How to get to Alaska

Step 1.  Get your husband to go on his employee website and show you how to book a Zed Fare ticket.  Since our airline does not fly to Alaska, we have to book on affiliated airlines.  We pay for our flights based on a zone system which is based on miles and this is called a Zed Fare.

Step 2.  play with the system and book a random set of travel dates "just to see how we do it"

Step 3. reassure said husband that we probably can't accidently book the tickets without putting in a credit card number

Step 4.  notice that the website mentions that the tickets will be paid for by payroll deduction....  oops

Step 5. wait for the paid for tickets to arrive in the mail.

Guess what...., we are going to Alaska.   The dates we put in the computer were for four or five days starting July 29th (I think) but I have been reassured by the helpful operator at the Pass Bureau that we can change the dates.  This is good because apparently we are still in the high tourist season with very expensive hotel rates and difficult to find rental cars. 

Although I am loathe to take the kids out of school right at the beginning of the school year, I can't afford to go during the tourist season and don't want to go after it starts to get cold.  So, if we can indeed change the dates, I will probably try to find a way to go in early September.

While I am very excited about seeing Alaska, I regret that we will only be able to go for a few days.  I have a felling that I could spend a month there exploring (in the summer, of course) and still not get my fill.