Happy New Year! It’s another year, and another opportunity for some fun Alaska travel inspiration. We love articles that get us imagining our next adventures, so we’ve gathered a few below that will help get the daydreaming started—and maybe even the planning, too!

Inspiration

Lonely Planet has released the 30 destinations in its Best in Travel list for 2023, and Alaska made the list in the Connect category—places where visitors can immerse themselves in culture and nature. And Lonely Planet recognizes that this connecting is best done via road trips with The perfect 8-day Alaska road trip and The top 8 road trips in Alaska. (May we recommend a campervan for all that road time?)

Don’t forget about Anchorage! Lonely Planet has also rounded up the best things about the unique neighborhoods in Alaska’s biggest city: Anchorage’s best neighborhoods are full of breweries, bike trails and bear sightings.

Conde Nast Traveler, despite being on the opposite side of the luxury scale from Lonely Planet, apparently agrees. Anchorage is one of their 23 Best Places to go in 2023. In fact, it’s at the top of the list! (The list is alphabetical, but still.)

Anchorage is a great place for travelers and locals alike. Smart Asset recently ranked 200 American cities where people are happiest, based on various categories like personal finance, well-being and quality of life. Anchorage is #24! (It’s all the beer, bikes and bears in our neighborhoods!)

Alaska is even on the New York Times‘ 52 Places to Go in 2023! The article recommends a trip on the Alaska Railroad, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. (Note: After your train trip is over, a campervan is the best way to see the rest of the state!)

Planning

Inspired yet? Awesome! How about some tips on planning and booking? Trip Savvy has a guide to all of those things, and is probably a resource worth bookmarking and coming back to as you go through the process. Your Trip to Alaska: The Complete Guide

For completely independent travelers, Curiosity Saves Travel has some great advice on how to Plan a Trip to Alaska Without a Cruise Ship—complete with recommendations of local campervan companies that can help you find your independence on the road. (The post is originally from 2020, but contains recent updates and comment replies with information from the 2022 season.)

And even though this one on Thrillist was posted in 2021, it’s all still true: Alaska Is Massive, Beautiful, and Ready for You to Visit ASAP.

We are certainly inspired to visit a few more places in our home state. How about you? Book your van now, and you’ll soon be on your way!