Extraordinary Jeju Island

Jeju Island is arguably the most beautiful place in Korea. It’s not called the “island of the gods” for nothing. Jeju Island was created entirely from volcanic eruptions that happened some 2 million years ago and is considered as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. The island contains the natural World Heritage Site Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes.

It’s the largest island and is a preferred holiday destination in Korea. It has gorgeous beaches and lush countryside, the hiking routes are well-mapped and have clear signages, there is an efficient bus system that connects the whole island, food is great, hotels and resorts offer top-notch service for rest and relaxation, and because it is Korea after all, there is wifi everywhere. What is there not to love about Jeju Island?

In this post, allow me to make you fall in love with Jeju Island even more. Below are my suggested activities that you can do while in Jeju Island that will make your vacation not only memorable but truly extraordinary.

The Ultimate K-drama Filming Location Tours

Have you ever wanted to do a K-pop or K-drama tour but don’t know where to start? I always get that feeling because there’s just a lot of places that I wanted to go to but things can get pretty overwhelming especially when I’m having an information overload from everything I read or see online. When that happens, I always end up not visiting anything at all. You can do DIY drama tours and there’s plenty of resources online. But if you want to do it the easy and efficient way, like me, then read below.

SEOULFUL ENCOUNTERS [BUSAN/SEOUL 2017] HANGING OUT AT EWHA WOMANS UNIVERSITY

First off, in case you’re wondering, yeah, that’s the correct spelling: Ewha WOMANS University. I also wondered about that years ago but my Korean friend corrected me and said it’s really spelled that way.

Ewha Womans University was Korea’s first educational institute for women. It was founded way back in 1886 by an American missionary and to date, the university has 15 graduate schools, 11 colleges with 67 departments, and several research institutes. The Ewha Campus Complex is the largest underground campus in Korea. It has a library, bookstore, gym, cafes, movie theater, and on the first floor, there are lecture rooms and an eco-park.

Last spring, I was able to check out Ewha Womans University and because it was a Sunday afternoon that time, the university wasn’t busy, and I headed out with my family, we decided to spend some time at the campus and have a lovely afternoon snack there. After going around the school, we walked back to the Ahyeon-dong Wedding Street.

I wasn’t able to take photos of the alleys around Ewha Womans University and of the Ahyeon-dong Wedding Street as I was the one pushing my son’s stroller. But just to give you an idea of what to expect in the area, it is helpful to note that it is a popular shopping district and being a university area, it’s common to see clothes, shoes, and accessories shops, as well as salons, restaurants, and cafes that are mainly intended for the young people.

Parking here with some photos below and I will catch up with you on my next post. Til then, annyeong!

Learn Something New: 13 Short Classes To Take When In Korea

At this age where there is so much pressure to include so many things in an itinerary if only for the sake of the gram, we tend to forget to take pause and enjoy a place or experience, and really understand their significance. Sometimes, we say that we have experienced something just by doing a selfie or spending an hour of photo shoot at a certain place, but is that really what is meant by experiencing that place?

We have different purposes for traveling and even different takes on how we should design our itineraries but I think we have a common goal as to why we travel. We travel because we want to learn something new. Every time we travel, we try as much as possible to immerse ourselves in local culture because that’s how we learn more about the place, its people, its history.

One of the popular ways to really get to learn more about a certain place is through food which is why market tours and cooking classes are very popular especially in Korea. But did you know that you can learn more than just the food culture of Korea because there are so many other lessons that you can take aside from cooking classes? I’ll write something about cooking classes later because that deserves a separate post. Here, what I’ll share with you are classes where you can learn Korean calligraphy, how to make perfumes, how to dance like a K-pop star, how to make custom rings, bookmarks or stamps, and many more.

Exciting, right? So read on!

Korean Winter Specials

In cooperation with Trazy, Korea’s #1 online travel resource, I’m sharing with you their top Korean Winter Specials! The list is a combination of their best-sellers and newly launched packages that you are sure to enjoy. I have compiled their best of the best for your easy reference and the best part of it all: DISCOUNTS! Think of the best discounted travel activities in Korea, curated by real Koreans, based in Korea. Can’t get any better than that!

Ski Resort Only

Here’s the list of the popular ski tours that cater to various needs of ski tourists to Korea. The popular Vivaldi Park is especially loved by young people and is known as the hippest ski resort in Korea. Oak Valley & Bears Town accommodate family visitors with their wide and gentle slopes. Yongpyong and High 1 are the largest ski resorts in Korea and are perfect for advanced level skiers and snowboarders.

• 1 Day Ski/Snowboard/Snow Sled Tour: Vivaldi Park (as low as $68)
• 1 Day Ski/Snowboard Tour: Oak Valley Ski Resort (as low as $24.6)
• 1 Day Ski/Snowboard/Free Time Tour: Bears Town Ski Resort (as low as $45)
• 2 Days/1 Night Ski/Snowboard Tour: Yongpyong Ski Resort (as low as $275)
• 3 Days/2 Nights Ski/Snowboard Tour: High 1 Ski Resort (as low as $330)

Ski + Sightseeing

Trazy has also combined skiing and sightseeing tours for this season. Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival is where you make a hole in the frozen lake, catch mountain trout and get them cooked on site. Chuncheon has a beautiful landscape in winter and recently gained more popularity for being the filming location of K-drama “While You Were Sleeping.”

• 2018 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival & Elysian Gangchon Ski Resort 1 Day Package (Jan 6~28) (as low as $52)
  
• Elysian Gangchon Ski Resort & Chuncheon Sightseeing 1 Day Tour (+ Spa) (as low as $66)
• Nami Island & Elysian Gangchon Ski Resort 1 Day Package (as low as $92)
• Jisan Forest Ski Resort + Everland 1 Day Tour (as low as $65)

Other Winter Specials

Trazy also offers tours and activities that are only available during the winter season. Their winter specials are some of the best and unique activities out there.

• 2018 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival & Garden of Morning Calm Light Festival 1 Day Tour (Jan 6~28) (as low as $67)
• 1 Day Winter Hiking Tour to Snowcapped Mountains (Dec 17~ Feb 25) (as low as $69)
• Pyeongchang Trout Festival: Shuttle Bus Package (Dec 22~ Feb 25) (as low as $56)
• Winter 2018 Special Korail Pass (KR Pass) (Feb 1~Mar 25) (as low as $160)

Just to tell you a little bit more about the Winter 2018 Special Korail Pass (KR Pass), it includes the new express train (KTX) from Incheon Airport all the way to Pyeongchang and Gangneung, the new Gyeonggang Line Seoul – Gangneung. This winter special lets you ride the Korail for unlimited times in 6 or 7 days and aside from that, you also get to enjoy discounts to participating hotels, restaurants, and certain tours and attractions. It’s a great value deal available only this season from Trazy!