You will need to ship anything you need or want. Moving to rural Alaska takes thought and preparation: you will bring some items with you, ship some ahead of time, and order others after you arrive. Housing units come furnished; contact your school site for specifics. (See the Housing and Shopping pages for more.)
Packing Tips
Your shipped items may travel a long way and get tossed around in transit. We suggest mailing items in Rubbermaid-brand totes:
- Label tote lids clearly with a Sharpie marker.
- Number lids and bottoms to match, so the totes are easier to reuse.
- Drill 4-6 holes in the top for cable ties.
- Keep a list of the totes or boxes you mail; they don’t always arrive together.
Essential supplies: Rubbermaid totes, sturdy boxes, clear packing tape, Sharpie markers, and cable ties.
Addressing Your Boxes
Mail your personal items to your assigned school site. Each school has a designated person who picks up boxes and delivers them to the school, where they’re kept safe until you arrive.
Your Name
c/o School Name
General Delivery (or the school’s PO Box)
Community Name, AK Zip Code
Each school’s mailing address is on its page in the Schools section. If you don’t use the school address, the rural post office may send your boxes back; these small post offices don’t have room to hold boxes for long. When you arrive, you’ll move your boxes to your housing unit.
Postage
- The U.S. Postal Service accepts packages up to 70 lbs.
- As a general rule, heavier boxes are cheaper per pound: two 5-lb. boxes cost as much or more than one 10-lb. box.
- In rural Alaska, ground-rate packages (USPS Ground Advantage, formerly Parcel Post) fly on the same planes as Priority Mail, so you usually don’t need to pay Priority prices.
- Allow two or more weeks for arrival, and consider insuring against damage or loss.