Fire in the Sky!

Ken Wyman, our Alaska Operations Manager snapped this picture from his desk at Continental's Anchorage office.  Nature certainly puts on a show in Alaska regardless of the season!

Continental and United Van Lines in Alaska

Continental is an agent for United Van Lines
in Alaska

For many outside of the industry, there is a lot of confusion regarding companies that are affiliated with major van lines.   To add to the confusion, moving to, from, and within Alaska requires services outside those van lines.

So, what is the difference between United Van Lines and Continental?   Continental is an agent for and shareholder of United Van Lines and its parent company UniGroup.  In essence, United is a trading network of agents who make up the van line.  Each agent is an individually owned company. In the case of Continental, it has been owned by the same family for nearly 60 years, starting in Anchorage when Alaska was still a territory.

The van line itself provides a way to ensure consistent quality, procedures, and services. From a financial standpoint, United does not own any agencies, and through agent statements, pays individual agents for the services they provide to the van line as a whole.

While there are other agents for United in Alaska, Continental provides decades of experience in managing the Alaska moving process.  From its offices in Seattle, Tacoma, and Anchorage, Continental provides a complete Alaska Moving solution.

If you are looking for an Anchorage local mover, Continental provides that service too!  Since it is also a family owned moving company, it provides competitively priced services, with the assurance that only a company like Continental provides the quality that only an agent for United Van Lines can offier.
Visit Continental at http://www.continentalvan.com/

Moving to Alaska? Frequently Asked Questions!

So you are considering a move to Alaska? I'll bet you have a question or two!

Hi, I am Beckie Martin, Continental's Certified Moving Consultant based in Anchorage, Alaska . My job is to help customers as they prepare for a Move to Alaska!
I know, based upon many conversations with folks each day, that moving, especially to Alaska, raises lots of questions.

  How do I start? How long does it take?  Can you move in winter? What does it cost?  These are all great questions! 

We provide several  easy ways to get information about moving.

1. You can check out our website, http://www.continentalvan.com/.  You can get free Alaska tips to download at this link: http://www.continentalvan.com/alaska-moving-tips.cfm
              
                             OR

2.  You can email me directly. Just click the link: http://www.continentalvan.com/contactus.cfm?StaffID=7#bottomv

Frequently Asked Questions about Moving to Alaska

Almost ready!   Check back in the next few days!

Continental Posts Alaska Moving Tips on Website

For those of you that are considering a move to our fair state, you may want to check out Continental's new Alaska Moving Tips section .  The moving tips are available as a .PDF download that you can read at your convenience or directly on their website.  It includes information on how your goods are shipped as well as winter-time shipping considerations. It is a good read!

Before anyone considers a move to Alaska, read the Alaska Moving Tips section of the Continental website.

Sockeye Salmon Rule the Day

Kim Murphy of the Los Angeles Times recently wrote an article about the personal use dipnet season. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009772350_alaskafishing30.html

It actually demonstrates two things about Alaskans.
1. How self sufficient Alaskans are.
2.How the rest of the country views Alaskans as a slightly crazy bunch of morons who would risk life and limb in wet cold weather and 45 degree water to collect salmon that can be purchased in most Lower 48 cities with a quick trip to the grocery store.

Keep them thinking that. The river is crowded enough.

Brad Fransen is Director of Sales and Marketing for Continental Van Lines, agent for United Van Lines in Anchorage Alaska.

Bear Jokes Rule

When Continental put Bear Jokes on the website, it was intended to be a great way to show our fun loving personality. While we take each move seriously, Continental's staff is an easy going bunch who understand that moving to & from Alaska can be quite stressful.

What was unexpected, was the sheer volume of people looking for good Bear Jokes! Who would have thunk? Continental's Bear Jokes have become somewhat of a cult classic. Bear jokes are one of the most viewed pages on the website, developing a very impressive Google page rank on its own.

One can only think that there is a large subset of our society who thinks that Bear Jokes are a necessary component of healthy living.

To view Continental's bear jokes, go to http://www.continentalvan.com/ and visit the Alaska section which includes Bear Jokes.

Moving to Alaska

As a mover in Alaska, we hear from lots of people who think that a move to Alaska to live a simpler life is a slam dunk. I recently was asked by a friend for the name of the PBS documentary about Dick Proenneke who lived off the land near Twin Lakes. Alone in the Wilderness is a wonderful story filled with adventure.

Our website is often filled with requests for an estimate for a move to Alaska. Many folks are in the dreaming stage, thinking that they can run away, eat sourdough pancakes with small berries collected from bushes dotting the hillsides. While it worked for Dick, less that 1% of the US population is wired for that type of living.

What they don't think about is the difficulty of living a remote lifestyle. Months of dark and cold. No access to convenience stores. Limited communication. Solitude bordering on complete isolation. Hard work. Filling the woodstove throughout the night.

My brother used to be a fishing guide in remote Alaska. Each year they would hire a few Cheechakos with dreams of living the Guide lifestyle. About 70% of them didn't survive the season. The isolation got to them. No showers. Lonely nights. I want mommy. Early plane trip home.

So before you sell your house and auction off your worldly belongings, you might want to do a few things first to see if you are wired to for remote living.

1. Lock yourself in a closet for the weekend. Close the door. Entertain yourself.


2. Don't shower for 2 weeks. The itching is only in your head (or maybe on your head).


3. Set your alarm clock to go off every 2 hours for two weeks straight.


4. Turn off your hot water tank. Shower. Again and again. Shivering is your friend.


5. Read JohnKrakauer's book "Into the Wild". Read closely the description of his decomposed body from the Moose hunter who found Christopher Johnson.


6. Load up your shopping cart with cabbage, turnips, and fava beans. Come up with fun ways to cook each.

So, if you pass the test, give us a call and we can move you to anywhere in Alaska you wish. But keep our business card. You might need us for a return trip.