Korea is not on most people’s radar.
It should be.
I lived there from 2009 to 2010 in Gwangju. Then again from 2011 to 2012 in Busan. I taught English. I rode my bike everywhere. I took the bus to ferry ports and camped on remote islands by myself. I became pregnant with my son Gavin there and eventually we came home.
But Korea never left me.
Last summer I took my son Jake, my best friend Jenifer, and her daughter Harper back. We walked home at midnight through the cities without a single worry. We ate Korean BBQ every single night for about ten dollars each. We sang our hearts out at a norebong until we couldn’t breathe from laughing.
This past March Jenifer and I went back again. Just the two of us. For skincare treatments, hair, incredible food, and the kind of trip that fills you all the way back up.
I have been to 60 plus countries. Korea is still one of the places I recommend most without hesitation.
Here is everything I know.
Why Korea is the most underrated country in the world
People go to Japan. People go to Thailand. People skip Korea.
That is a mistake.
Korea is safe in a way that is hard to explain until you feel it. Walking home at midnight through a busy Korean city. Not a worry in the world. Kids ahead of you. Laughing. That feeling is rare. Korea gives it to you completely.
The people are the most kind and giving I have encountered anywhere in the world. And I have been a lot of places.
When we lived in Gwangju our neighbors would invite us in for tea. Strangers at restaurants would send something over for us to try. Nobody wanted anything in return. They just wanted to share their culture with you. That generosity is not a tourist experience. It is just Korea.
The cities nobody talks about but everyone should visit
Everyone goes to Seoul. Seoul is incredible. But Korea’s best kept secrets are the smaller cities. The ones that do not show up on the top ten lists.
These are the places I send people when they trust me completely. And they always come back thanking me.
Jeonju
Jeonju is famous among Koreans and almost unknown to tourists. That is exactly why you should go.
It is the birthplace of bibimbap. The most famous Korean rice dish. Eating it here in the city where it was created is a completely different experience than eating it anywhere else.
The hanok village in Jeonju is one of the most beautiful areas I have seen in all of Korea. Traditional Korean houses. Narrow lanes. Street food everywhere. It feels like stepping back in time while still being completely alive.
Suncheon
Suncheon is one of my most favorite cities in Korea. Full stop.
It sits near the southern coast surrounded by wetlands and nature that feels completely untouched. The Suncheon Bay Wetland Reserve is extraordinary. Migratory birds. Reed fields that go on forever. A quiet that feels restorative.
It is the kind of place that slows you down in the best way. Most tourists never make it there. That is their loss and your opportunity.
Gwangju
This is where I lived my first year in Korea. It is a real city. Not a tourist city. Life just happens here and you get to be part of it.
Art scene. Food scene. History that matters. The May 18th Democratic Uprising Memorial is one of the most moving places I have visited anywhere in the world.
Busan
Busan is where I lived my second year. Coastal. Beautiful. More relaxed than Seoul.
Haeundae Beach is famous and worth it. Gamcheon Culture Village is painted houses stacked up a hillside like something out of a dream.
Bujeon Market is one of those places that stops you cold. It is enormous. Stall after stall of fresh produce, meat, fish, and food you have never seen before. I still think about the tofu. Giant blocks of fresh tofu for a dollar. A dollar. You cannot walk through Bujeon without buying something.
Jagalchi Fish Market is right on the water and it is chaos in the best possible way. The freshest seafood you will ever see. Still moving in some cases. Not for the faint of heart but absolutely worth experiencing at least once.
Haedong Yonggungsa Temple sits right on the ocean. Most temples in Korea are in the mountains. This one is perched on coastal rocks with waves crashing below it. It is one of the most dramatic and beautiful temple settings I have seen anywhere in Asia. Go early morning before the crowds arrive.
Busan Tower in Yongdusan Park gives you the whole city from above. The views stretch all the way to the ocean. Worth the walk up.
Busan has an energy all its own. It feels like a beach city that also happens to be a major metropolis. I loved living there.
Seoul
Seoul is everything people say it is and more.
Gyeongbokgung Palace. Bukchon Hanok Village. Insadong for traditional crafts and tea. Myeongdong for shopping and street food that goes on forever.
And then there is the K-pop side of Seoul. If you have a teenager or a tween who is into K-pop this city is their entire world made real. Fan cafes. Idol merchandise. K-pop stores that are an experience all by themselves. HYBE Insight museum if your kids are BTS fans. Book that in advance.
Heuksando Island
You take a bus to the ferry port. You get on a ferry. You arrive at Heuksando.
And then it is just you and the island.
We camped right there on the beach by ourselves. No crowds. No noise. Just the ocean and the stars and the feeling that you found something most people never find.
It is one of the most peaceful experiences of my life. If you are adventurous enough to do it you will never forget it.
Getting around Korea
Korea has one of the best public transport systems in Asia.
Buses and trains connect every city efficiently and affordably. Always on time. Always clean. Easy to navigate even without Korean language skills.
From the coast you can catch ferries to the islands. That is how we got to Heuksando. Bus to the port. Ferry to the island. Simple.
Taxis are widely available in every city and very affordable compared to Western standards. Kakao Taxi is the Korean equivalent of Uber and works seamlessly.
Getting lost is part of the experience. And in Korea getting lost always leads somewhere good.
Food
Korean food deserves its own trip. Honestly.
Korean BBQ every night. Meat cooked right at your table on a little grill built into it. Banchan which are the little side dishes that just keep coming. Kimchi. Pickled vegetables. Egg. Soup. All included. All refillable. All for about ten dollars per person.
Ten dollars. Every night. I am not exaggerating.
Bibimbap. Rice with vegetables and a fried egg and gochujang paste mixed together at the table. Eat it in Jeonju if you possibly can.
Tteokbokki. Spicy rice cakes from a street stall. Cheap and addictive.
Kimbap. Korean rice rolls. The convenience food of Korea. Every corner store has them. Kids love them.
And then there is bingsu.
Potbingsu is a shaved ice dessert. In summer it arrives at your table looking like a mountain. Strawberry shaved ice piled high. Fresh fruit. Sweet milk. Jenifer and I had the most incredible strawberry bingsu when we went back this past March.
Divine intervention. That is the only way to describe it.
The norebong experience
Every single person who goes to Korea needs to do this.
A norebong is a karaoke bar. But not karaoke like you are thinking. You do not get up in front of strangers and sing. You rent a private room. Just your group. A big screen. Tambourines. Microphones. A song book with thousands of options in every language.
You close the door and you sing your heart out.
Jake and Jenifer and Harper and I sang until we could not breathe from laughing. It was one of the highlights of the entire trip.
It costs almost nothing. It is available everywhere. And it is one of those experiences that becomes a travel memory you talk about for years.
Do not skip it. Not even for a minute.
The skincare and beauty scene
This section is for the moms.
Korea is the skincare capital of the world. And going there for treatments is one of the best kept travel secrets I know.
This past March Jenifer and I went to clinics in Seoul. On Tuesday I had five procedures at Forena Clinic. LDM with Salmon DNA. RF Microneedling. Pico Fraxel. PicoSure Laser. Excel V Laser. Genesis Laser. Cryo Therapy.
On Thursday I had two more at Eclat De. LDM and a Lymphatic Massage.
The cost of those treatments in the US would be approximately six thousand dollars.
In Korea I paid twelve hundred.
Same procedures. Same technology. Fraction of the price.
Jenifer had an even more complex treatment. The results were extraordinary for both of us.
We also did hair treatments and optical appointments while we were there. Korea does it all. And does it beautifully.
If you want to plan a trip that combines travel with genuine self care. Korea is your answer. And yes I can help you plan exactly that.
K-pop culture
You do not have to be a K-pop fan to appreciate what it has done for Korean culture and tourism.
But if you have a teenager who is a K-pop fan. Korea is their entire world made real.
Fan cafes dedicated to specific artists. Idol merchandise shops. Music show recordings you can attend as an audience member. HYBE Insight in Seoul for BTS fans. SM Town museum for fans of SM artists.
The energy around K-pop in Seoul is electric. It is joyful and creative and unlike anything you will find anywhere else.
Book any special experiences in advance. They sell out.
What it actually costs
Korea is one of the most affordable countries in Asia for the quality of experience you get.
Korean BBQ dinner for a family of four. Forty to sixty dollars with drinks.
Street food snacks. One to three dollars each.
Bus between cities. Five to fifteen dollars depending on distance.
Mid range hotel in Seoul. One hundred to one hundred and fifty dollars per night.
Luxury hotel. Two hundred and fifty to four hundred dollars per night with some of the best buffet breakfasts you have ever seen in your life. The hotel breakfast situation in Korea is extraordinary. Do not skip it.
Skincare treatments. A fraction of US prices across the board.
A family of four can travel Korea very comfortably for three hundred to five hundred dollars a day including accommodation, food, transport and activities. Less if you are budget conscious. The value here is exceptional.
Real talk before you go
Walk home at midnight. You will be fine. Better than fine. You will feel free.
The kindness of Korean people is not a tourist performance. It is just who they are. You will be invited in. You will be given things to try. You will be welcomed in a way that feels personal even when you are a stranger.
Go to the cities nobody tells you about. Jeonju. Suncheon. Heuksando island. The less visited places in Korea are almost always the most memorable.
Eat everything. Even the things that scare you a little. The food in Korea will not let you down.
And come back. Because one trip to Korea is never enough. I am living proof of that.
Ready to plan your Korea trip?
I lived there. I went back with my kids. I went back again just for the skincare and the bingsu.
Korea is one of the most extraordinary countries on earth. And it is still one of the world’s best kept travel secrets.
I would love to help you discover it.
Plan your Korea trip with Nicole →
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