Who wants to visit South Korea at least once in his lifetime?

I really want to plan to go within the next 2 years. There is so much traveling I want to do and the only way I can is lots of saving.

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I think the best time to travel is when you are young when you can travel fearlessly and on a shoestring or after your kids are grown-up and you can travel without responsibilities, simply.

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I envy you;iā€™m 66 , but i couldnā€™t go alone; donā€™t think you get the same amount of pleasure unless you share the experience

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Oh yes! I mean its Korea. Furthermore, the historical dramas they act; made me curious about their history even more.

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Not such a nice country, pretty yes lovely scenery yes but people and government very odd for anyone from the West especially Europeans. Be very careful any of you who decide to visit and be prepared to be shocked. Their human rights records are questionable and criticised by many states.

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At the moment Iā€™m saving money so I can hopefully go to South Korea next year. So far I have money for the plane tickets but I still need to save for stay and everything else when Iā€™m there is Seoul. And I also need to find someone who wants to go with me since itā€™s fun and saves money.

A while ago I checked how much I need to save as a minimum and Iā€™m not even halfway yet.

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im not even 18 yet lolā€¦ my parents would never take me or let me go on exchange. im planning to go maybe study there later or after i finish college (thats a long wait :frowning:)
but yeah sure id love to visit

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Hi everyone,
At the moment iĀ“m saving money so i can visit Korea but it will take at least one year to save it. The plane tickets costs so much o_O. And I also need to find someone who wants to go with me. When im there i want to go to Seoul and meet at least one famous korean actor or singer and many other nice people there. :smiley:
I want to taste their food and go to all the beautiful landscapes in Soth Korea.
I hope my dream will come true ā€¦ one day. :slight_smile:

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I will go there next year in May or September. I have saved up 1000 ā‚¬uros so far, but since I plan to stay for at least 3 weeks I need a lot more money, even if I manage to get a last-minute plane ticket. I will focus on Busan, because due to my rheumatism I am not a good walker (anymore). A big city with excellent public transport is just right for meā€¦ and I can even ā€œcheatā€ a little bit by using taxis and cable cars to explore the beautiful mountains that enclose Busan. I am also busy learning Korean and writing Hangeul just now. I do it at home with a self-learner course including 9 CDs. Even though I had been to Hong Kong 20 years ago and even studied some basic Mandarin, I didnā€™t know where to find South Korea on the map. So sad :disappointed_relieved:

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I had the great pleasure of going in 2015 on a tour. The Korean Cultural Center in Los Angeles has a yearly field trip for students taking their Korean Classes. We went all over the country on a bus. I will never forget this and hope to one day go again.

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Hey yā€™all!! I was in Seoul last October (2015) for two weeks visiting a friend. Spent a lot of time walking and eating at places like we see in the K-dramas. The food was fantasticā€¦yesā€¦I had Kimchi. We traveled to visit his family in Yeosu and then on to Busan. Damn Korean men are so damn handsome. Planning on going back in the fall. If you like K-drama you have to goā€¦fun to actually be there.

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I went multiple times in my lifetime but only remember the last two. The parental units say I went every summer when my paternal grandparents were alive. I donā€™t remember lol.

I think it would be fun to meet with Vikians who live in Korea. If youā€™re in Uni you can get paid to work and live there as an English teacher by the Korean government. For those of you in the sciences with Korean heritage check out your local Korean Scientists and Engineering Association. They send kids to Korea all expenses paid for the conferenxe there. Must be selected and nominated by local chapter.

If youā€™re in the US. We have our own Birthright-like program called ėæŒė¦¬ģ œė‹Ø thatā€™s another way of going. Also Bridge to Korea takes kids for free (but you have to be in the program) from all around NYC for Korean-learners of all creeds and backgrounds.

The Peace and Unification Ministry ran itā€™s 3rd annual essay contest in the US on the neccessity of Korean unification open to those of Korean heritage with at least a permanent residency and not have been to Korea the last 3 years.

If you need justification as to why you need to go from parents and acquaintances you can easily find a conference in your field and perhaps your institution will fund you.

I went last summer as an adult andā€¦ it was not as big of a difference country to country as I had expected??? That was surprising. Please please stay longer than 2 weeks. If you have relatives I mandate at least a month. My 11 days went by in a wink!

Ironically biggest benefit of having gone there is understanding K-dramas more lolā€¦ I canā€™t exactly draw up a map of Seoul, but seeing places on TV makes me have a good idea how it sees, feels, and smells like.

BTW You guys get free admission into the palaces if you come in Hanbok! I think you can rent it at some places for free.

The yummiest meal I had was in the middle of nowhere and in Hongdae at DaeRiManJok. We had cheese pig feet with complementary riceballs and soju.

Do stay in Seoul becauseā€¦ your life will be difficult if yo donā€™t. Public transit ends at 10:30-ish pm and commuter rail is slow (faster than in the 2000s but still the Gyeongi Province Main Line (ź²½ģ˜ģ„ ) runs every 10 min).

Uhā€¦ donā€™t do the American thing of trying clothes on becauseā€¦ most stores will not allow it. Do not ask for customization of things because thatā€™s not the cultureā€¦ (I only understood the latter when I asked a friend when back to US).

oh!!! best place to exchange it cash will be the Chosun Bank at Seoul Station they nearly give it to you at the rates of the banks.

Phones. Get KT(Olleh)! get it when you get to Seoul or whatever big city youā€™re going to because the Incheon airport branch wonā€™t give you the complementary wifi. I recommend Olleh because thatā€™s the ā€œfreeā€ wifi thatā€™s everywhere. If you donā€™t have Olleh you canā€™t use the wifi in the subway stations etc.

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@SignsofSerendipity,
Here are some tips about visiting Korea.

Hmm. . .neat topic! I definitely want to visit, Iā€™ve been wanting to go for so long now, wished Iā€™d done so pre-LockDown too! But! All things in itā€™s time!

Who reading this has, is visiting, or will?
Letā€™s hear it! :luggage::airplane: It would be great to hear about your trip!:blush:

Knowing the lunar year, might prove handy.


@jaynee_486,

Neat! These two folks are reknown for their trips to S.Korea.
!British School Trip to Korea! - YouTube
!MY KOREA TRAVEL VIDEOS - YouTube

Hi @eliana_am,
Iā€™ve been reading through this thread, and there are many ways to travel with different groups. Take the time to read through, and check out the recommendations. Best!

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My daughter (20yo) and I are hoping to take a trip over there in the next 4-5 years.

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I would like to Go on July 2024, my birthday. I am afraid to Go Alone. I am searching for Tour groups with girls.

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Those who like to travel with a group, hereā€™s your opportunity!!
Maybe they are going to the country of your destination! :partying_face:
!Want to come on a trip with us? šŸ‘€āœˆļø - YouTube
cc: @jaynee_486, @eliana_am
Followup on the Group trip adventure!

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Bonjour,
jā€™en reviens. Incheon - Suwon - Seoul - Soerak san- Gongwon -Seoul.
Je nā€™ai quā€™une envie cā€™est dā€™y retourner. :slight_smile:

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Hi! @ch_deco99_941,
Did you just now return! ! :smiley:! Your stay must have been everything! And, you miss it so much, already!
The desire to go is still strong for me, and if I can go, I will go so quickly.

Temples are great for the agenda.