Hostels (Anchorage, Fairbanks: appointed, renting, house)

[MAINEr]

Has anyone here stayed at any of the hostels in Anchorage or Fairbanks? I am trying my hardest to get there this summer, please keep your fingers crossed, to visit and they are pretty cheap at 22-30 bucks a night per person. I looked on hostels.com and there are not many reviews so it's hard to get a real idea. They look ok, some of the one's in Fairbanks say you can't book online and they don't give you any pictures to look at. These are the cheapest places I can think of to stay in.

Thanks,

[cobolt]

Alaska Hostel Association

[Chilkoot]

You may want to consider the summer housing available at the University of Alaska Anchorage. It’s a bit more at 50 bucks per night but have to think the quality and privacy is better.
http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/ccs/guesthousing/index.cfm

[TexasTheKid]

I've stayed in two hostels in Anchorage during the summer months. Both were filled primarily with seasonal workers in between jobs. They did not have the same communal traveler atmosphere of hostels in Europe. If you're looking for a cheap bed (around $20 a night) this is the way to go. But, if you're looking for the hostel "experience," you'll be disappointed.

My recommendation is to avoid the hostels and go camping. If you're in Alaska, you should be out enjoying nature anyhow. Use the hostels simply as a single night stopover between plane trips.

[NorthWord]

I thought that you had combined the words "hostile" and "locals" - cause yeah, we have plenty of those.

[MAINEr]

Originally Posted by TexasTheKid

I've stayed in two hostels in Anchorage during the summer months. Both were filled primarily with seasonal workers in between jobs. They did not have the same communal traveler atmosphere of hostels in Europe. If you're looking for a cheap bed (around $20 a night) this is the way to go. But, if you're looking for the hostel "experience," you'll be disappointed.

My recommendation is to avoid the hostels and go camping. If you're in Alaska, you should be out enjoying nature anyhow. Use the hostels simply as a single night stopover between plane trips.

I had thought of camping too because at this point I just want a place to lay my head at night. Hoping to get there whenthere is lots of light so it won't matter anyway. I had also thought of renting an RV so that I can have a place to sleep and a vehicle to drive and can check out more areas (this is the 1st trip to see if I would REALLY want to live there) but that isn't real cheap either

I don't want to do the tourist sites, I want to see the real Alaska. If I live there it won't be on the fun money of a tourist


Thanks

[Jonotastic]

www.tripadvisor.com

[mongazid]

Me and the wife did just what your talking about last summer. We rented a conversion van that had a bed in back. They also had a colman cook stove with propane, a tub of dishes and cooking supplies, sleeping bags, a couple of lawn chairs, a cooler, ect. The van got better gas milage and easier to drive than a rv and alot cheaper. There are places to just pull off and camp everywhere. And plenty of places that have showers to use ( they were around 5 bucks a shower). Let me know if want any more info on the van we rented.

[TexasTheKid]

Originally Posted by MAINEr

I had thought of camping too because at this point I just want a place to lay my head at night. Hoping to get there whenthere is lots of light so it won't matter anyway. I had also thought of renting an RV so that I can have a place to sleep and a vehicle to drive and can check out more areas (this is the 1st trip to see if I would REALLY want to live there) but that isn't real cheap either

I don't want to do the tourist sites, I want to see the real Alaska. If I live there it won't be on the fun money of a tourist


Thanks

The tourist info center in downtown Anchorage has a list of a few shuttle services that'll drive you into the interior and will pick you up at a designated spot during a designated time for a low cost ($100 to $300 round trip depending on the distance). Unfortunately, I'm not aware of how to get this info before getting there. Once you're in the wilderness, the cost is virtually non-existant. Just make sure you bring enough food and store it properly to protect it from bears.

[fairbanks101]

go to billie's backpackers hostel in fairbanks, cose to the buses, billie is like my grandmother now. I came to alaska with 200$ in my pocket and billie helped me get set up in fairbanks. I had an overnight flight and arrived at 7am and crashed ont he couch in the arctic entry. I woke up with the kind old lady putting a pillow under my head and covering me up.

his time of year there are only a few people living there, durring the summer it was JAM PACKED with europeans and backpackers. I lived there for a few months while i got set up in Alaska. Best choice i ever made. the people are great and you will never meet a kinder lady than billie, she actually lives there in her own seperate quarters.

It was a rooming house for pipline workers in the 70s. Her husband and sons built it. I stop by there all the time to say hi to billie and the other hostelers. If you're going to stay in a fairbanks hostel you MUST stay at billies. Tell her steven sent you there, she will get a kick out of it.

That hostel is my family away from home. I spend all the holidays there, great place

GOOD LUCK