Life in Alaska is one of great beauty and adventure. But with great beauty comes great responsibility. If you live in Alaska, sooner or later you will entertain guests from down south. They come from the other side of the country, braving x-ray body imaging and miniscule airplane seats, jumping through time zones to arrive at your home, looking for this life of beauty and adventure. It’s up to you to deliver the goods. The pressure’s on!
You have to deliver a place to stay. If you thought you could avoid going into the bed and breakfast business while living in Alaska, think again. Your guests from Outside will expect a warm bed and a tasty breakfast in a down-home Alaska accommodation. It’s up to you to decide on the degree of tidiness you offer. It all depends on the favored status of the guest. Is your visitor a random schoolmate who lost touch with you until you had an extra room in Alaska to offer them? This is a one-time customer. A basic sense of order and tidiness will suffice. Are your kids coming home from college for winter break? They count as frequent fliers. Muck out your own stuff that has migrated into their rooms. Are your parents coming to visit? They have VIP status. Break out the duster and vacuum and make sure everything is immaculate. Your upbringing is on the line.
You have to deliver the weather. Your visitors have a huge stake in their once-in-a-lifetime trip to Alaska. The last thing they want to do is stay indoors putting a puzzle together while it rains sideways outside. When you protest that you have no control over the weather, they refuse to listen. You can remind them that you told them not to come during the rainy season. You might even go so far as to pronounce the irritating words, “I told you so.” It doesn’t matter. Your visitors will hold you responsible for any inconvenience caused by the weather. On the flip side, they will take credit for a lovely day, “Isn’t it lucky that we brought the sunshine with us?” Try not to take it personally.
You have to deliver the wildlife. When they come to Alaska, your guests want to see bears. They want to see whales. They want to see bald eagles. They won’t be satisfied with the red squirrel that visits your back deck every evening. You can take a spin past the dump for a foolproof way to see eagles, but your guests might be taken aback by the less-than-ideal scenery. You’ll probably see whales on a whale-watching tour. This is a great way to shift responsibility to someone else. If you don’t see any whales, it’s not your fault. That’s what you’re paying the tour operator for, right? Bears, on the other hand, are a wild card. They show up whenever and wherever they wish, and you just have to live with that.
You have to deliver the scenery. Plan to compile a list of “Favorite Places to Wow Visitors” to keep up your street cred. You’ve been bragging about living in Alaska and how beautiful it is compared to every other place on the planet, so your visitors anticipate something extraordinary. They expect to see snowcapped mountains, calving glaciers, and sparkling blue waters, all in the same camera frame. It’s up to you to deliver.
You have to deliver the adventure. Hiking, whitewater rafting, jumping off of mountains strapped to a paraglider, ice climbing, halibut fishing, combat skiing…you name it. Your guests know of Alaska’s reputation as a wild, unspoiled frontier. They will want to experience as much of it as possible. Remember, it’s your job to provide the bug spray.
You have to deliver the memories. Your guests are passing through, taking a moment out of their lives to experience the special place you call home. This is your chance to impress them with the beauty and grandeur of Alaska, while also dazzling them with your skills in hosting, planning adventures, and influencing the weather gods. You can be the Alaska vacation hero.
“Honey, the guests have arrived.” The pressure’s on!
• Peggy McKee Barnhill is a wife, mother, and author who writes cozy mysteries under the pen name “Greta McKennan.” She likes to look at the bright side of life.
