Alaska Trip Report, Why Women Aren’t Featured In The Hobby & New Miles to Memories Shows Launching!
In this episode of the Miles to Memories podcast Bethany from Bougiemiles.com fills in for Joe. I break down my trip to Alaska with my son talking about the good, the bad and why I probably wouldn’t go back. We also discuss why females aren’t properly represented in the miles and points hobby, announce a new Miles to Memories YouTube show and talk about why the RedCard bonuses are sneaky good.
Episode Notes
- 3:53 – Alaska trip report
- 12:37 – Food issues in Alaska
- 19:34 – Activities in Alaska
- 28:12 – Why are women treated differently in the hobby?
- 37:02 – Target RedCard bonus
- 38:01 – 30 things learned about traveling before turning 30
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Re: Mar’s complaints about food:
Yea… that’s how we felt in New Zealand, which I imagine is a similar travel style destination. It’s not just that the hours are something to keep in mind but also that the selections are just nothing to be excited over. For example, Yelp (sorry that’s the best we know how to look for food) recommended a whitebait pizza place. Apparently it’s a delicacy and specialty of the area. Ok, it’s unique. We give it that.
Don’t get us wrong. We had our fill of good food in Queenstown and Christchurch. I think this is just a honest reflection on our own travel style and what’s important to us.
Honestly, all the driving is not for me either (and try driving on the opposite side of the road!) To each his own. Thank you for being honest.
I would imagine the travel is similar between the two. Something I am glad I saw for sure and it was amazing but just not my normal travel style. I could see why others would wanna rush to go back though for sure.
Re: Marks complaints on food. I live in Anchorage. There are numerous fast food restaurants in Anchorage, Seward, Kenai, Soldotna, Homer, Wasilla etc. Most restaurants don’t require reservations. Labor shortage right now so some have had to reduce the hours. We do not have the population or infrastructure to have restaurants at every turnout. Some of the places he passed by don’t even have access to utilities. You do have to plan ahead and if you don’t like waiting don’t go to the tourist spots. You need to plan things out. By the way Moose Tooth pizza is one of the most popular restaurants in Anchorage for locals. There is always a wait esp after 4 pm or around lunchtime
I didn’t see any fast food restaurants in Seward outside of Subway. Did I miss something somewhere?
Re Mark’s complaints on food:
1. Anchorage restaurants are having trouble keeping up with local residents right now and then when you add on the tourism it is completely overloaded. This is primarily an issue with Covid and trying to staff up when unemployment benefits are/were so high. Downtown Anchorage is busy every summer, and Moose’s Tooth/Bear’s Tooth, which I’m guessing is the brewery/pizza place Mark alluded to is busy year round, basically open to close. I avoid it like the plague or do takeout.
2. With regards to fast food, obv these places need some population density to be profitable. Alaska is so vast with a population less an 1MM that it makes sense you are only going to see fast food in urban areas. There are roadside restaurants and cafes but it’s pretty easy to go 30-50 miles without services. As he said it does take some level of planning.
The distance between towns makes it impossible to have a viable restaurant many of these places for sure. I think grabbing some stuff at the store to make a lunch while on the road is probably the best course of action for sure on your drive days.