Organized Tours with significant time/money outlays

[BeamerBikes]

Curious if anyone has a travel tips to handle a 2 week+ - organized tour?  Going to go to Guam for a history tour of some Pacific islands.  
Airfare likely will run $3k on top of the $11k tour cost.  
 

Concerns - do I pack for a week, and accept that laundry charges will need to be a thing? 
 

Trip insurance?  Given the cost of the trip, I figured this is a bit of a no brainer but guessing the fee and limitations will be significant.  
 

Plan to fly out a day ahead of the scheduled start just in case any flights are missed/delayed.  There’s no non-stop.  I also consider Premium Economy the bare minimum.  I’d love to fly business but that’s not in the cards unless I upgrade with points. 

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

6 hours ago, BeamerBikes said:

Plan to fly out a day ahead of the scheduled start just in case any flights are missed/delayed.  

Yes, Yes, Yes. 

For all of my cruises or tours, I always arrive in the departure city at least one day in advance for this very reason. 

When I did a men's Danube River cruise in 2023, I arrived in Vienna 5 days before my tour.  That gave me chance to see the city but also, most importantly, a day of rest after the flight and time changes to get adjusted.  There were several men on the river cruise who flew in from the US that morning, and they skipped excursions and meals for the first few days of the cruise because they were still exhausted from the flight.  Also, some men lost their luggage, and the airlines kept trying to deliver it to them but were always a day behind the cruise.

So, Yes, arrive at least one night before, and possibly more.

Edited December 4 by Vegas_Millennial

[Njguy2]

Agree with @Vegas_Millennial about arriving one to two days prior to the tour start.  Jet lag, missed connections and lost luggage can make your planned trip hell.  

Yes to travel insurance - cancellation as well as medical emergency.  With regards to amount of clothing, depends on the tour.   Are you in the same hotel for the duration, or are you moving in-between islands?  If the former pack as much as you want, if the latter pack light and use laundry services.  See If the tour company does everything, loading/unloading luggage into transport, Airport transfers, and getting it to your room, helps curb urge to overpack since you’ll be doing the work. Pack your bag several days before the flight then two days prior go thru it and remove 1/2 of the stuff.  Personally I try to pack light.

given the flight times 16 - to 20 (from the US) hours plus connections, I’d use the points and go business class. Flying to Australia from the east coast I never regretted booking business class on those flights.

have fun!

[mike carey]

38 minutes ago, Njguy2 said:

given the flight times 16 - to 20 (from the US) hours plus connections, I’d use the points and go business class. Flying to Australia from the east coast I never regretted booking business class on those flights.

I sat next to a UA long haul pilot on my recent AA domestic flight (flying on his own time, whatever got him there) - he opined that his wife had a complete aversion to flying economy over any large bodies or water (not sure if one of the Great Lakes counted), and I can relate to that. In the past I had booked Y across the Pacific and taken my chances (ended up at 50%) of a points upgrade. Don't take that chance now. Using the east coast to Australia as an example, there is a stop somewhere, and when it's up around 20 hours or even more, a few extra hours to fly via Asia can get you a better J service, a more even split between the two sectors, and avoiding immigration clearance at LAX on the return flight. And, at least booking from Australia, and probably originating in the US as well, fares on Cathay, JAL and sometimes Singapore (but for SQ beware of JFK/EWR non-stop at 19 hours, or a second stop in FRA on their other JFK-SIN flight) can be cheaper than the more direct flights on US carriers or QF. But if you're trying to book on points you may have to take what you can get.

I just flew Cathay from Sydney to Los Angeles, very happy with that choice. Going home on a QF award ticket. YMMV.

[theplayerking]

If you’re willing to connect by over shooting, look at business class on Philippine Airlines. I flew them earlier this year and the business class was decent and typically half the price of other airlines. They have no code share partners, but it’s an affordable way to get a lie-flat seat.