Korean Job Discussion Forums

[dnamkung]

korean/american/canadian 4th yr university student.. can speak korean.
is korea a place like europe, where i can still travel by myself and have a blast of a time? ill be living in suwon, but im thinking of travelling south to places like jeju do and pusan in mid- late august.
but im guessing i probably wont be bumping into many international hostels down there.. am i right or wrong?
how have peoples' experiences been? I'm afraid i might get too lonely.

-Dave

[VanIslander]

I meet a lot of people when I travel alone. But, of course, I look different than Koreans so I'm approached often and make "friends" easily, accepting only some of many offers to sightsee, have dinner, etc.

If you look Korean to Koreans then you may have to take the initiative, and you may have to quickly break through the wall put up by some foreigners who're less friendly than me.

And if you give the heads up before you head over, I could treat you to dinner, show you the sights, all free of charge because the locals around here are just that nice. Ah, the rural life!

[ajuma]

Well, when you say that you're traveling alone...you WILL be alone...unlike Europe where you are pretty likely to run into others doing the same thing!

Will you "have a blast"? Since you can speak Korean, you'll probably be ok...but DON'T expect the European version of a good time...but don't be suprised if someone you meet on the train/bus invites you home for dinner!

[Sydney Rooster]

[Hyalucent]

Yagwons are cheap enough that you don't need to be looking for hostels. Transportation is also quite cheap (the same-length bus/train ride in Canada would cost three or four times as much). You speak the language, so you're all set. You'll have an awesome time.

[dnamkung]

Vanislander-- what city are you at?


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Well when travelling in europe, i stayed in places like the flying pig in amsterdam, pink palace in greece.. u know, hostels where a lot of young foreigners stay, meet, and go out together. Anyone recommend any places like that in seoul, pusan, etc?


-dave

[matthews_world]

Travelling alone in Korea...

think of...

-planning in advance by making reservations early, especially during high travel periods such as national holidays and school vacations.

-cramped and crowded buses and trains on the weekends.

-expensive hotels, especially during vacations. A typical 'economy' hotel can be booked at around 50,000-60,000. They can go cheaper. Try yeogwans as the above poster mentioned.

-taxis to different locations in each city are pretty cheap, depends on distance and traffic time.

-food is cheap in Korea.

-night clubs and bars are easily located. Watch yourself. Don't get too inebriated if you are alone. You could end up getting hurt.

-on the other hand, you could pick up a local! In this case, being alone is good.

-feeling safe in Korea. Watch your larger cities where night time crime could come into play. Keep your gaurd and don't do foolish things.

-travelling light.

-Koreans are generally friendly and willing to help you.

-try staying with a Korean family for a short or extended period of time. Check this site for info: www.komestay.com

[VanIslander]

[flutieflakes]

screw yogwans................find the nearest jim jal bang and crash out for 8,000 a night.............

[mindmetoo]

Looking Korean, having language skills, but being from North America would open a lot of doors I think. You're safe and interesting. As the poster above stated, Koreans are very friendly and willing to help a lost tourist. A lost whitey tends to bring Koreans out of the wood work offering unsolicited help. A lost Korean might seem confusing to them at first. So you might have to stop some people. But I've never noticed any Korean who seems too busy or pissed off to help a fellow brutha or sistah.

[Dr. Buck]

Traveling in Korea alone can be very dangerous and I don't advise it unless you are prepared and have weapons to defend yourself. Bring some pepper gas or a hand crossbow, or maybe a few throwing stars.

In the Jiri and Sorak mountain ranges, hill bandits armed with AK-47s hunt down backpackers and rob them of their goods. Some have been kidnapped and held for ramson and later released but not after much sexual torture was inflicted upon them.

Down on the south coast, you must be careful of pirates. They operate in high-speed semi-submersible squid-class boats. One of their methods is to drive right up onto the beach where a few tourists are lazing about and beat them for their valuables, sometimes cutting off an arm or leg for good measure. Sometimes I am forced to do business with these shady characters when I go on my spearfishing expeditions. If you're in the area, let me know and I'll try to arrange for safe passage.

[VanIslander]

[dg611]

Yogwans (����) have been mentioned and are usually 25-30000 won per night most everywhere in the country. If you are travelling around to tourist attractions around the country...try asking about Minbahks (�ι�) or YeoInSooks (���μ�) these are places where you can usually get a room for as little as 10-15,000 per night and sometimes get a meal out of the deal...you usually have to share a bathroom and/or shower area...they are basically guesthouses...particularly in the beach areas, they are the cheapest way to go and you can usually get a room except in the high season (mid july through august).

As for travelling alone...no worries here except (as someone mentioned) in the larger cities...but even there the use of the same common sense you would use travelling in europe will suffice here....violent crime is not near as common as it is in north america or even europe. Petty theft is sometimes a problem but again, use the same common sense rules of international travel to remove this as a problem.

The poster who mentioned homestays has a great idea. you may also want to consider staying in a temple while on your tours...facilities are very spartan as you might expect in a buddhist temple but they are all over and reservations are not usually necessary for foreigners.

The jimjilbang (������) idea is a good one if you don't mind sleeping in public areas. these are basically saunas and they are everywhere...at night you can expect to meet all sorts of interesting (read:drunk) people sleeping it off in rooms of various temperatures. U can even find them in the countryside.

One other thing you might consider if you are brave. Buy a 125cc motorcycle or scooter to get yourself around. If you have an international drivers license it is no problem to buy one. You can even make a deal with the shop to buy it back from you a certain time later. If you can speak Korean even a little, then its doable. But be warned: when you ride a motorcycle in Korea...ride like you are invisible...because you are to the average driver.

Have fun!