A Guide to Seoul Korea, a Life-Changing Trip

Traveling used to be something I would do to recharge and cool off from all the drowning office work. It was a welcomed break and my first-ever trip to South Korea belonged to that category at first. I went with friends on a tour and arranged to go on a solo trip for six more days. I came back so excited and full of stories to tell. I revamped my travel philosophy and the way I plan my travels when I came home from that trip. Traveling would be something I would actively pursue and I didn't want to wait until I am retired to freely do so.

Unforgettable Seoul '10 Day 1 - On The Way to Seoul, Incheon & Songdo City

October 22, 2009 (Thursday)

My friends and I were bounded to a place I’ve only dreamed about. Never in my life did I imagine that I would go to South Korea at 24. Truthfully, Seoul or South Korea or Korean wasn’t even in my vocabulary before 2006. My experience in Beijing has sparked that curiosity to appreciate the people I meet along the way.

This trip was an experience of many firsts for me. It was the first time I would travel abroad with 3 of my old high school friends. It was also the first time I would spend so much of my savings. It was the first time I chose to travel “alone” after the tour (I scheduled to extend my stay a week later and explore more of Seoul with my Korean friend). It was also the first time I planned and executed my own trip from start to finish, eventually skipping most of the planning and just going wherever I wanted to go or eat at that moment. It was during this trip when I realized that I wanted to travel for as long as I live and appreciate everything around me from the people to the culture to the arts to the food and whatever I encounter. Thus, this blog was born as part of that experience. I remember that I would jot down specifics and my thoughts on a piece of paper during the trip. These notes would eventually be my guide when I recount the wonderful experiences of this trip. I have continued writing and experiencing life like this from then on.

Documenting all these information in a blog was hard for me. The hardest part was wanting to write about something perfectly that I stopped writing it midway and proceeded with my other easier trips first. This time, I said, I would write about this life-altering trip as I do when I travel – with only an end in mind, a beautiful experience to look forward to and an unexplained enthusiasm into my post. I plan to create a masterpiece post, one that will alter or give a guiltless glimpse of a Korean way of life. Of course, my experience is not absolute. I could only attest that it was truly one of the ultimate travel stories of my life.