Alaskans tend to focus on more tangible hazards.

Alaskan teen mauled to death by bear after getting lost during mountain race.

Once thought to be spirits dancing, the aurora borealis still inspires awe.

Volcano under one of the world's busiest flight paths has erupted almost 40 times this year.

French sailors Jean-Pierre and Paulette van Hille have returned to Tauranga after 20 years to continue their long love affair with New Zealand. Made with funding from NZ On Air.

French sailors Jean-Pierre and Paulette van Hille have returned to Tauranga after 20 years to continue their long love affair with New Zealand. Made with funding from NZ On Air.

Gunman Esteban Santiago - an Iraq war veteran - was taken into custody after he opened fire in the baggage claim.

The tiny village of Pointy Lay is working on an anti-tourism strategy: it's begging tourists to stay away.

Alaska, the largest state in the American Union, is extraordinary and extraordinarily hard to visit.

If a wilderness holiday in Alaska is out of your reach, Katmai National Park's Bearcam is the next best thing.

It's like a giant chunk of chalk tumbled out of the sky, shattering on to a sparkling, turquoise glass floor.

Most Alaskans and Canadians have a bear story - tales of fearsome grizzlies, even polar bears. But a mix of the two?

Winter temperatures hovering near zero make Alaska feel almost tropical, writes Stacia Glenn.

In a restaurant in Alaska, Paul Rush has a tussle with the King of Crabs - and wins.

More than 20 years after hearing a song, Nigel Richardson sees the frontier city that inspired it.

Brett Atkinson experiences the Alaskan wilderness in style at a private lake retreat.

The Alaska Zoo temporarily gained a new animal yesterday after a wild bear strayed into the grounds and made himself at home.

Getting up close and personal to a glacier is an unforgettable experience, writes Brett Atkinson.

Pamela Wade goes north to Alaska for a taste of tourist-oriented gold-rush era hospitality.

Enjoy snow-capped ranges, striking glaciers and exotic wildlife from the comfort of a carriage, writes Pamela Wade.

New cruise line's winning formula puts creatures before home comforts, write Anne Z Cooke and Steve Haggerty.

Sometimes there's nothing like a chilly holiday to leave you feeling invigorated.

Looking for an unusual place to lay your head on your next holiday? From a trailer park to a school, something on this list should take your fancy.

It's a tough life being an Alaskan sockeye salmon.

Wolf, fox, beaver, otter, mink, lynx: take your pick. Alaskans stuff 'em and keep snug in 'em too, finds Pamela Wade.

Pamela Wade - and her nightie - enjoy her cruise so much she'll be back.

If the annual cheese roll in England or wife carrying competition in Finland is too boring for you, here are five very strange ones that might be worth visiting, even if it's just to tweet a pic from.

The northern lights can be seen on dark, clear nights when charged solar particles strike the upper atmosphere near the North Pole.

Paul Rush steps out for a late night rendezvous with the cosmos.

Paul Rush steps out for a late night rendezvous with the cosmos.