Carlee – Passenger Services Manager

Four years ago my boyfriend announced over dinner that he was taking a job with Princess and Holland America to drive a tour bus in Alaska. I dropped my fork. I knew people in college who had Alaska summer jobs, but it sounded a bit wild to me. Being a self-proclaimed Indoor Person, I said have fun and wished him bon voyage. I really liked him and hoped he didn’t eaten by a bear. He’d only been in Skagway about 3 days when I started kicking myself. Plane rides over glaciers, sunshine until midnight, bike riding in a little town, interesting people, and snow-covered peaks shooting right out of the Lynn Canal…hmm. I decided to look up Skagway on the map; I wasn’t even sure where it was!
Well, two weeks later I couldn’t handle the stories another minute! I borrowed some money from my sister & hopped on the next Alaska Airlines flight out of Portland. When I arrived in Skagway, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was truly the most beautiful landscape I’d ever seen. It didn’t take long before I was hooked. The next summer I became a driver guide for the company. I was actually earning money while laughing at my own jokes, it was brilliant! My favorite tour was our Yukon Expedition. Showing tourists this remote part of the world was such an incredible experience. The Klondike Highway leading to the Yukon Territory has all the remote mystery of a true frontier. I enjoyed giving tours each day, but still sleeping in my own bed each evening. Skagway’s location was perfect for me!
This is my fourth season in Skagway. I married that boy who had this great idea to begin with. Together we’ve made Skagway our summer home and have enjoyed adventures we would have never had otherwise. Top on my list? Definitely driving the Alcan Highway from Bellingham, Washington to Skagway, Alaska! Wow. This season I am the Passenger Services Manager and am constantly surprised that even a self-proclaimed Indoor Person can find their niche in beautiful Southeast Alaska.