Always wanted to travel to Korea? This is your chance!
After leaving Korea to experience the world, I came back as a wide-eyed wanderer. The new perspective gave me an opportunity to see my own country in a new way. Turns out, what we have in Korea is unique. I gained a respect for our rich history, living culture, insightful museums, pulsating cities, and the world-famous Korean cuisine.
As one of the co-founders of Unquote, it’s my duty to introduce my home country to all of you. I discovered my passion for showing the real Korea to visitors. That’s how I met my husband Stephen who is the brains behind the concept of Unquote Travel, when he was in Seoul five years ago.
This itinerary is for anyone who is interested in learning about Korean culture, eating some of the most delicious Korean food, exploring our fine outdoor destinations, and more. South Korea truly is a swirl of ancient ways meeting modernity and with us you’ll experience this country from a local perspective. From beyond the typical tourist path, we’ll show you old neighborhoods and the best markets, explain the nuances of Korean culture, and dig into a wide variety of Korean favorite foods. Here are seven reasons why you should experience Korea with us.
Why You Should Experience Korea with Us
Spring is the best season to travel!
May-June is a beautiful time. The blooming flowers and the light-green color of young buds, mild temperature, bright blue sky, freshness in the air, people coming out of the winter hibernation; it’s just great.
[tg_promo_box title=”Experience Korea” border=”” shadow=”0″ button_text=”Book Now” button_url=”https://unquotetravel.com/tours/experience-korea-tour/”]Experience the best that Korea has to offer: a rich history, living culture, insightful museums, pulsating cities, and a taste of the world-famous Korean cuisine. [/tg_promo_box]
I’m a Korean through and through
I was born and raised in Seoul. I spent most of my life here until I embarked on my career as a travel writer and photographer. When I first traveled overseas 11 years ago, I met people who didn’t know where Korea was. But now Korea is sort of a big deal, thanks to Gangnam Style, K-POP, TV shows, high-quality electronics and automobiles, and of course, our food. It’s an exciting change to experience.
The Seoul I knew and grew up in was a bit different than what you’d know from the pop culture. For me, it’s a place where we can buy a ‘handful’ of vegetable from my grandmother’s friend at a traditional market down from our house. It’s where your community is. There was the public bathhouse we used to go every weekend, a handyman who could fix just about everything, a book-rental store I almost lived in, a hairsalon I got my first perm, where its full of life. That is the real Seoul to me. It’s my passion to introduce the authentic experiences to all of you. Come travel with us, and you’ll see.
You can read more about my childhood in Seoul on my book “Runaway Juno’s Pursuit of Happiness: The World is Waiting”.
Korea is its own unique cultural hotspot
A lot of people have asked me if Korea is same as Japan or China. In some way, yes. Certainly, our history is pretty entangled, and geographically the three countries are located in the same region. But for sure, Japan, China, and Korea each have their own individual cultures. Sometimes I find more similarities with Finnish and Korean people than Japanese people. It’s a subject I can talk on and on about for hours. Curious? I will share all about that during the tour!
It’s all about traveling together
We carefully curated this itinerary, a mix of culinary and outdoor adventure, traditional and modern life. But most importantly, this itinerary is all about traveling and discovering together. Certainly, I will be the linguistic and cultural interpreter during the trip, and I’m excited to discover more with you. I’ve traveled many parts of this small country but it is truly an extraordinary destination with a diverse culture.
What is it like to live in Korea as a foreigner?
Unquote Travel co-founder Stephen adopted Korea as his second home, when he married a Korean (me). Sometimes I see he is more Korean than me. He goes to jimjilbang (public bath & sauna house) every week, his love of Korean food stretches as far as mine, and he blends in the culture like it’s meant to be. But of course he has his own challenges, I’m sure. As much as it’s good to learn about my country as a traveler, it’s a joy to see Korea through Stephen’s eyes.
You know Korean food is the IT trend now
Now I see Korean food everywhere, in the US, Europe, Southeast Asia… Korean snacks are sold at supermarkets, there is at least one Korean restaurant in any neighborhood, and health websites are constantly talking about Korean food. Yes, Korean food is the “it” food now. From the famous kimchi to thousands of kinds of banchan (side dishes), bibimbab to bulgogi, roasted seaweed to barley tea, there are so many aspects of Korean food you’ll love. We will travel around Korea and taste some of the most amazing dishes. I promise you that.
Travel with travelers
I always thought I was a ‘perpetual backpacker’ at heart. I feel alive when I discover something new. My purpose of travel, finding similarities and differences, rejuvenates my mind. Stephen is one of the travelers I admire most. He is a traveler first and foremost. His love of travel led him to blog, publish, and freelance in the travel industry. He’s been to 80+ countries and he’s still going. His favorite way of traveling is to submerge himself in the culture. I’m sure by traveling with us, you’ll learn so much not only about Korea, but also the spirit of independent travel.
Experience the best that Korea has to offer: a rich history, living culture, insightful museums, pulsating cities, and a taste of the world-famous Korean cuisine. [/tg_promo_box]
Have questions about the tour? Please contact Juno Kim (juno@unquotetravel.com).