Korean Job Discussion Forums

Trumpcard · Joined: 24 Feb 2006

anyone plan on going or previously gone? Have always wanted to do this. Does anybody know of good package deals around?

justanotherkiwi · Joined: 08 Oct 2007

Hello,

I found this website in English for travel.... http://www.xanadu.co.kr/eng/index.asp

they have a package to China, however I am not too sure about validity dates for joining up. also i think if you are traveling by yourself you have to pay a single occupancy rate.

Another option would be doing it as an solo traveler and it being cheaper with staying at hostels etc....

i

mistermasan · Joined: 20 Sep 2007 Location: 10+ yrs on Dave's ESL cafe

generally speaking traveling in china during chinese new year is tough. this is their only real vacation. all resources are strained. rail, flight and roads are gridlocked. second, most shops and restaurants are closed as the staff has all gone home. what services you may find are double the price.

been there, done that. never again.

princess · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: soul of Asia

Well, Feb 6-10 is one of the only times of the year that I have vacation time, too, and I am going to Shanghai. I just checked out some websites about Shanghia during the Lunar New Year, and it said Shanghia is a crazy blast on Lunar New Year Day, and there will be shops/restaurants open. But, yes, prices will be a little higher. But oh well, I already have my air ticket, so I'm going.

justanotherkiwi · Joined: 08 Oct 2007

Hey Princess,

just out of curiosity how much did you airfares cost?? or are you doing a package?

I too only have this time off and would like to go but $$ is an issue so I would do it independently staying at hostels etc....

princess · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: soul of Asia

mistermasan · Joined: 20 Sep 2007 Location: 10+ yrs on Dave's ESL cafe

i was in guangzhou for chinese new year. once. never again. imagine a country where you get one week vacation per year. and everybody gets it at the same time. all those miserable factory and migrant folks just wanna go home. but the infrastructure just isn't there. the large area outside the guangzhou train station was simply a sea of black hair. some folks had been waiting for three days. they had train tickets, but simply, the train they had tickets for was 3 days late.

princess · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: soul of Asia

tzechuk · Joined: 20 Dec 2004

Big cities will be OK. The actual new year's day may be quiet with shops mostly, if not all, closed.. but other days they will be open.

laura-and-ryan · Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 3:36 am Post subject: beijing lunar new year

I am planned to go for lunar new year to China too, but now I am reconsidering!!
We were planning to go to Beijing, but not just for lunar new year, for the weekend and few days before and the weekend after. We want to do all the cultural touristy stuff and the great wall...
Anyone done this at this time of year? Is it just hectic over the actual 3 days of lunar new year or the weekend after/days before also.

Thanks

Hank the Iconoclast · Joined: 08 Oct 2007 Location: Busan

I'm leaving China on the 5th because my girl wants to be back for the Lunar New Year in Korea. hm.

theatrelily · Joined: 03 Jun 2004 Location: Haeundae-gu, Busan

travel zen · Joined: 22 Feb 2005 Location: Good old Toronto, Canada

It's a mean time of year as EVERYONE is travelling at that time. I had to pay double the costs of any transportation and most everything else was booked.

People everywhere ! It's not a good time to travel. Period.

suneV · Joined: 10 Jan 2008 Location: At the Flop

Beijing for me was one of the least enjoyable tourist destinations I've been to out of 12 countries.

Dull, Communist administrative city.

Bangkok wihtout the color and charm, essentially.

ujin821 · Joined: 25 Jan 2008 Location: obsolete account

I actually traveled for 2+ weeks during the Chinese New Year time period last year.... I think I remember the holiday period is 15 days or so total.

But anyway, expect prices of housing and transportation to shoot up and for train tickets to be hard to pick up. From my experience though, bus tickets were still fairly easy to pick up during the New Year time period...

As others have mentioned, this is one of the few periods where almost everyone gets vacation time. It seems that anybody who does not live at their hometown or with their family will go to see them... others will go around to travel. I've heard that if you stay in Beijing, you'll see hordes of people (particularly people from the countryside) visit the tourist sites there. Actually ANY tourist location will probably have a lot of people visit... and if you don't look Asian, expect MANY people to stare at you (as in, "drop-everything-you're-doing-and-stare-with-your-mouth-wide-open" kind of stare) and expect a good amount of people to try to take pictures with you. I was in Yangshuo the day before the New Year and the day of the New Year.... the amount of tourists probably increased by 3-5 times.

Even if you pick up a package with a travel agency, it might be difficult or very expensive to get something now... assuming you haven't already.