Why don't more Australians visit Guam or Saipan for holidays?

[Nick C.]

Recent attention on these islands has got me thinking, why don't more Australians go there? Seems like the Japanese & Koreans are the only ones. Think about it:

- Same timezone as AU east coast
- Similar distance as Bali (about 6 hours flight)
- English speaking
- Can say you've been to the USA.

 

[Cloud9]

Well, there are probably more than a few of us who don't want to step foot in the USA full stop. Far safer countries to visit. With real food. And decent pavements.

 

[Mattg]

- Similar distance as Bali (about 6 hours flight)

This is technically true, but there are no 6-hour flights from Australia to Guam or Saipan. You'd need to fly indirect, with a much longer travel time, and at a much higher cost than getting to Bali.

United used to have a weekly CNS-GUM flight (a redeye in both directions) but that's long gone, sadly.

 

[clifford]

Well, there are probably more than a few of us who don't want to step foot in the USA full stop. Far safer countries to visit. With real food. And decent pavements.

Couldn't agree with you more. It's not a place that I'm likely to go back to.

I'm a United 2 million mile flyer (actual mileage 2.5+ MM), so I've been there a couple of times, In my opinion it's rather gone to the dogs (or something).

 

[Forg]

Is freezing it with an ice-cube still considered a good way to get Guam off your shoe?

 

[yachty]

I went to Guam recently, it was cool. That said, probably something to do with it being an enormous pain in the a** to get to. I took QF to MNL then connected to UA and arrived at 0420 in the morning the next day. Something like 16 hours travel time. Pretty brutal.

I came home on UA to HND which was a very convenient 4 hour flight in the evening. No surprise that Japanese and Koreans favour it a bit more.

 

[aikman]

- Similar distance as Bali (about 6 hours flight)

If you can tell me how I can get there in 6 hours I'd happily go.

 

[pauly7]

If you can tell me how I can get there in 6 hours I'd happily go.

Private jet. Off you go!

 

[encryptededdy]

If the United Island hopper stopped in Cairns or something, I'd give it a go.

 

[Mattg]

If you can tell me how I can get there in 6 hours I'd happily go.

Not the same thing, but there is now a weekly flight from Brisbane to Koror (Palau) on Nauru Airlines. Flight time is exactly 6 hours. I wonder how well that's going.

 

[kyle]

Recent attention on these islands has got me thinking, why don't more Australians go there? Seems like the Japanese & Koreans are the only ones. Think about it:

- Same timezone as AU east coast
- Similar distance as Bali (about 6 hours flight)
- English speaking
- Can say you've been to the USA.

It's a relaxing place, but not so relaxing as it's still US territory and as you say many Japanese and Koreans, not really for me as a barefoot enthusiast.

 

[Coathanger]

US Airways Dividend Miles used to have zone based award charts where Guam and Australia were grouped together.

I’d imagine a fair few AFF’ers have been to GUM via BKK and KIX in F.

 

[Nick C.]

This is technically true, but there are no 6-hour flights from Australia to Guam or Saipan. You'd need to fly indirect, with a much longer travel time, and at a much higher cost than getting to Bali.

United used to have a weekly CNS-GUM flight (a redeye in both directions) but that's long gone, sadly.

I guess it's a chicken & egg problem - no flights without demand, and no demand without flights.

 

[Cessna 180]

I was thinking this too tonight.

I went to Tinian a few years ago and it was quite the mission to get there.

A very interesting and beautiful place.

The food was rubbish but I presume that was more to do with geography than any thing else.

 

[travelislife]

US Airways Dividend Miles used to have zone based award charts where Guam and Australia were grouped together.

I’d imagine a fair few AFF’ers have been to GUM via BKK and KIX in F.

My wife and I did this! Was via BKK and TYO in J. Also wrangled a free stopover that was outside the rules. Was awesome!

 

[drron]

I did the best way on an Expedition cruise. Pagan, Saipan and Tinian were much better places to visit than Guam which we really thought was a poor man's Hawaii. Tacky.
We also visited islands in the Japanese archipelago and then went on through Micronesia, Niugini, the Solomons Vanuatu to Fiji.

 

[Dr Ralph]

It's fairly simple: flights are too expensive and difficult.

 

[Sprucegoose]

I did a trip around Micronesia in the 80's - we flew on a Continental DC10 - the pub flight.

Continental Airlines’ Club and Pub, because Air Travel used to be Amazing

Flying for most people is not enjoyable. It is cramped with little room to move around and most of the time you are just counting the seconds until you can get off the place. That was not always the case. During the Golden and Silver ages of air travel, people would treat air travel as an event...

www.retroist.com

It was excellent if you liked dive wrecks and war history.

 

[burmans]

Recent attention on these islands has got me thinking, why don't more Australians go there? Seems like the Japanese & Koreans are the only ones. Think about it:

- Same timezone as AU east coast
- Similar distance as Bali (about 6 hours flight)
- English speaking
- Can say you've been to the USA.

I think it’s been well answered, in fact I think the real question is why you would go there. Interesting sure but there are many interesting pacific islands much easier to get to.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

ESTA.
I could go to NZ visa free as an Aus citizen, and prior to covid, used to go 3 times a year.