After You Land: Alaska

Nature lovers, assemble! Alaska in summer is packed with amazing sights, and you hardly need to leave Anchorage to see them.

Following the coastal trail from downtown to Kincaid Park will show you a bit of everything the area has to offer - epic mountain views, a park famous for being the site of a 1964 earthquake, wild moose (in under an hour, apparently), beluga whales and bald eagles.

Alaskans have also worked out how to keep themselves entertained during long winter nights, with more craft breweries than you'd expect for such a small population. Thankfully, this also works out nicely for those long summer nights!

Unsurprisingly, the summer solstice is a pretty big thing over there. Not only are there street and beach parties galore, there's also a midnight baseball game, music festivals in the mountains and even a midnight sea swim (for the brave)!

And just because you're there in summer, it doesn't mean you won't get some serious glacier action, too. You can actually find 60 glaciers within 80 km of Anchorage  

Portage Glacier is easy to reach by train or bus (followed by a boat trip across the lake), and lets you get up close. Tackling the hiking trail is probably the best way to get a real impression of the glacier's size.

If that doesn't quite scratch the itch, you can also pick up boat trips to countless more glaciers from the nearby town of Whittier on the Prince William Sound.