89or90 2600i 4x4 rear wheel bearings B4 roadtrip

I've noticed that there are NO swaps for the whole rear axle. At first i thought the noise was the pumpkin, but a mechanic friend said heck no its the wheel bearings. and to buy earplugs rather than repair as the whole axle has to come out and go to a machine shop for the bearings to be pressed out/in. I have no Ebrake and plan to drive 3000 miles very very soon. Is this a job I can do with a brass punch like on my old VW bus? Or do I risk the journey with noisey perhaps dry wheel bearings? Any helpful thoughts are greatly appreciated.