South Korea

[Tashalburrows]

Would appreciate some help.

My daughter has wanted to visit Korea for years, she is 18 next year and I would love to be able to surprise her and take her.

Does anybody have suggestions of good travel agents etc to use, I will be honest and say apart from the amazing food i know very little about the country, she's a massive stray kids fan so anything Kpop would be amazing as well.

I would love to see a few different places, Jeju Island looks so beautiful, and she has also mentioned Busan as well.

Our Korean is next to non, is it easy to find your way around, she is currently learning the basics to help out.

Thanks so much.

I lived in South Korea many moon ago. Travel is usually in and out of Seoul and you are going to want to visit there anyway. Then there is a high speed train network which was easy to use. English is easy to find, eg in ticket machines it is easy to find the English buttons and lots of restaurants use picture menus so you can just point.

We never made it down to Jeju but Gyeongju is a really interesting place to visit.

No idea about travel agencies as we were living there and just booked flights.

It is a long way to travel and jet lag is tough so make sure you factor that into your travel plans.

I've been a couple of times, honestly it's amazing. You'll have such a good time.

What time of year are you thinking of going? The summer is soooo hot, I'd avoid peak summer if possible.

Seoul is really easy to get around even if you don't speak/read Korean so I wouldn't worry too much. All the subway signs are printed in English as well. There's also a lot of English in Korean, so some words are easy, like coffee is pronounced ko-pi.

Hongdae is a good place in Seoul, it's like a uni area, lots of bars, restaurants, shops, cafés. If your daughter is a big Stray Kids fan you could go to the JYP building, apparently there's a good cafe that sells merch by it.

Busan is easy to get to by train or bus from Seoul and there are so many flights from Seoul to Jeju.
Both gorgeous options.

If you like theme parks then Everland is good, or Lotte world.

You can do hanbok (traditional dress) rental around the palace which is gorgeous.

I love a Jjimjilbang (Korean sauna) but it's custom to be completely naked so only go if you're comfortable together.

If you're into hiking then you could do Hallasan in Jeju. I'm not fit, but did it in about 9 hours.

Not sure on travel agents I'm afraid, but have an amazing time!

Many of the regular posters on the long running kdrama threads latest thread have travelled in SK. A link to this thread has been posted so will probably head over here to give advice.

I’m headed to SK later this year, so posting here for any tips I haven’t already gleaned on the other threads. 😄

South Korea threads are like buses - nothing for ages and then two pop up together!

We have been to SK 3 times as DS now lives in Seoul, and have been to Busan a couple of times and Jeju once. We are fairly confident travellers so did not use an agent - and of course DS smoothed things over for us. But we did venture away without him and managed just fine. It's a safe, non threatening kind of place so the worst outcome is feeling a bit lost but you would be safe and not have safety to worry about. Seoul is easy to navigate once you get an idea of just how huge some of the tube stations are and realise you need to know which exit you want. Naver maps app is useful and Papa Go translation app can be too (you and Koreans will type/speak and it will translate for you). I'd set DD with the task of learning some Hangeul as she's bound to be enthusiastic and it might help reading the odd sign or two. As a PP has said English is often an option.

We have used trains and buses and internal flights to Jeju. I would rank Jeju over Busan but Busan is easier to get to. I think trains still need a Korean bank card to book online but you can book buses with UK cards on line and these are very acceptable. We usually use the middle standard and they have big squish reclinable chairs (with 2+1 in each row). The stops in motorway services are fun too. DH and I found Sokcho and Seoraksan National Park was our favourite place.

I'd second Hongdae for DD too - very young and hip lol!

It has a little bit of an odd feel to it as a country as it is very modern and up to date (eg green/red strips on the kerb so people looking at their phone [everyone does] can see when the pedestrian crossing lights change) DS always jokes about 'living in the future' and he's not always referring to the time difference, but it also has a long and proud history.

I'd say go for it !