All tagged South Korea
Could your idea of a dream Asian holiday be a three-week bar hop visiting some of the best cocktail bars in Asia? If so, here’s an itinerary that you can combine with visits to some of the most exciting cities in Asia, enjoying their cultural and culinary delights during the day, and dressing up for a relaxing evening to sample exquisite cocktails created by Asia’s best mixologists using local ingredients blended with traditional spirits.
Are you a first-time or infrequent traveller to Asia and wondering which countries are the safest to visit? No country is 100 percent safe, but this guide will tell you which are the safest to start with and what to look out for in those countries. The guide is based both on institutional rankings and the personal experience of a long-time traveller who has visited them all.
Busan is a charming and trendy coastal city and is cheaper than South Korea’s capital, Seoul. It’s possibly one of the most underrated cities in Asia with a lot to do and see for older travellers. You’ll find stretches of spectacular sandy beaches, beautiful mountain surrounds, and tranquil nature reserves ideal for hiking.
Asia is home to many superstitions and beliefs, some of which date back centuries. Whilst many Westerners may scoff at the rituals that supposedly bring health, wealth and happiness, millions of people continue to follow traditions to bring luck that have been handed down through generations. We take a look at some of the rituals you’ll likely come across in the coming months.
Booking train, bus and ferry tickets in Asia can be difficult if you are not familiar with the routes and transport operators, but online booking apps and websites can make the task much easier. But with hundreds of such online ticketing platforms vying for your business, how can you tell which are the best ones to use. We take a look at reviews of these sites to determine which are the most reliable.
Asia has many destinations that often exceed our expectations, and when we leave, we lament that we did not spend more time there. Here are seven of those special places that draw travellers back and to which the xyzAsia travel writers believe are worth the time and money to go back in preference to travelling to somewhere new. They are all destinations worth revisiting.
In a recent awards list of the top 100 sustainable tourist destinations in the world, 22 in Asia were recognised for their efforts in providing tourism experiences that had a positive impact on the local environment or culture. Many of these will appeal to older travellers seeking destinations that are off-the-beaten-track and travel experiences that are supporting local communities.
Asian airports have always ranked well in the annual Skytrax awards, but this year Singapore’s Changi has been knocked from its top perch by two others in the region. Here’s a rundown of where the top Asian airports have ranked in the 2021 awards, so if you have to spend time at any of these Asian airports, at least you know you’ll be staying amongst the world’s best.
Travelling solo in Asia may not be for everyone – especially for older females – but for those who enjoy time on their own, it can be liberating and rewarding. It enables you to travel at your own pace, do what you want to do, when you want, and change your schedule whenever you feel like it. With a few sensible safety precautions, solo travel in Asia can be a safe and enjoyable experience for anyone.
While most visitors only travel to Seoul or Busan when visiting South Korea, one of the best places to connect with the country's delights is its fifth-largest city, Daejeon. This slow-paced city is safe, but it isn’t boring. There’s plenty to see and do for older travellers in and around the city. And everything from shopping and eating out to travelling around is cheap.
South Korea is a country that has a lot to offer older travellers at any time of the year. Spring and autumn are the best seasons to visit for sightseeing its historic palaces and temples or hiking its scenic mountains and valleys. There are many winter resorts too for those looking for a holiday in the snow, and wellness destinations that are open all year round. It’s one of the safest countries in Asia and easy to get around.
Slow travel is a term used to describe travelling at a pace that enables you to connect to local communities and culture. It’s about spending more time in places and discovering the soul of those places through their history, food, language and people, rather than chasing bucket list ticks. It’s likely to be the way in which many older travellers explore the region in the months to come.
If you crave for spicy Korean food and would like to learn how to cook it, then leave time for a cooking class when you are next in South Korea. The country’s capital, Seoul, has many classes on offer, but major cities like Busan – Korea’s seafood capital – have classes available too. This class will have you cooking Korean dishes like an expert.
During periods that we are unable to travel because of coronavirus lockdowns, closed borders or quarantine restrictions, there is only one way to satisfy the travel bug — and that’s through virtual travel from our computers and tablets. We take a look at which websites offer the best virtual travel experiences for when we are stuck at home.
With thousands of international travellers still stranded in Asia, those affected are placing the blame squarely on airlines who prematurely cancelled flights and provided no alternative options for them to get home. Slow and disorganised responses by some governments in mounting repatriation flights have also come in for criticism. However, with death tolls still increasing in the U.S. and some European countries, some travellers have decided to sit out the pandemic in Asia.
The South Korean city of Busan is home to the world’s largest department store, Shinsegae, which also houses one of Korea’s largest spas, Spa Land, catering for up to 1,500 people at a time. This is not a spa for those with inhibitions because many of the areas within the spa require patrons to be naked. But for those willing to embrace Korean culture and go naked with the locals, a visit to Shinsegae Spa Land might well be one of the most memorable experiences of a trip to South Korea.
