Job offer in Fairbanks, moving from NoDak. (Anchorage, Craig: fit in, rent)

[simon333]

Hi guys and gals,
Wife was just offered a job that pays considerably more than her current position but, it;s in Fairbanks. She said today, she is going to take it so here comes the chaos lol..
She needs to turn in her 2 weeks notice, and then we figure a week to drive up.
Am I correct about that?
Our vehicle is a new F250 so we should be good, have a full size spare if we need it.
So far, I am planning on selling everything that doesn't fit in the truck, pack up and just hit the Alcan hwy.
Can anybody give me an estimate of how much we need to budget to get to Fairbanks? Fuel, food, and a place to sleep at night. I know I need to buy a Milepost, but anything else you suggest before the trip?
And for those of you who have traveled the Alcan, what is the worst scariest part of the road? Will we have panic attacks trying to drive around mountains without guardrails and stuff? I actually take meds for panic disorder so I need to know where the most dangerous scary parts of the road is.

We are just going with 3 people in a new pick up, with our clothes and keepsakes in the back. That's it. Nothing else. Should we camp along the way is that cheaper? Any advice you could give would be great. We are on a tight budget and have 3 weeks to get there after she turns in her notice.

Also, is the cheapest rent going to be a dry cabin? Where is the best place to find a good one? Craigslist?
We do have family up there now that can check things out for us so we dont get bait and switch or get robbed. But the hardest part is budgeting to get up there, and find a place to stay on a limited budget.

Thanks for all your help

[AKStafford]

It's been long enough ago that I drove it that I can't help you with the budget...
Every time I've drove it, I've been in hurry. So with two drivers, we drove around the clock; switching out as needed. That saved on hotels. We also packed a cooler full of food, so we only stopped for one meal a day.
I've never encountered a "scary" part of the road... maybe there is some, but maybe we just drove it at night and didn't realize it?
Congratulations on the new job! And welcome to Alaska...

Oh, and just to check... I'm assuming you know about the rules for driving through Canada? No handguns, no felonies, paperwork for pets, passports for humans?

[heathen]

I don't know if I'm much help with a specific budget, but I have a couple suggestions. If you have fuel jugs, go ahead and fill them up before getting into Canada, as gas gets significantly more expensive. It's probably not worth purchasing them just for that purpose though. Also, if you have camping gear, camping along the way up will significantly decrease your costs as well, since hotels in the north are notoriously expensive in summer. Since you're coming up in summer, driving in the dark is mostly a non-issue, but be aware that wildlife on the road increases once you get on the Alaska Highway (past Fort St. John or so), and the section between Fort Nelson and Watson Lake should definitely be driven with good visibility. That's also the prettiest section of road, and probably the only part that might be considered scary. There are guardrails, and most of it has a center line, so it's not that bad. Just winds around a lot through the mountains.

[simon333]

Originally Posted by AKStafford

It's been long enough ago that I drove it that I can't help you with the budget...
Every time I've drove it, I've been in hurry. So with two drivers, we drove around the clock; switching out as needed. That saved on hotels. We also packed a cooler full of food, so we only stopped for one meal a day.
I've never encountered a "scary" part of the road... maybe there is some, but maybe we just drove it at night and didn't realize it?
Congratulations on the new job! And welcome to Alaska...

Oh, and just to check... I'm assuming you know about the rules for driving through Canada? No handguns, no felonies, paperwork for pets, passports for humans?

Oh Yes I'm very familiar with customs, We live on the Manitoba border crossing and I worked for Fedex I went through the Pembna crossing at least 12 times a day. Dogs are up to date, daughter is getting her passport card rushed out this week.
Thanks for the welcome. This is a big scary move for us. We are quiet homebodies. This is the biggest thing I've ever done.

[simon333]

Originally Posted by heathen

I don't know if I'm much help with a specific budget, but I have a couple suggestions. If you have fuel jugs, go ahead and fill them up before getting into Canada, as gas gets significantly more expensive. It's probably not worth purchasing them just for that purpose though. Also, if you have camping gear, camping along the way up will significantly decrease your costs as well, since hotels in the north are notoriously expensive in summer. Since you're coming up in summer, driving in the dark is mostly a non-issue, but be aware that wildlife on the road increases once you get on the Alaska Highway (past Fort St. John or so), and the section between Fort Nelson and Watson Lake should definitely be driven with good visibility. That's also the prettiest section of road, and probably the only part that might be considered scary. There are guardrails, and most of it has a center line, so it's not that bad. Just winds around a lot through the mountains.

That's the part that will scare the crap out of us, the winding through the mountains.
How long does it take to get through that part and get it over with?

[AKStafford]

Originally Posted by simon333

That's the part that will scare the crap out of us, the winding through the mountains.
How long does it take to get through that part and get it over with?

Breathe deep and relax... It's not that bad of a trip.... Thousands of people do it every year. My father-in-law drives long haul and used to do the Anchorage to Tacoma run every week. There's nothing to be scared of. You aren't driving through the Himalayas...

[simon333]

You're right, I'm probably just overthinking it. Causing more anxiety than necessary. I bought a Milepost book. That should help.

[Haolejohn]

Originally Posted by simon333

Hi guys and gals,
Wife was just offered a job that pays considerably more than her current position but, it;s in Fairbanks. She said today, she is going to take it so here comes the chaos lol..
She needs to turn in her 2 weeks notice, and then we figure a week to drive up.
Am I correct about that?
Our vehicle is a new F250 so we should be good, have a full size spare if we need it.
So far, I am planning on selling everything that doesn't fit in the truck, pack up and just hit the Alcan hwy.
Can anybody give me an estimate of how much we need to budget to get to Fairbanks? Fuel, food, and a place to sleep at night. I know I need to buy a Milepost, but anything else you suggest before the trip?
And for those of you who have traveled the Alcan, what is the worst scariest part of the road? Will we have panic attacks trying to drive around mountains without guardrails and stuff? I actually take meds for panic disorder so I need to know where the most dangerous scary parts of the road is.

We are just going with 3 people in a new pick up, with our clothes and keepsakes in the back. That's it. Nothing else. Should we camp along the way is that cheaper? Any advice you could give would be great. We are on a tight budget and have 3 weeks to get there after she turns in her notice.

Also, is the cheapest rent going to be a dry cabin? Where is the best place to find a good one? Craigslist?
We do have family up there now that can check things out for us so we dont get bait and switch or get robbed. But the hardest part is budgeting to get up there, and find a place to stay on a limited budget.

Thanks for all your help

I just did a cross country drive. We took our time and it took us 8 days to get from ATL to SEA. We stayed in hotels. $100 per night plus gas (averaged 20 mpg) plus meals for 3 adults and two small children. We ate cheap (breakfast at hotels and tried to eat at local stops instead of chains. We were still spending about $100 a day in food. Gas wasn't that bad, but when we paid $3.89 gallon in remote Oregon I noticed.

One thing to think about are unexpected costs. Our air condition went out. Not terrible in Alaska, but driving through Idaho and the Oregon desert when temps were 105 it was brutal. We also had oil and transmission fluid leakin when we got to Boise. It was a $250 fix. No idea what happened other than the gasket was bad and the oil filter was loose. We fixed the leaks but not AC. Had a schedule to stick to and the AC was going to take a few days (4th of July weekend).

I opted to sleep in hotels since I was doing all the driving and I suffer from apnea. If you can drive straight through, do it. I'm no longer traveling alone or with just m wife.

[simon333]

Well I figure it's a new truck so factory warranty should take care of most. We have a full size spare in case of a flat. I'm driving up with my almost 18 year old, so she's going to be switching off driving. What would like to do, is put one of those farm fuel tanks in the back of the truck and fill it up before we leave, and use it until we have to fill it up again at Canadian prices. We decided to camp our way up. I got a Milepost book today and it's loaded with camp sites.

[Haolejohn]

Originally Posted by simon333

Well I figure it's a new truck so factory warranty should take care of most. We have a full size spare in case of a flat. I'm driving up with my almost 18 year old, so she's going to be switching off driving. What would like to do, is put one of those farm fuel tanks in the back of the truck and fill it up before we leave, and use it until we have to fill it up again at Canadian prices. We decided to camp our way up. I got a Milepost book today and it's loaded with camp sites.

The extra weight might make the large tank not worth it. Something to think about. Otherwise, get used to the gas prices. I pay $6.50 a gallon.