Recently, I spent a weekend enjoying a trip all the way down to the Southernmost point of the Korean peninsula. The last stop of KTX’s Jeolla line is the Yeosu EXPO Station. It takes three hours and costs 45,000 won from Seoul to Yeosu using KTX. I want to share with you why it is worth the time and investment. While I visited, I noted five reasons Yeosu is a must stop destination in South Korea.
Read MoreTags: Yeosu, things to do on the weekend, Chuseok, Weekend activities in Korea, weekend travel, top places to travel in Korea, holiday season
What’s a Chungdahm teacher to do during Chuseok 추석? Having a Monday and Tuesday off due to what is known as Korean Thanksgiving or Autumn Eve presents many great opportunities. Traveling to Busan, Korea’s 2nd most populous city, for the 4 day weekend is a great choice. Busan is located in the south-eastern province of South Gyeongsang and is a must see and bucket list item when in Korea.
Read MoreTags: things to do on the weekend, busan, Chuseok, Weekend activities in Korea, weekend travel, teaching at CDL, holiday season
Fall is Korea's best season! The weather is cooler and the countryside is sprinkled with a palette of Autumn hues and on every street corner there is the constant smell of roasted chestnuts and crisp air. Last week Korea celebrated the Chuseok holiday which leaves a festive atmosphere looming over the country and is one of the first signs Fall has arrived. As a person who has now spent multiple years living and teaching in Korea, I want to provide you with a list of my three favorite Fall activities you should try to ensure you enjoy the final season before the cold of Winter arrives.
Read MoreTags: fall, fall foliage, things to do, Chuseok, hiking in korea, outdoor activities, Festivals in Korea, Korean food, fall in korea, fall in seoul, Korea seasons
This year all Chungdahm locations will be closed next week for two days to observe the Chuseok holiday. Chuseok is the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving and depending on your branch, you might be lucky enough to get a few extra days off before and after the vacation. At Songpa branch, where I work, instructors were excited to hear about the schedule changes that will allow for a few extra days of relaxation!
Read MoreTags: things to do in Korea, Vacations in Korea, Chuseok, Korean traditions, Thanksgiving, Holidays in South Korea
In my six years living and teaching in Korea, I’ve been lucky to take many vacations all over Korea and Asia. However, I’ve only been able to go back home to America twice using my personal vacation. After reading these tips, you should be well prepared on how to plan a vacation while abroad to ensure you won't become stressed and so you can fully enjoy your time off.
Read MoreTags: Vacations in Korea, vacation, Chuseok, lesson planning, annual vacation, seollal, substitute teachers
One of the longest breaks you will have as a ChungDahm teacher is during the Korean holiday of Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving). The other major holiday would be Seollnal (Lunar New Years). Whenever these holidays approach, I always take the time to leave the city. In times past, I’ve visited Malaysia, Manila, and Busan. We have had teachers visit Hong Kong and Thailand during this long vacation too. This year, I decided to take time and go to a place that I had been to before but never got a really chance to explore. This place I decided to go back to was Jeju.
Read MoreTags: things to do on Jeju, visit Jeju, things to do in Korea, vacation spot in Korea, Vacations in Korea, vacation, vacation destinations, Jeju Island, hiking, Chuseok, hiking in korea, island of Jeju, Beaches in Korea, hiking in south Korea
Chuseok, as mentioned in Melanie's blog last week, is a Korean national holiday that happens every September. It is a time where families get together, prepare traditional foods, visit the graves of ancestors and enjoy a much needed vacation. It is pretty much the North American equivalent of Thanksgiving. In more recent years, families, along with teachers at ChungDahm, have used the few days off to travel to other countries, and as a result it is one of the most expensive times of the year to travel.
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Wow. I just got back from my Chuseok vacation to Hong Kong, and I have nothing but great things to say about it. Chuseok- as you may or may not know is Korea's annual Thanksgiving celebration. During Chuseok, almost everything closes down, while many Korean people migrate to their hometowns outside of Seoul, to spend time with family. I had heard from many friends that are also teaching English in Korea that Seoul turns into a ghost town, and that there isn't much to do. Staying in Seoul didn't appeal to me whatsoever, and I immediately started scouring the internet for flight deals leaving from Incheon. Needless to say, since Chuseok is a major holiday, flight prices are not the greatest. Please, learn from my mistake: when making travel plans during Chuseok, do everything as far in advance as possible. I booked my flights about a month in advance (in a post Hweshik stupor) and could have saved quite a bit had I booked earlier on.
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Koreans love their holidays. Who wouldn’t love an extra day off virtually every single month? After you move to Korea you will quickly learn that there are two important holidays that demand an extra long vacation. The first major holiday of the year is Seollal (Lunar New Year) while the second holiday Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) takes place every autumn season. When these holidays arrive, I expect two things: First, flights and trains out of Seoul are either completely full and ticket prices have doubled. Second, since everyone leaves Seoul for these holidays, the city gets eerily quiet. Many expat teachers head over to Itaewon, the Mecca of foreigners, to eat and socialize withfriends.
Tags: Korean culture, life in Korea, food in Korea, Chuseok, Holidays in South Korea
Did you know that Korea has over 3,000 islands off its coasts? Did you know that dozens of these are right off the coast of Incheon? I haven't spent nearly enough time exploring the islands in my area, so I decided that I needed to make up for lost time. The long weekend for the Chuseok holiday seemed like a perfect opportunity to spend time on a beach, so some friends and I headed off to Muuido, one of Incheon's most popular islands, for some quality relaxation time.
Tags: things to do on weekend, things to see in korea, incheon, Chuseok, island, muuido, islands of korea, Beaches in Korea, Weekend activities in Korea