Who likes to travel around the world? I don’t think there is one person in this world who doesn’t like to. It can become a task at times because of all the time it takes to do the research and figure out what you want to eat, where you want to go, and what you want to do. I know that whenever I travel anywhere I do a huge amount of research and make lists of everything that I want to do and eat. If you are anything like me, eating and drinking is a main priority. I want to experience the local culture and not do what all the typical tourists do. I want to go to the underground spots where the locals hang out and eat. It can be hard sometimes to figure out what is authentic and what is a tourist trap (obviously you figure it out once you get there).
These days there are an abundance of resources to plan things out, but what is actually worth doing. You can look up all the typical resources using the internet such as Tripadvisor, Timeout, NY times, Lonely Planet, etc., but it truly takes time in order to really figure out what is worth your time and what isn’t. I have spent hours and hours on researching places that I will be traveling to and even then you don’t know what is actually good.
Normally, when people travel anywhere they don’t have much time to actually get to know the city.. Also, when you land in a new city you have to get familiar with your surroundings and figure out the transportation, money, phone, etc. It can be difficult adjusting to a new city at first. Whenever I travel to a new city there is one thought that always crosses my mind, how can I find a local that can show me around and tell me where to go and what/where to eat/party? And even if you find a local to help you out, there can be that language barrier which will make communicating fairly difficult. You can always go up to the hotel concierge to ask them for help, but they typically give you all the tourist traps. Google is a very strong tool, but it can take some time to maneuver around to find what you really want. Tour guides can be convenient at times to show you around to the main tourist attractions and whatnot, but they typically don’t provide the underground information that you really want to know – a better way to truly get to know the city, people and culture.
Seoul is a growing city that has gotten on the radar for top cities to visit. A city as big as Seoul can be hard to cipher through all the information that you may come across. There are a million things to do, places to see, and things to eat. When you only have a limited number of days to be in this huge metropolis city, it can be quite overwhelming. For as metropolis as this city is there is so much history and culture to discover and experience. But through all the information that you have researched, you can’t possibly do everything on that list. I have been living in Seoul, Korea for 9 years now and I have yet to discover everything that Seoul has to offer. Seoul, alone, has a million things to do and the little nooks and crannies that I keep crawling upon have lots of hidden gems that even the locals don’t normally know about.
Every city has hundreds of tour packages that will take you on a shocking culture trip, a ride down history lane, or a delicious food tour. I enjoy everything that a country has to offer…the history, food, people, and culture. I try to get as much out of the country as I can each and every day. As much as I enjoy everything, some of my day to day “vices” are eating and drinking (alcohol), typically together. Does it not surprise you how certain drinks compliment foods that you eat? In every country, there is a “peanut butter and jelly” effect on different kinds of foods and Korea is no exception. We have everything from chicken & beer to soju & pork belly. We will eat savory pancakes with rice wine on rainy days because the mood is right. We find every way possible to drink with everything that we eat! Korea has a huge drinking culture and we do it well! There are so many alleys and hidden gems all around Seoul that it would be difficult to navigate around without the proper direction.
What if you could have someone that wasn’t a “professional” tour guide but a “friend” that just happens to be living in the city that you are traveling to? How much easier would that make things to get around and know what to do instead of finding everything in a book or on the internet? I would like to be that person in Seoul for you! I am not here to give you tours of the palaces and take you to the DMZ where there are many companies that will provide that. I would like to be here as a “friend” to show you around Seoul in a way that a friend normally would. Show you the places where the food is actually good and where the locals go to eat. Go drink at all the spots that you would typically want to go to. Party at the hot spots where it fits the vibe that you are going for. Seoul has everything that you would want and more. I have had many visitors and friends come to Seoul and have come back within the same year because they had such a good proper time. I would like to show this first hand!
