel plans, a one-way leisure fare is $149 first class, $99 standard. Cancel at least two days ahead for a 50 percent refund; later, and it’s nothing.
Holders of a Eurailpass, Europass, or the Benelux, Britrail or France rail passes - unlimited-travel passes - can get a $129 one-way first-class Eurostar fare; fully refundable if you cancel more than two days ahead, 90 percent otherwise.
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