2026 Tour Day 1: Traveling to Auckland

Kia Ora!! My name is Karina and I was in flight group 1. Our journey started by flying from MSP to O’Hare airport in Chicago.

We had a short layover then headed to LAX! We watched movies, played games, and even colored in a coloring book on our flight. At LAX we grabbed some dinner and waited to board for our 13 hour flight.

At 10:10 (California time) we finally were off! Once on the plane, the only thing on most people’s minds was getting to sleep. Finally after a long, long travel day, we made it to Auckland, New Zealand!

Some of us were awake all throughout the night, so flat whites and the excitement of the trip are carrying us through.

New student blogs are posted every day! See what we’ve shared so far.

Follow along on Instagram and Facebook for live updates from our student social media team. We’ll also send several emails with special highlights during tour, so make sure you’re part of our mailing list!

Learn more about GTCYS’ 2026 tour to New Zealand and Australia.