The usual way to plant them is horizontally - completely buried - when outside, the whole thing 4-6" deep.
I have heard of people eyeing them up by just burying the "root" end, and leaving the end with the eye exposed. But I have never done that.
Are your pots large enough to place the tuber horizontally at the bottom? When I was using compostable pots, they were 5" pots, I put abut an inch of soil at the bottom, then put in the tuber, then buried them. even if the eye is facing downwards, the sprout will find its way up to the surface. Some tubers are just too long for those pots, and you can either cut them down to size, or find something larger to plant them in.
Or......since they are still dormant, you could put them in some moist (barely) mix and put them in a baggie, place them some where 65-70 degrees. and when you get back from your trip, they will probably be eyed up, and you can pot them up then.
