About 2026: Changes + A Policy Adjustment
WELCOME TO 2026.
I’ll start with a confession: we were hoping to roll out 2026 throughout the year. Alas, we are busy around here. Which is also why 2026 will be a “make or break” year for PacSet. It is a personal goal of mine to get this business to the point that it can do more hiring, so if all goes according to plan, we’ll be launching 2027 trips throughout the year to come. Or hey, maybe next year you’ll be reading another post like this. We’ll see, eh?
Alright, let’s get down to business. There are just three changes we are making in 2026, but they’re all kind of a big deal. I’ll start with the biggest:
A NEW LINE OF SHORTER TRIPS
Yes, SHORTER.
Starting in 2026, we’ll be launching a number of 8~9 night trips in addition to our classic, tried-and-true journeys.
Back when PacSet started, we regularly ran trips that were only eight or nine nights in length. These began to decrease in number for one big reason: the feedback surveys from our guests regularly asked us for more time in certain spots. We agreed; besides, who doesn’t want more time in awesome places?
However, this created two problems. First: as a company that caters primarily to Americans, who receive far less time off than their European counterparts, the length of the trips became a barrier to people with very limited paid time off (PTO). Second: for the first-time or repeat traveler who wants to include a little Tokyo time in their schedule but also wants to step off the beaten path to our more unique destinations, this meant that they’d need close to (or more than) three weeks to get the vacation they want.
SO: We’ll be rolling out a number of shorter, leaner, meaner trips to some of Japan’s most unique destinations in 2026. These trips are designed in a way that they can be taken as is/alone, with a personal extension in Tokyo or elsewhere in Japan, or even combined with another small trip to create a two week adventure.
This change is also being made to bring our guests some more affordable options, which is also why the next change is being made…
MULTIPLE ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS ON SOME TRIPS
Of all the changes, this is the one I personally thought we’d never do again, but hey – the world is a crazy place, eh?
We will be offering guests on a few trips the option of picking between a BUDGET accommodation option and a STANDARD accommodation option.
I will confess: My biggest hesitation to doing a “multi-accommodation” option traditionally has been the desire for us to maintain a sense of community among our guests. As anyone who has traveled with PacSet can tell you, the community-driven, “Travel Among Friends” vibe we try to cultivate is a big reason why we have so many alumni who have supported us for this long. As such, this will be a very limited pilot program with a very limited rollout. We haven’t operated a multi-accommodation trip in a decade, but due to the state of the world and the economy, this felt like the right time to do it.
Again, this will be a very limited program limited to trips where we can keep the two options close together. It will ONLY be available on two trips; from there, we’ll make the call to expand it, try it again, or stop offering it.
WHY THESE CHANGES ARE BEING MADE
If these changes sound like they’re being made in response to the economic uncertainty of our world and the current political climate, guess what – they are!
Working in the travel industry in the last five years has felt like running through a forest full of bears covered in honey towards a roulette table where you get to put all of your savings on red or black. In other words, it’s extremely hazardous/scary, and success is not guaranteed.
That being said: as the leader of this company, while I will admit that we are going to be making these moves for financial reasons, we are also leaning in to what makes us special! In short: expect a little less of the stuff everyone else is doing, and a little more of the off-the-beaten-path stuff that PacSet has become known for. I sincerely hope you like what’s coming and are as excited as I am to see the finished product.
ONE LAST THING: A POLICY/RULES CHANGE
Adding this one last since it’s more of a rule thing and kind of a bummer. Here goes:
We had a few incidents in 2024 and 2025 in which a few of our customers ended up injuring other customers and locals in Japan. These incidents happened under the same set of circumstances: people bringing too much luggage into train stations and/or being careless with their personal effects.
You’ve probably heard about Japan’s recent focus on “overtourism” and the issues surrounding it. While I personally believe (and the facts indicate) that no one group is solely responsible for “overtourism”, I also do not want any of our guests to be part of the problem. Most of all, I don’t want any of our guests to be perceived by the locals as “problem tourists”, and I am pretty sure our guests feel the same way. For that reason, after careful consideration of the circumstances, a new rule is going into effect in 2026.
Effective in 2026: all guests with a suitcase above the 160cm size-length-width dimensions specified by PacSet, as well as anyone rolling two suitcases as once (rolling = on wheels, not on your back or elsewhere) will be asked to call a taxi at their own expense to get them and their things from Point A to Point B instead of traveling with the group through train stations. Exceptions will be made for physical disabilities and equipment such as oxygen tanks.
REMEMBER: all of our trips include some amount of luggage shipping. Consult with us when you book for further details.
All guests: please make an effort to move your baggage onto overhead racks, especially on busy trains. The locals will thank you; in fact, the fact you move them at all will impress people because it’s the thoughtful thing to do and not a lot of tourists do it. I don’t know about you, but I want the locals to think I am awesome. <3
And that’s it! I am so, so looking forward to all of you getting to see what we have in store for the year to come; it’s gonna be a good one!
Your travel lackey (and PacSet Director), Evan ^_^
