I’M NOT SURE IF PACSET IS FOR ME
(Yeah, it’s not the prettiest title for a webpage, but hey, it IS to the point…)
Hi there!
If you’ve made it to this webpage, you’re probably looking for something a little less “promotional” sounding than the general information on the other pages.
Maybe you’re a first time traveler. Maybe you’ve already been planning to go to Japan solo, and you’re wondering why people use a service like this. Maybe a friend of yours who went on one of our trips is trying to convince you to go, but then you come to our site and you think, “geez, why is [friend name here] into THIS? It’s expensive!” Or maybe you’ve read all of the other webpages in the “PacSet 101” section already and are trying to read all of them*.
This page is for you. This page is, as best as we can provide it, a brutally honest page about our trips, which we love. Also, we included some links to the FAQ in here to address some of the more passive-aggressive questions we get. Enjoy!
*we thank you for reading that much of our website, that was very kind of you. ❤️
Our guests are typically:
Ages 13-79 (avg. 20s~40s)
Most of the time, evenly split between solo travelers and couples/groups of friends
Really, really awesome
How much the above data actually affects people’s enjoyment of the trip in reality:
Never. Except for the “awesome” part.
Will I enjoy PacSet?
If you are a first time traveler who doesn’t want to do the same stuff, or you’re the kind of traveler who can picture traveling solo but wants a little more fun and structure (or you just want to hang with a bunch of friends you haven’t met yet), this is your trip!
What are PacSet guests like?
Our guests are from all walks of life. Our trips are most popular with travelers with an open mind who have things about Japan they might already like, but want to see more than just what they might be expecting to see. While our guests typically skew towards “Type B” personalities, we do have some hyper-organized planners among our alumni, and everyone is welcome!
You say that age and/or being a solo traveler doesn’t affect how I’ll like the trip. I don’t believe you.
We’re serious: the number of times those demographics have affected the trip is ZERO. We’ve been doing this for fifteen years, and age/the number of guests/whether people attend alone or with someone are all very poor factors for determining whether you’ll have a good time or not. Our trips usually have some kind of group outing in the first few days so people can really get to know one another, and from there things are pretty chill and fun.
Are you introvert friendly?
According to our guests, yes. There’s a lot of socializing, but you are always welcome to tap out. We also have set times and methods you can use to get in touch with guides privately if you aren’t feeling comfortable or something is wrong.
Who should not travel with PacSet?
The list is short, but if we’re being honest:
Rude, self-centered, closed minded people.
If you’re looking for a super luxurious experience where you’re waited on by white-gloved taxi drivers and such. We don’t charge enough for that; you want one of those high-end luxury companies that charges $12,000 per tour (Note: we do delve into fancy stuff in moments on many trips; everyone deserves to be spoiled on vacation, right?).
People who expect Japan to mold around them. We’ll help you with dietary restrictions, sudden emergencies, and other stuff – but if you’re the type who will get mad at us because a rural village doesn’t have WiFi, then take a pass.
Why do you charge what you charge?
More about this in the FAQ, but the short answer is that when you travel with a travel company, the cost of your trip also needs to cover our paychecks and stuff, because when we aren’t traveling, we’re also working on your trip. And trust us, that stuff takes a lot of time. If you’ve ever had to plan a big event, a vacation, a wedding, and so on, you know what we mean.
There are some people who believe that good travel advice and professional travel assistance isn’t a service worth compensating. We disagree. We think our staff and the professionals we work with deserve to be paid a living wage for their time.
What if I think you’re too expensive, and I’d rather just use the internet to plan my trip?
Well, you’re already online, so you can leave this webpage now and get crackin’. Bye! 👋