Anchorage Daily News

Here we are in the middle of the summer and looking for travel deals. Although airfare bargains are hard to find, there still are a few deals to be had. At the top of my list is the Condor nonstop flights from Anchorage to Frankfurt. Condor's Web site (www.condor.com) is easy to navigate and allows you to pick from the thrice-weekly flights.

Flights are available departing Aug. 10, returning on Sept. 7, for as little as $802 including all taxes and fees. That's a great deal.

Closer to home, both Frontier Flying Service and Era Aviation are offering $179 roundtrip fares between Anchorage and Fairbanks. At least the sun is shining up north! Era Aviation also offers weekly Web specials to all their destinations from Anchorage.

Once you arrive in the Fairbanks, spend the weekend at the Fairbanks Princess, with rooms for $99 per night on the weekends.

Headed to Denali National Park? Denali Park Resorts is offering special half-off rates, two-for-one rafting on the Nenana River, plus a $100 Visa gift card. There's also a 2-for-1 offer on the Natural History Tour, which is the short bus tour into the park. You have to stay at least two nights to take advantage of the special hotel rates. Choose from several hotels near the park entrance, including the McKinley Chalets, McKinley Village, Denali Bluffs and the Grande Denali.

Princess is offering sale prices on their rail/lodging package between Anchorage and the Mount McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge. One of the best deals I found is a three-day/two-night package that departs Anchorage on July 31. Take Princess's private rail car up to Talkeetna, then hop aboard their coach for the 50-mile ride to the lodge. Two nights' accommodations are included. The cost is just $174 per person, double occupancy. This year, the lodge is offering free shuttle service to and from Talkeetna as well as free wireless Internet access.

At Portage Glacier, take advantage of the 50 percent savings on the last sailing of the day at 4:30 p.m. Instead of $29, the cost is just $14.50 for the one-hour ride up to the face of the glacier. Be sure and stop in at the Begich-Boggs Visitors Center to watch the movie first!

All the way back in McCarthy, Kennicott Glacier Lodge is offering a $50 discount for Saturdays and Sundays in the main lodge. Personally, I prefer the main lodge, even though you share the bathrooms. It's a cozy setup, and you can show up for breakfast in your stocking feet.

There are a few e-mail newsletters that include special deals for Alaska residents. The first is put out by Alaska Heritage Tours, which operates Kenai Fjords Tours, Prince William Sound Cruises, the Seward Windsong Lodge and the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge.

This month's deals include 2-for-1 on select Kenai Fjords Cruises, 30 percent off select Prince William Sound Cruises and a $50 discount of select nights at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge.

Another e-mail newsletter with some local deals is put out by the Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau. Dubbed "Friends of Seymour," the ACVB folks compile a big list of businesses that offer discounts for locals. Alaska Railroad offers a 2-for-1 deal to Seward on Tuesdays. Pike's Waterfront Lodge in Fairbanks offers a $99 weekend rate. There's a 20 percent discount for the 26 Glacier Cruise and lots more. Most of the deals require that you present Alaska ID or a "Friend of Seymour" membership card.

Scott McMurren is an Anchorage-based travel marketing consultant. Contact him via his travel blog: www.alaskatravelgram.com.

Scott's tips

• FRIENDS OF SEYMOUR. Sign up to receive the list of discounts for locals from the Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau. www.anchorage. net/fos

• PUFFIN PASS. This is Alaska Heritage Tours' club to offer discounts to Alaska residents. www. puffinpass.com

• PRINCESS ALASKA LODGES. Princess's site has lots of Web specials on their hotels and private rail cars. princesslodges.com

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