fti

Honestly you are quite late in booking to get any great "deals" for this summer. I am literally planning my 2012 Alaska trips now. Do you have any sort of itinerary planned out? Are you taking a cruise? Without a cruise, I think you are pushing yourself to try and visit both Southcentral (Anchorage, Kenai Peninsula, Denali, etc) and "inside passage" (which I assume you mean Southeast Alaska, or Juneau and perhaps places north and south of there) in two weeks. Without a cruise, where you can travel from town to town when you sleep, I would concentrate on either Southcentral or Southeast Alaska on one trip.

What are your interests? That will play a big part in what you do/see/where you go and what discounts and savings tips might be available.

There are two good coupon books - toursaver and northern lights. Many 2-for-1 coupons in each, more food and other coupons in northern lights, whereas toursaver is primarily though not exclusively tours. Toursaver costs twice as much, but don't let that deter you. Check each website to see which coupons offer you the most savings, then buy that book. You can also buy used toursaver books on EBay if you wait until the tourist season starts (sometimes northern lights books are also on EBay but not as often).

Car rental will be your biggest surprise expense. When I booked for Anchorage last year for this coming June, the cost was $125/week including all taxes/fees for an economy car. Apparently this is a "mistake" but it is a "mistake" that has happened every year for the past 5 years. Rates now are $300/week or more. Check both on- and off-airport car rental offices. Usually, but not always, off-airport pick up is cheaper. But that requires pick up Mon to Fri about 8am-6pm or Saturday morning. So plan your arrival into ANC Sunday through Friday and pick up the car the next morning.

Groupon can also be a good source of deals for Anchorage. I have seen some tours, lodging and restaurants in/near Anchorage offered the past few months (for use through as late as January 2012).

Lodging is perhaps one place you can save money on. Find a lodging option that includes breakfast, or find one that has a kitchenette or at least a fridge and microwave so you can have at least some of your meals in your room. Check hotwire or priceline for some good hotel deals. Just last week hotwire had a hotel in Anchorage for $50. Consider hostels. Some have private rooms or even cabins and are very nice. Private rooms and cabins in hostels still usually share a bathroom, but the savings vs. hotels or B&B's can be substantial.

The Alaska Air credit card also offers a companion ticket for $99 (not sure if that only comes after the first year or right away). That can be a good deal if you are flying from somewhere that Alaska Air flies. Also, when using your Alaska Air miles, take advantage of the stopover feature. I am flying from MSP to ANC (stopover) then to AKN (King Salmon - gateway to Katmai NP), then AKN-ANC-MSP. Same number of miles as just MSP-ANC and the ANC-AKN flight would have cost $400 RT.

My biggest suggestion is to not skimp on tours. I use miles for my flights, I book car rentals 10-11 months in advance for the deals, and I usually stay in very inexpensive lodging (sometimes hostels, sometimes USFS or AK DNR cabins, sometimes hotels). So my main expense in Alaska is for tours. That might be boat tours or flight tours or even land tours. Two weeks ago I took an unforgettable flight tour from Anchorage to the Rainy Pass Iditarod checkpoint. One hour flight each way, and almost 5 hours on the ground at the checkpoint. See the teams arrive, cared for, talk to the mushers, take photos, etc. It cost over $500, but I would MUCH rather do that than spend $150-$200/night for a hotel that I am rarely in anyway.

Also, don't make the rookie mistake of "basing" yourself in a place like Anchorage and taking day trips. Distances are just too vast in Alaska to do that. Even a day trip from Anchorage to Seward really does you a disservice to Seward, where there is so much to do/see. I spent 3 nights in Seward last summer and we still didn't get to do everything I would have liked. Fortunately it was not my first time there and won't be my last.

John