http://www.fabuloustravel.com/campers/rvtips/alaska.html Question: Kay and John R. write: We would really appreciate your input on a trip to Alaska, as we think you would be the expert! We are not sure we should take our beautiful new Dodge Ram 3500 and our new King of the Road 5th wheel on the trip. We have considered renting a truck with a slide-in camper to prevent road damage to our rig, and for pricing on the ferries. We have considered traveling with a caravan but the prices include lots of shows and restaurants that we would probably not be interested in. We love museums and doing back road investigating. We are just concerned that if we do not caravan we will miss points of interest. rv tipsColeen Replies: Rigs of all sizes and in all conditions make the trip from the lower 48 to and around Alaska. Some stretches of the highway are gravel, some washboards, some ruts. We saw many RVers whip past us and later saw them sitting along side the road or pulled into repair shops. If you drive slowly, the chances of damage are far less. Although Alaska has wonderful wide open spaces, developed space and services are at a premium. Many of the roads are back roads and even the main highways are narrow and winding. Campgrounds are often rustic, so you may not be able to use all of the appliances and features of your new rig. A pick-up camper would fit better into the common, short and narrow campsites. A shorter rig will save you a considerable amount of money on ferries. At least some of them charge by the foot. I think you'd be better off buying a copy of the Milepost and maybe a couple of other books about Alaska and forgetting the caravan. But then, I don't like someone telling me when I have to start my day, how far I have to drive in a particular day, where I have to eat, how long I can dawdle at a museum, when I have to end my day, etc. After you get here, you may want to leave your RV and take a fly-out or van tour somewhere for a couple days. That's a great way to see the less accessible parts of the state. However, you don't need to be part of a caravan for that. Most of the campgrounds will be happy to help arrange these tours for you. And, no, it is not necessary to have reservations months in advance; we didn't. After you get to Alaska, you will start to get a feel for the state. The layout will start to make more sense and you'll have a better feel for the size of things. After you get here, then look at the brochures and visitor's guides and decide what you want to do. There are numerous free museums in Alaska, along with many that charge a fee. You might want to get one of the discount tourist books that have buy-one-get-one-free type coupons for museums, day tours, restaurants, and assorted tourist attractions. You can find them on the Internet or buy one at a grocery store or gift shop when you reach Alaska. If you only plan to be here for the summer and if you like to explore the back roads, I think the slide-in camper idea is a good one. And, I'd skip the caravan and spend that money on a fishing charter, a dinner and wildlife cruise on Resurrection Bay, a flight-seeing trip, halibut tacos and reindeer sausage, a visit to the musk ox farm, the Museum of Alaskan Transportation, or whatever is of particular interest to you. Coleen Sykora and her husband Bob travel the USA full time in an RV, living life to the fullest. She is a writer and the editor of Workers On Wheels , RV Life And Travel and Relax, Refresh, Recharge.