u/RemarkablePack4712

We have booked a VRBO for next month (California). It’s fully paid. The host messaged me today asking for the best phone number to send check-in instructions, and he also provided his phone number in the message.

The listing has also been removed, but from what I’ve read, that doesn’t sound like an issue as long as our booking is there (yes) and the host is responding (yes). It had good reviews so i didn’t notice any red flags when booking.

I haven’t been asked for my number directly before (I assumed hosts could see my contact info when I booked?), so between that and the listing removal, my antenna is up a little. Is this normal or should I be wary for any reason?

My partner and I are visiting Alaska August 26-Sept 2, flying in and out of anchorage. I’ve done an Alaska cruise, which was gorgeous but of course barely scratched the surface. My boyfriend has never been. We are active and very much want to enjoy the outdoors. We really want to make the most of our trip, but don’t want to be rushing through just to check off stops — which is why I’m here for a reality check about what we can’t miss vs what we should save for a future visit.

Our preference is to have one “home base” and drive to our activities, but it seems like we probably need to move around a bit to minimize how much time is spent in the car.

So far, we know we’re taking the train round trip from Anchorage to Denali with two nights in the park to kick off the trip. I’ve read mixed reviews on whether we should book the bus tour there, so would love opinions!

So we have August 30-Sept 2 (9pm flight) to do “everything else.”

Some things we’re interested in doing:

- I have a friend in Anchorage who is going to take us flightseeing for 1-2 hours one of the days (weather dependent)

- Kenai River fishing

- Maybe 1-2 nights in Seward so we could do Kenai Fjords sea kayaking/some sort of boat tour OR a half day kayak on Resurrection Bay if we wouldn’t have time to make a full day work

- I have a friend who recently moved to Girdwood and it would be nice to see her at least for a dinner or a few hours on the weekend

- open to any moderate hikes that make sense for our timing (6 miles or less)

Based on that, we’d be looking at something along the lines of:

- August 26: arrive anchorage, maybe attempt flight seeing

- August 27 - 29: Train to Denali

- August 30: recovery/flex day in Anchorage or Girdwood (flightseeing backup)

- August 31: Drive to Seward, Kenai fishing, stay in Seward

- Sept 1: Kenai Fjords kayaking/boat ride, stay in Seward

- Sept 2: Day mostly free until flight home, so maybe an easy hike and drive back to Anchorage?

Am I missing any “must-sees” that would add to the experience given our interests/geographic area? Should we skip anything currently on the agenda and save our budget for something else? Open to all suggestions! Thank you so much in advance!