These Are the Easiest Ways to Get Around the West

The Sunset Travel Awards celebrate the best in travel in the West. These planes, cruises, ferries, airports, and more are the 2025 winners of the How to Get There category. Check out the complete list of winners here. For our definitive and searchable travel directory to help you plan your next trip in the West, click here.

Aero

With elite lounge snacks from Erewhon and curbside check-in just 20 minutes before your flight, the luxe experience starts well before boarding on this semi-private, book-by-the-seat jet service, which seamlessly connects travelers with desirable getaway destinations like Aspen and Los Cabos.

The Boat Company

These conservation-focused cruises through Alaska’s wild Inside Passage feel exclusive, with just 20 to 24 guests aboard intimate ships exploring remote coves, glacier-fed streams, and native lands of the Tongass National Forest with guided hikes, kayaking, wildlife viewing, and gourmet onboard meals.

AdventureSmith Explorations

For deep access to the West’s most remote wilderness, AdventureSmith Explorations offers small-ship cruises that combine comfort with adventure—think kayaking, hiking, and dining in secluded coves from Alaska to Baja—thanks to nimble vessels, expert guides, and all-inclusive itineraries designed to immerse you in the wild.

Hawaiian Airlines

Taking a flight with Hawaiian is the embodiment of authentic Mea Ho’okipa hospitality, with a trip that includes island-inspired meals from local chefs, a Pau Hana happy hour snack cart, and now complimentary high-speed Starlink Wi-Fi on all A330 and A321neo flights to keep you tethered to the real world, if you must.

SLO Safe Ride

Safely and luxuriously traveling idyllic San Luis Obispo wine country, the Central Coast, and beyond is the mission of SLO Safe Ride. Whether you’re looking for a personal car and driver to take you wine tasting or a Sprinter or tour bus for a group, the company offers transportation options, great and small.

Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA)

Legendary SeaTac manages to provide tens of millions of passengers a year with an efficient, artistic, and culinarily satisfying transportation hub (Sunset editors included!). We love the art, with its European, all-American, Asian, Northwest Native American, folk-art influences, pieces by Frank Stella, Louise Nevelson, and Robert Rauschenberg, restaurants that reflect the regional foodways, and more.

Paine Field Passenger Terminal

We love an alternative to the big airports in major metropolitan areas, and Paine Field Passenger Terminal offers an intimate experience for travelers. Expect handsome furnishings, a quick curb-to-gate experience, and architecture that evokes a luxury hotel. With flights to Denver, L.A., and Phoenix, among other major Western cities, it’s our new favorite best-kept secret.

San Francisco Bay Ferry

The old travel adage that it’s the journey, not the destination, rings true with these trans-Bay boats connecting locals and tourists from the city of San Francisco to Alameda, Jack London Square in Oakland, and more—for under $5.