The final days of 2014 are officially here! Last week, I gave a recap of four memorable spots that I visited for the first time this past year. Click here to check out that post, or keep reading to see the final four adventures that you definitely need to put on your bucket lists for 2015!
Tags: seoraksan, seoraksan national park, teaching in Korea, Korea, incheon, hiking, Activities to do in Korea, island, muuido, dongdaemun, dongdaemun design plaza, ddp, yongma land
Hiking in Korea, as you've probably heard, is basically the national pastime. This past autumn, I've taken full advantage of Korea's mountainous terrain, trying to hike every weekend. With the weather getting cold, my friends and I carefully mapped out the final hikes of 2014. My favorite was a local hike, in my city of Incheon, at the nearby Ganghwa Island where we climbed up the famed Manisan.
Tags: Teach English in Korea, Teach Abroad, Teach in Asia, Korea, incheon, hiking, island, manisan, ganghwa, Weekend activities in 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
During my recent trip to Jeju for Lunar New Year, my tour group also spent some time on Udo, a small island just off Jeju's eastern coast. I hadn't heard much about this island before going there, so I was pleasantly surprised to realize it was a highlight of the weekend and that I definitely want to go back when I'm next on Jeju!
Tags: islands, jeju, Jeju Island, what to see, tourist attractions, island, islands of korea, what to do, udo, cow island, Beaches in Korea
Well, I should amend that title by saying these are my favorite spots from my first visit to Jeju... I'm sure future visits will introduce me to other places that are equally awesome. My recent Jeju trip was over the Lunar New Year holiday, which was a four-day weekend. The end of January isn't ideal Jeju weather, but it didn't stop us from touring all over the island and thoroughly enjoying ourselves. Here's the best of what I saw...
Tags: islands, teaching in Korea, tourist spots in Korea, things to do before leaving korea, jeju, Jeju Island, things to do on the weekends, what to see in korea, tourist attraction in korea, island, island of Jeju, Weekend activities in Korea
This year, Korea's Chuseok holiday fell on a Thursday, meaning we would have Wednesday-Friday off from teaching. A glorious 5-day weekend is a rare thing, so I was resolved to go somewhere awesome this year. As I watched airplane tickets to international destinations steadily climb in price, I turned to domestic spots. I'd been eyeing Ulleungdo for over a year, with it hovering near the top of my Korea Bucket List, and I quickly realized that the Chuseok weekend was a prime opportunity.
Tags: islands, ulleungdo, dokdo, teaching in Korea, things to do before leaving korea, vacation spot in Korea, Vacations in Korea, vacation destinations, korea bucket list, Chuseok, tourist attraction, tourist attraction in korea, Activities to do in Korea, island, makgeolli, Beaches in Korea
If you're looking for a weekend trip that combines an ocean boardwalk, street food, carnival rides, and possibly rigged carnival games, look no further than Wolmido Island. It's a ten minute cab ride away from Incheon Station and definitely has enough activities to while away an entire Saturday. I mean, what better way to wind down after a week of teaching English than to hit an arcade and try to win some stuffed animals?
Tags: teaching in Korea, tourist spots in Korea, summer in korea, Korea, south korea, food in Korea, incheon, Activities to do in Korea, teaching at Chungdahm, tourist attractions in Korea, island, day trip, wolmido, Weekend activities in Korea
This past weekend, I was excited to be able to cross another destination off my ever growing Korea Bucket List: Namiseom. This gorgeous, half moon shaped island has always looked appealing with its famous tree-lined paths and photogenic surroundings, so some fellow English teachers and I took full advantage of its proximity to Seoul and took an excellent day trip to the island!
Tags: islands, teaching in Korea, Korea, south korea, korea bucket list, what to do in korea, life in Korea, nami island, chuncheon, winter in Korea, bucket list, entertainment in Korea, what to see in korea, tourist attraction, Korean Dramas, tourist attraction in korea, Activities to do in Korea, island, nami, namiseom, Weekend activities in Korea
I have no intention of making you jealous, but I have to inform you that I am writing this blog post from a beach chair 4 feet from the water on the small island of Koh Samet in Thailand. It is late afternoon and the beach area in front of my resort (My bungalow is $20 a night!) is starting to clear out for the day. I personally think dusk is the best part of a beach day. The sky's color is spectacular, the sun isn't as intense as it was a few hours prior and I can finally tell by looking at my skin that yes, I in fact did manage to tan and not burn after hours of frolicking in the surf.
I tell you all this because upon traveling to the island from Bangkok, where I spent 3 days being social and saying goodbye to 2012, I have come to the realization that solo-travel may just be the best thing I have done so far in 2013. I admit I was a bit nervous to embark on my solo winter vacation to Thailand. I had traveled alone before but those trips were always only short jaunts from one place to another to meet friends, family or study abroad groups. Because my other expat friends in Korea did not share my vacation days and I knew I didn't want to stick around Seoul for another week of winter, I booked flights to Bangkok and a hostel for the first night and hoped for the best.
Tags: Koh Samet, Bangkok, teaching in Korea, Korea, vacation, Thailand, Asia, free time, winter in Korea, hostel, island, Beaches in Korea