jackal

Hertz in Seward is an independent licensee not at all connected with (other than renting use of the logo and reservation system) Hertz. I've heard the guy running the location is pretty nice. I don't have any personal experience with him, though. (Regardless, as someone with 15 years of experience in the rental car industry, I can tell you that they all stink, so renting from a different company than one you had a bad experience you had in the past is not at all a guarantee that things will go better.)

Check the terms and conditions in the card. US credit cards do not include third-party liability cover (which is not included in US rental car rates). Some, but not all, non-American Platinum Cards may include liability, but I could not find details specifically on the UK-issued card. If you are not covered for third-party liability, then you will either need to purchase it from the rental company counter (~$13/day) or book an insurance-inclusive rate from a UK broker (https://www.expedia.co.uk/car-hire is my go-to recommendation).

FWIW, based on my last two experiences getting out to the point (the first time failing and the second time, this past summer, with an FT group, succeeding), it's not particularly easy. The road ends a couple miles short of the actual point, and it's soft gravel and not suitable for normal vehicles (even a truck with four-wheel-drive). You either need a four-wheeler ATV or a truck with oversized (and de-inflated) tires and experience four-wheeling (and even then, the truck part of our group was in was perilously close to getting stuck). It's also not safe to walk there from the end of the road, especially not without protection (i.e. a gun) due to the tendency of the polar bears to actively hunt anything they see that's a potentially tasty meal.

It was not an easy process to find someone who could take us out to the point, but if anyone does need a potential lead for a guide (and I used the word "guide" loosely--it's a local Native family who has a couple of four-wheelers and a gun and big smiles on their faces and little else), PM me and I can give a phone number.

Sometimes the only way to stay sane out in the wild is to accept the fact that you'll grow a third arm and slather yourself with DEET. I've just embraced the fact that my DNA will get screwed up and usually go straight for the 100% stuff or, if I can't find that on the store shelves, the strongest (~25%) stuff they sell. That said, I was traveling recently with a couple of friends who used some DEET-free wipes (Skin So Soft or similar) and they claimed they worked well enough.

I've been to Barrow twice and am a little less down on Barrow than some of the others here (disclaimer: I haven't yet made it to Kotzebue outside of the airport, though). It is an interesting place. Because of the relatively high number of tourists and the infrastructure, it's probably harder to engage the actual local Native culture and get a true feel for how they live in Barrow than in Kotzebue (or in even smaller villages), but it's still a fascinating place. (And I use the word "infrastructure" loosely, but they have real hotels and restaurants and things.) We had about 15 or so FTers there this summer (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/commu...23-2017-a.html) and had a blast.

I don't think a tour is strictly necessary, and you could cobble together a perfectly interesting itinerary on your own between walking and a couple of taxi rides.

(Yes, Barrow has taxis, and there was an interesting write-up on the life of a Barrow taxi driver in the Anchorage Daily News awhile back...I couldn't find it, but Googling for it did lead me to this absolutely fascinating article that I think captures the spirit of Barrow quite accurately: http://www.city-data.com/forum/alask...what-good.html.)

That said, a tour of the town will let you see just about everything of interest in a couple of hours. I'd recommend skipping the outfit operated out of the Top Of The World Hotel (Tundra Tours) and contacting Mike Shults instead. He's been in Barrow forever (and ha, I just noticed he was even mentioned in the article I linked above) and knows everything there is to know about everything. If you Google for him, you'll see a lot of positive recommendations. Anyone who needs his phone number can PM me.

As for driving vs. the train: I spent a summer working as a brakeman on the Alaska Railroad, and so I'm probably about as familiar with it as anyone. The Seward to Anchorage stretch is much prettier than the Anchroage to Fairbanks stretch, which is an experience but gets pretty long in the tooth after awhile. So ignoring any other considerations, if I were to recommend a single ride to someone interested in taking the train, I'd pick the Coastal Classic over the Denali Star.

But taking your itinerary and need for transportation in, I think I would agree with Gardyloo that you'd be much better served with a car for your trip. The best of Alaska is found when you come around a bend, see something incredible, and pull off to look at it. Maybe it's an amazing view that you just need to stop and soak in, or maybe it's a mama moose and calf or even a brown bear scurrying off into the woods. The train is great, but there simply is no comparison to the freedom you get when driving.

If you must take one train while you're there, I would still recommend the Coastal Classic from Seward to Anchorage, and then pick up a car and do yourself a massive favor of both freedom and convenience and get a car for your trip to Fairbanks. It will make getting around both Denali and Fairbanks much easier (and open up much better/cheaper places to stay), and there are incredible places to stop on that drive that vastly outshine the train ride. It's also much more efficient: you can do the drive in literally half the time of the train ride.