Car tripping in the North West

[Kaat72]

If you get a chance, when you're in Minneapolis, there's a pretty cool waterfall (The ice one I posted in the best camera thread)
http://gowaterfalling.com/waterfalls/minnehaha.shtml

It's around 20 min from the Mall Of America

Great tip, thank you very much. We're visiting the Mall of America anyways, for the Hard Rock Cafe

 

[Stuntman]

Tips, any one? Let's hear it
We're prepping our road trip for June: one week in Alaska, and two more driving from Seattle to Minneapolis. Planning our must sees, places to go, tickets to buy. Marking our road atlas.

Anchorage, Fairbanks (Summer Folk Fest), Tok, Anchorage (Moose's Tooth), Seward, Homer). Seattle for the Jim Hendrix Memorial, Space Needle, Pinball Museum, EMP Museum, Kurt Cobain's hometown Aberdeen, Vancouver. Yellowstone Park, Rushmore, Devil's Tower in Wyoming, Badlands, Carhenge in Alliance, Paisley Park in Chanhassen MN.
It seems we are in the right place on our last night, June 24th, in Hinckley MN for a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert.

Do you mean Vancouver, B.C. or Vancouver Washington?

 

[Kaat72]

The Canadian B.C. one

 

[Stuntman]

The Canadian B.C. one

You mention that you are spending a week in Alaska and then driving from Seattle to Minneapolis. Are you driving from Alaska to Seattle and then to Minneapolis? Your last message was unclear. I'm assuming you are driving from Alaska to Seattle like in your original post.

 

[Kaat72]

Nope. We're driving around in Alaska first. No rental company allows us to bring a rental car from Alaska to any other state. So after that first week we'll be flying to Seattle, pick up a second rental car there and drive it to Minneapolis.

 

[Stuntman]

Nope. We're driving around in Alaska first. No rental company allows us to bring a rental car from Alaska to any other state. So after that first week we'll be flying to Seattle, pick up a second rental car there and drive it to Minneapolis.

Will you be driving up to Vancouver on your way to Minneapolis then? If so, better check with your rental car company to ensure they allow you to bring the car into Canada.

 

[Kaat72]

Will you be driving up to Vancouver on your way to Minneapolis then? If so, better check with your rental car company to ensure they allow you to bring the car into Canada.

I checked. We do need to inform them at the pickup point, but we can drive it in and out of Canada.

 

[Stuntman]

I checked. We do need to inform them at the pickup point, but we can drive it in and out of Canada.

Well, enjoy yourself when you come up here to Vancouver. The weather should be nice in June. It is the start of our dry season. We have many beaches around the city. There's also Stanley Park which is adjacent to our downtown area. The Capilano suspension bridge is also a well known attraction in North Vancouver. If you want a challenge, you can try the Grouse Grind. It is a trail that goes from the foot of Grouse mountain to the observation area at the top. It'll take most people over an hour. Be warned it is very steep and I recommend taking the gondola down.

 

[Kaat72]

Yippy, time is moving fast now State side in 27 days! Woot!
I need a provider for June, for two phones (bringing our own) for calls and data. With coverage in Alaska and the north east states of course.
Any suggestions?

 

[Unforgiven]

Are you looking for a BYOP where you just pop a sim into your own phone?

 

[Kaat72]

Yes. One and a half year ago i had a great deal with AT & T. I tried to ask for their assistance finding a good deal now, via social media, but they seem a little reluctant to sell.

 

[Kaat72]

https://www.att.com/shop/wireless/gophone-plans.html
[emoji4]

 

[Unforgiven]

I use Net10, which lets you use either AT&T or T-Mobile signal. You can usually get a sim for $0.99, and unlimited everything for $50 (5GB LTE data, then 2G after that). You could study coverage maps to figure out which has better coverage where you are going, but they are both nationwide carriers. I'm just clueless about Alaska coverage. I think @kate knows of some other carriers, she may have some ideas.

 

[Kaat72]

Would Net10 let me arrange it in a store, or online only?

Oh, and using the services of my own Dutch provider Vodafone in the US would cost me (for each of the two phones) 5 euro (6$) per day for 30mb.every extra mb per day is one euro. We are stateside for 23 days...
Unreal, eh?

 

[Lordvincent 90]

That's ridiculous!
You couldn't even open Google maps 26th that little data

 

[kate]

Sprint has no coverage in Alaska, only roaming.
T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon have coverage mostly in south Alaska, and around Anchorage.

In general around Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota AT&T and Verizon have the most coverage.

AT&T and their MVNOs are GSM so they'd be easier to BYOD then Verizon (CDMA).

Would Net10 let me arrange it in a store, or online only?

I don't think I've ever seen a Net10 store, they just have phones and SIM cards in retail stores like Best Buy, Walmart, etc. But Cricket (uses AT&T) gives you more data for the cost then Net10.

Cricket SIM at Best Buy.
Go Phone SIM at Best Buy.
Net10 SIM at Best Buy.
All three have refill cards you can buy at stores for monthly service.

Check Phone Compatibility:
http://www.willmyphonework.net

 

[Unforgiven]

Would Net10 let me arrange it in a store, or online only?

I think you can purchase cards in Best Buy, maybe others. I've done it online myself. I ordered a sim and an unlimited monthly card when I activated each of my four lines. You could probably order them now, and just activate when you get on the ground or right before you take off.

Then all the great info Kate has, I knew she was worth tagging for this conversation.

Sprint has no coverage in Alaska, only roaming.
T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon have coverage mostly in south Alaska, and around Anchorage.

In general around Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota AT&T and Verizon have the most coverage.

AT&T and their MVNOs are GSM so they'd be easier to BYOD then Verizon (CDMA).


I don't think I've ever seen a Net10 store, they just have phones and SIM cards in retail stores like Best Buy, Walmart, etc. But Cricket (uses AT&T) gives you more data for the cost then Net10.

Cricket SIM at Best Buy.
Go Phone SIM at Best Buy.
Net10 SIM at Best Buy.
All three have refill cards you can buy at stores for monthly service.

Check Phone Compatibility:
http://www.willmyphonework.net

 

[Kaat72]

Thank you so much, @kate, just what i needed

 

[Kaat72]

And only 15 days left before our holiday starts! Whoohooh!