Seoul Vacation

[hunterjmj]

Was thinking maybe in the future of taking the family to Seoul for a vacation. Who's been, what did you do and what would you do differently? I've been to Japan and loved it but Seoul looks fantastic as well.

 

[Matthew57]

Funny enough I’m there for work right now. Arrived recently but I’m planning on going to a baseball game tonight.

 

[MTN Humper]

From experience I recommend not trying the squid jerky. It was a poor decision.

 

[jdinville3]

If anyone likes history in your family, their military museum is huge and awesome!

 

[Aaron-in-CO]

I lived there for three years. It’s a great place! Tons of good food, mountains, hikes, history, museums, baseball, markets, cafes, parks…all easily accessible by cheap public transportation.

Definitely a different flavor than Japan. There’s a decent bit of overlap in the culture, architecture, infrastructure, and landscape of the countries. But if you’ve spent time in Japan, Korea will be a noticeably different experience.

I’m happy to give more info/recs depending on what questions you have and what you want to do!

 

[hunterjmj]

I lived there for three years. It’s a great place! Tons of good food, mountains, hikes, history, museums, baseball, markets, cafes, parks…all easily accessible by cheap public transportation.

Definitely a different flavor than Japan. There’s a decent bit of overlap in the culture, architecture, infrastructure, and landscape of the countries. But if you’ve spent time in Japan, Korea will be a noticeably different experience.

I’m happy to give more info/recs depending on what questions you have and what you want to do!

I'll probably take you up on that. It'll be a few years so my girls are old enough to appreciate it. I'd like to start learning the language a year ahead or so. Did that for Japan and made life easier. Learned basic Russian too but never made the trip.

 

[Packin_packout]

Been there repeatedly for work. Prefer Korea over Japan. Nice thing is that most males over about age of 30 have some basic understanding of English. Assuming leftover of compulsory military experience with us troops. Just feels different. Friendlier. It's a good place to go for sure.

 

[Aaron-in-CO]

Nice, good for you! Learning the basics of Korean is really not bad. You can get up and running with reading and speaking phonetically quite easily. Then you practice your basic greetings, verbs, directions, and helpful tourist phrases, and you’ll have an even better time there for sure. After that, the language is a pretty steep learning curve though.

It’s true that most middle aged and younger folks in Seoul can help you out in English (though most are shy/self-conscious about their perceived poor English). That definitely changes though if you head to some smaller towns or more old-school neighborhoods.

The subways are easy to navigate for English speakers. Bus system is a little trickier for those with zero English experience.

A popular and effective Korean language learning resource is Talk To Me In Korean.

 

[manitou1]

From experience I recommend not trying the squid jerky. It was a poor decision.

I ate the heck out of that stuff back in my past. My infantry pack always had a couple bags of it.

Would love to revisit Korea. It has been a while.

 

[Packin_packout]

Just say no to cuddle fish jerky. I know it is common from a dietary perspective over there but I literally use those things as bait when bottom fishing in the gulf! That's been the only thing I have not liked from a dietary perspective over there. Beware of / respect the soju!

 

[manitou1]

Just say no to cuddle fish jerky. I know it is common from a dietary perspective over there but I literally use those things as bait when bottom fishing in the gulf! That's been the only thing I have not liked from a dietary perspective over there. Beware of / respect the soju!

That soju will "sneak up on ya"!
The jerky... it was a mainstay in my pack back in my infantry days.
Not sure if I would eat it now.

 

[Titan_Bow]

I was there 96-97. I spent 6 months in Uijonbu at Camp Red Cloud, and six months on a mountain tip called Casey 39’er. Good times, I loved my time in Korea and would love to go back and visit again! Stay away from that one specifically hill in Itaweon lol


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[rocksteady]

Seoul looks like an awesome place to take the family. Starting to learn some Korean now is a great idea since it'll really enhance your experience when you visit.

A few years will fly by before you know it. In the meantime, be sure to check out Talk To Me In Korean like Aaron mentioned - it's a popular site for learning.

When you do make the trip, I'd recommend booking a local guide to show you around. Found this guide in Seoul who can tailor tours to your family's interests. Thought you'd be interested checking it https://gowithguide.com/korea/seoul/guides

It takes the stress out of navigating and they know the best spots off the beaten path.

Anyways, hope you all have a blast exploring Seoul in a few years!

 

[mi650]

I was supposed to go for an exercise back when I was in the Army. Got all the shots, 6 shots x twice a week for 3 weeks, and a week of culture & language training. I got pulled the day we were supposed to leave.

We were strongly advised to stay away from soju while there, bring it back and drink it here.

Going with your family, DO NOT take them to Itaewon!!

 

[spaniel]

My wife's parents immigrated from Korea, originally from the North. Really interesting stories.

I'm not sure I'd want to visit given the biases against Americanized folks and half-whites. My father-in-law does not any longer want to go back to his homeland for these reasons, so not sure I want my kids to experience this.

 

[rocksteady]

That's really good advice about being sensitive to potential biases if visiting Korea as a multi-racial family. Every culture and situation is different. If you do end up going, maybe touch base with some of your wife's relatives still living there to get their perspective. A local guide could also help navigate any issues and point you to the most welcoming areas. Either way, I'm sure your kids would love learning about their heritage someday. Maybe start with introducing them to Korean food, music, and language at home first before deciding on a visit.