For the past year, Scott McMurren has e-mailed me his "Alaska Travelgram". While I'm sure Scott publishes the newsletter with commercial intent, it's most interesting and skillfully written. As an Alaskaphile, I enjoy the newsletter both for the unique travel concepts and the hot tips about low fares ($210 ANC-SEA round-trip airfare in this issue, for instance). I don't believe Scott would mind if I shared the URL with FTers: alaska_travelgram@topica.com.

For the past year, Scott McMurren has e-mailed me his "Alaska Travelgram". While I'm sure Scott publishes the newsletter with commercial intent, it's most interesting and skillfully written. As an Alaskaphile, I enjoy the newsletter both for the unique travel concepts and the hot tips about low fares ($210 ANC-SEA round-trip airfare in this issue, for instance). I don't believe Scott would mind if I shared the URL with FTers: alaska_travelgram@topica.com.

Actually, the URL is www.alaskatravelgram.com

I've known Scott for almost 30 years when I was in the tourism business in Alaska. He's very personable and writes an excellent newsletter because he literally "knows everyone" in the state. And not to diminish the newsletter and his outstanding coupon book, but do realize that while he has great content, it is a very commercial enterprise. Nothing wrong with that....:-)

The Alaska Travelgram is very commercial (sometimes it reads like a bunch of ads), but it does contain some useful information, and for that reason, I do subscribe to it. But an even better and less biased source of information is his columns in the Anchorage Daily News, which can be reached at http://www.adn.com/life/travel/. (Here's an example (http://www.adn.com/life/travel/story/9116082p-9032345c.html) where he spills the beans about the cheap airfares I fortunately already took advantage of...now they're all sold out!)

They're different than the Alaska Travelgram, though. The Travelgram focuses on deals for things within Alaska, whereas his columns in the ADN are more for Alaskans looking to get Outside, and so they're not necessarily applicable for all y'all who want to come to Alaska.

But I agree: Scott is an institution within the state of Alaska, and he really does know everybody. I've never had the pleasure of meeting him, but we've exchanged a few emails and he truly is friendly, helpful and knowledgeable.