Do I need insurance?
Travel insurance is recommended. If your flight is delayed and you miss the start of your Exposure trip, or miss the entire trip for whatever reason, travel insurance may reimburse you. (We will not be able to!)
If you live in the U.S., you know how expensive health care can be. If you’re visiting from outside the U.S. it could come as a shocking surprise in the middle of your vacation. If you are ill or injured on one of our trips we will do everything we can to help, but any and all expenses for care or evacuation are entirely your responsibility. Check out your options: Travel Insurance.

Your trips seem to cost less than some of the competition, what's up with that?
For an accurate comparison, you need to look carefully at each itinerary and what is, and isn't included. To start with, our trips do not include your accommodation in Anchorage before or after the trip. Stay wherever you like, a reasonably priced hostel, a nice B&B or an over priced chain hotel.

Then look at the day by day itinerary. Particularly transportation and accommodation. Our trips include less time on the road and more time camping than many others. If you want spend a lot of time trying to see everything from the seat of a van, ferry, plane or train you should go with someone else. All that transportation adds up for the operator, and you pay for it. Same for accommodation, it costs a lot in Alaska. And if you're staying in a hotel, it's difficult for your Guide to cook you up a delicious healthy dinner. You should look carefully at whether or not that is included. (A burger and a beer will cost you about $12 in AK.)

Also look carefully at what is not included on other trips. Some are quite cheap, but then everything you want to do costs extra.

Are there any other costs???
If you show up with the required gear you really should not need to spend any money on one of our scheduled trips except for gratuities for your hard-working guides. if you would like to buy something to eat or drink at every stop we make, that may be on your own (but we supply plenty of food). We often buy the first round (what’s pizza without beer?)…much beyond that is on you.
All scheduled activities are included.
Custom trips may have some exclusions that will be clearly spelled out as your trip is planned.

What about tipping? Your Exposure Guides and other guides that you may have on the trip are always appreciative of gratuities, this is a service industry after all. 5 - 10% is a good rule of thumb.

Click HERE for more details on costs, payment, and what is and is not included.

I would be traveling alone, can I join a trip? Will I always be the “odd one out”? Will this be a problem?
Not at all. We probably have as many single guests as we do couples or friends. As we put the team together we think about things like tent sharing, double and single kayaks, load carrying etc. Sometimes we’ll get a friend to come along to balance things. One way or another it always works out. If you specifically request a room or tent to yourself (assuming that it’s logistically possible), there may be an additional charge. If you’re willing to be flexible, there will be no extra charges…and you still might have a tent all to yourself!

Some of your trips are not available for solo travellers. Why is that?
If you're the first one to sign up for a trip, we may not confirm your reservation until we get others signed up. We've never cancelled a trip due to low numbers, and have run trips with as few as two guests but we can't do it with one.

We do not have the capacity to run all the trips on the schedule, as some get booked we close out availability on others that have no one signed up yet.

Same with discounts, trips that have no one signed up yet may have a discount for a two person minimum. Once some people are signed up, the trip and any discount will be open for solo travelers.

It changes very often during the Spring booking season. Our website is tied directly to our database and kept up to date as soon as we register guests.

Where do your trips start and end?
We pick up Guests anywhere in Anchorage on the morning of Day 1, fairly early. You should arrive no later than the night before the trip starts. On the last day we return you to Anchorage between around 5 and 7PM. You should not book a flight out earlier than 9PM.

How much is the deposit? Is it refundable?
See The Fine Print.

Will I see wildlife?
Wildlife is just that…wild. Our trips are primarily in the wilderness…we don’t look for bears in dumpsters. Although we are experienced in looking for animals in the bush we can make no promises. (well, we usually guarantee an eagle or two). A lot of it depends on the group, how quiet and alert they are when we are out. Of course, sometimes we make a lot of noise so that we DON’T see a bear unexpectedly.
The best opportunities to see wildlife are from the bus in Denali National Park, on a special fly-in bear viewing trip, and from the day cruise in Kenai Fjords National Park. See Wildlife Viewing for more info.

Are your trips "safe"?
Some dictionaries define “safe” as being without risk. Few things worth doing are completely without risk. We do our best to manage the inherent risks associated with the activities in our trips but cannot completely remove the risks without destroying the nature of the activity. For example, falling is an inherent risks of hiking and climbing and we can completely remove that risk only by NOT going hiking or climbing.
You must understand and accept the risks associated with an adventurous trip in Alaska.

We travel to extremely remote, stunningly beautiful areas where there are often no communications and help in an emergency may be delayed by hours or days.
While our trips are not without risk, we pride ourselves on an excellent record of managing these risks such that people can enjoy themselves on our trips and return home healthy and happy.

It seems like the Exposed Series Tours and Extreme Week do a lot of the same activities. What’s the difference?
Although many of the same types of activities are included, the Exposed Tours take them at a slightly less challenging level. Hiking is more often on established trails or easier terrain. The white water rafting may be a Class III instead of a Class V.
One other big difference…The Exposed Tours more often stay in an inn or established campgrounds that may even have toilets and showers.

But don’t be mistaken, these tours are ACTIVE vacations. While we occasionally have to do some miles in the van, we do a lot more than just jump out to “see” something and take a photo.
Over the years, our Extreme Week has become a little tougher, and our guests seem to enjoy the challenge. The Exposed Series is for those who may not want to push themselves quite so hard.

What about food? Can you accommodate special diets?
This questions gets it's own answer page.