Senior Voice -

If you've ever listened to the lyrics to the tune 'Wabash Cannonball,' you'll get a sense of train travel's intrinsic hold upon us: "Listen to the jingle, the rumble and the roar As she glides along...

With refined charm hinting of a British past combined with carefree, beach-life style of the Caribbean, Bermuda's got it all. This 22-mile island chain of volcanic rock and limestone has attracted eas...

Thanksgiving is more than a family feast, it is the story of how we came to be here in this country and how we were helped by the indigenous population. Plimouth Plantation in Plymouth,...

Alaskans love to go to Hawaii. As our kissing cousin on just about any map we've seen since childhood, we are close – a mere six hours on a direct fight from Anchorage. In winter the Hawaiian i...

Labor Day weekend was a glorious jumble of color, sunshine, and a yearn for open roads, so drive them we did, up and over one of Alaska's most underutilized roadways. The Denali Highway, once upon a...

Note: With national attention on immigration now, this column is focusing on Alaskans visiting the homes of their ancestors. If you have an account of your trip, please contact dimitralavrakas@hotmail...

Alaskans annually play a waiting game with winter. The frenzied pace of summer begins to slow around mid-August as kids and grandkids return to school, daylight wanes, and weather patterns become a...

There's no question that Alaska is a place of uniqueness. From people to landscape and everything in between, there's no state like the 49th State, and that includes the mechanics of infrastructure....

Summer has finally arrived in the Last Frontier. After a wet, windy spring, Alaskans are fueling up and hitting the highways and byways in search of a night or two (or many) among Alaska's wild...

Last month, Senior Voice travel correspondent Dimitra Lavrakas wrote about various ways to appreciate historic lighthouses in Alaska and beyond. This month, she shares about her recent experience as...

If you watch public television's Rick Steve and his travel show, he always points out how travel helps him to understand people all over the world and that it broadens his mind. Good thoughts for...

Between 1946 and 1989, the United States and Russia were locked in a confrontation of ideology. Posturing took the form of an unprecedented nuclear arms race during which then-Soviet Premier Nikita...

A safe haven for birds to breed There were times when I flew the milk run from Seattle to Juneau and stopped in at Yakutat - a place that always fascinated me. With its thick, deep green forests and...

In January I was scheduled to travel away from my home in cold, dark Anchorage to the warm, bright beaches of the Turks and Caicos. It was a sanctuary vacation I had been looking forward to for...

Alaska's gentle giants are coming home, and you won't want to miss their annual appearance. The gray whale migration is ready to begin as the 50-foot, 40-ton marine mammals prepare to depart Mexico's...

Scotland is a natural for Alaskans-mountainous, cold, windy, vast stretches of color in the fall, and Robbie Burns celebrations on his birthday in January complete with haggis (see description...

I thought the older couple coming into The Harbor Cafe in Stonington, Maine, on Deer Island, for the Monday night two-for-one $19.99 special was going to bolt and run at the sight of strangers. It's...

In my travels I've found that, yes, chain hotels are always dependable just for the fact that they're, well, everywhere, but I really don't care for them. This summer we stayed at a Comfort Inn...

If you've not visited the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center lately, it may be time. Yes, the newly-recreated Alaska Exhibition is a contemporary upgrade from the previous space; certainly the "Cruis...

In a world seemingly full of dangers, it might be best to turn to countries where there have been civil wars and its people moved on to a more stable society. One place would be Ireland, the...

The question "to check or not to check?" is one of the most common among air travelers, with passionate justification on all sides of the argument. Some travelers swear by the philosophy of carrying...

It's hard to ignore the headlines of terrorist attacks on tourists or random acts of violence involving crowds, particularly at popular tourist sites and entertainment venues. It is a sad and...

There are two times during the year when grandparents are most likely to travel with their children's children. One is during the time-honored tradition called summer vacation, a relaxed, happy time...

Part three in a series. The trails of wood smoke far behind us, we arrived in Dawson City, Yukon Territory, for its Riverside Arts Festival that coincided with Discovery Days. Annually, the 160...