Vancouver is a coastal city located in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in Canada; 52% of its residents have a first language other than English. Classed as a Beta global city, the city is well known for its majestic natural beauty, as it is nestled between the Coast Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. It is frequently ranked as one of the "best cities to live in" and is certainly a beautiful destination to visit.

Anchorage (officially called the Municipality of Anchorage) is a unified home rule municipality in the U.S. state of Alaska. With an estimated 300,950 residents in 2013, it is Alaska's most populous city and contains more than 40 percent of the state's total population; among the 50 states, only New York has a higher percentage of residents who live in its most populous city. Located in the south-central portion of Alaska at the terminus of the Cook Inlet on a peninsula, Anchorage is a common refueling stop for many international passenger flights and is home to a major FedEx Hub which the company calls a "critical part" of its global network of services. Anchorage has been named an All-America City four times, in 1956, 1965, 1984–85, and 2002, by the National Civic League. It has also been named by Kiplinger as the most tax-friendly city in the United States. It's also known for its cultural sites, including the Alaska Native Heritage Center, which displays traditional crafts, stages dances and presents replicas of dwellings from the area’s indigenous groups. 

Seattle is the northernmost major city in the contiguous United States, and the largest city in the Pacific Northwest and in the state of Washington. A seaport situated on a narrow isthmus between Puget Sound (an arm of the Pacific Ocean) and Lake Washington, about 100 miles (160 km) south of the Canada – United States border, it is named after Chief Sealth "Seattle", of the Duwamish and Suquamish native tribes. Seattle is the center of the Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue metropolitan statistical area, the 15th largest in the United States, and the largest in the northwestern United States. Seattle is the county seat of King County and is the major economic, cultural and educational center in the region. The 2010 census found that Seattle is home to 630,320 residents within a metropolitan area of some 3.4 million inhabitants. The Port of Seattle and Seattle–Tacoma International Airport are major gateways to Asia, Alaska, and the rest of the world.

Ketchikan is an Alaskan city facing the Inside Passage, a popular cruise route along the state's southeastern coast. The city is named after Ketchikan Creek, which flows through the town, emptying into the Tongass Narrows a short distance southeast of its downtown. Civic boosters have dubbed the community the "Salmon Capital of the World". The Misty Fiords National Monument is one of the area's major attractions, and the Tongass National Forest has long been headquartered in Ketchikan, mostly in the city's historic Federal Building.

Skagway is a first-class borough in Alaska on the Alaska Panhandle. The port of Skagway is a popular stop for cruise ships, and the tourist trade is a big part of the business of Skagway. The White Pass and Yukon Route narrow gauge railroad, part of the area's mining past, is now in operation purely for the tourist trade and runs throughout the summer months. Skagway is also part of the setting for Jack London's book The Call of the Wild and for Joe Haldeman's novel Guardian.