My Love Letter to Alaska

I am once again partnering with Holland America, this time for this post as well as other social media posts. As usual though, all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

Like so many people, I would love to visit all 50 states one of these days. Turns out, I’m fairly close (Just six more!) to finishing but one that I thought would be the last for me was Alaska. That all changed though just a few years ago when the premier name in Alaska cruising, Holland America, invited me to join them on a truly remarkable voyage in America’s last frontier. Cruising, like everyone else, has had a tough couple of years but the industry is thankfully roaring back, and that’s definitely the case in Alaska. Honestly the best way to experience the thrills of the state, cruising in Alaska has a long and vaunted history; a history that Holland America helped write. In furtherance of their own love for Alaska, they’re hosting an incredible contest that is both fun and easy to enter. Just write your own love letter to Alaska sharing why you love it OR why you would love to visit. Here’s the best part, the prizes aren’t just cruises to Alaska, Holland America is giving away 10 voyages in one of their incredible suites, including a grand prize Neptune Suite, on a 2022 cruise to the Great Land!

To share the love for Alaska, they’ve asked me to help them spread the word and so today I want to share my own love letter. To write your own and enter to win one of those incredibly luxurious cruises just visit the Love Letters to Alaska web site  and submit yours before the contest ends on March 15, 2022.

Dear Alaska,

I realize that we’ve only met once and even that was arranged, but I can’t hide my feelings for you because I am truly and madly in love with you.

Why do I love you so? For all of your incredible attributes, starting with your incredible size. I know it’s impolite to say, but there’s just no other state that can match your remarkable girth. Seward certainly knew what he was doing when he brokered that famous deal with Russia, because you are nearly a fifth of the size of the Continental U.S.; you’ll certainly never have to fear about competition when it comes to how much space you have to wander around and explore. And what a space it is too!

Your beauty is what captures the hearts and minds of so many because is everywhere; a type of constant pulchritude that is all encompassing and intoxicating at its best. It’s so unusually perfect that one starts to take it for granted I’m afraid. “Yes, another glacier,” or “Yes, another untouched forest that has no equal anywhere in the world,” these are some of the non-complaints of the typical visitor to the state. You’re so much more than a pretty face though, there is keen depth to your personality – your very soul.

To best experience the full range of your experiences, Holland America offers a variety of different itineraries to would-be cruisers, with each port of call offering activities that are unique and together provide a fantastic view of what life is like in Alaska. Whether it is touring glaciers, taking an old train through scenic mountain passes, soaring high above the trees on a floatplane or learning about your fascinating more recent history, you provide no shortage of ways to experience and enjoy the best of what you have to offer. There’s so much to do that I can’t imagine ever feeling like I had done it all, and I love that.

I could write all day about my love for you, my undying respect but I know how busy you are, especially with the summer cruise season quickly approaching. Do not worry though my dear, because you and I will be reunited soon enough for I am planning a return this very summer to confirm what I already know, that I am madly in love with you.

Until we meet again,

Matt