Indulge Your Wanderlust in 2008
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia, Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporters
Wanderlust seems to be spreading among Koreans. Koreans are increasingly traveling abroad for summer vacations, weekends, and holidays such as Seollal (Lunar New Year) and Chuseok (Harvest Moon Festival). In 2007, around 13 million Koreans traveled abroad, and the figure is expected to continue to rise this year.
New, Exotic Destinations
Numerous travel Web sites, magazines and tour operators have come up with lists of top travel destinations for 2008.
The New York Times last month published a list of 53 places to visit in 2008. The list includes travel recommendations to exotic locales such as Lisbon, Tunisia, Mauritius, the Maldives, Malawi, and well-known cities Munich, Tuscany, Miami and Buenos Aires.
Interestingly enough, there are only a handful of Asian destinations named in the list,
such as Laos (described as Indochina's next hot spot), Lombok, Indonesia (a low-key island east of Bali) and Vietnam.
Lonely Planet offers its own list of new and unique travel destinations for 2008 through the book BlueList 2008, some of which may have you wondering: ``Where in the world is this?"
``In 2008, we suggest you test your temperature at the hottest and coldest corners of the globe, get a taste of zero G (gravity) in the world of space travel or spend time with the world's friendliest people ― the choice is yours," the book said.
BlueList features 30 picks for top destinations in 2008, such as Armenia, Bhutan, Eritrea, Montenegro, Mozambique, Papua New Guinea and Yemen. Also drawing attention are cities Bologna, Italy; Chengdu, China; Fez, Morocco; Matsuyama, Japan; Miami, U.S.; Mumbai, India; and Vienna, Austria.
BlueList 2008 also offers quirky categories ``best-value destinations" (Iceland, Japan, Laos); ``five places to lose yourself" (Mumbai, Dubai, Mexico); and ``friendliest countries" (U.S., Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand).
Drinkers would be interested in finding out the where the world's finest breweries are (Guinness, Ireland; Weihenstephaner, Germany; Cascade, Australia). Those who love myths and legends may be enticed to ``almost mythical places" such as Zanzibar in Tanzania or Timbuktu in Mali.
And if you want to make sure you get a warm welcome, then travel to what the BlueList described as the friendliest countries, inlcuding Ireland, U.S., Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.
Favorite Destinations
For most Koreans, the most popular overseas travel destinations are Southeast Asia, Japan and China.
Last year, 30 percent of Korean overseas travelers went to China, particularly Beijing and Shanghai. China will continue to be the hottest ticket this year because of the Beijing Olympics in August. Beijing expects 500,000 overseas visitors during the Olympics.
Japan remains a popular tourist destination for Koreans because of its close proximity, diverse tourist attractions and, more importantly, the Korean won's strength versus the Japanese yen. Since the Koreans were allowed to visit Japan for up to 90 days without a visa last year, tourism to Japan has skyrocketed. Tokyo and Osaka are popular for weekend trips and short holidays. With the strong Korean won, many Koreans are going to Tokyo for shopping.
Japan Tourism Organization has organized ``Yokoso! Japan" weeks from Jan. 20 to Feb. 29 with special events for culture, shopping and cuisine. Last September, Japan Airlines even started offering ``Cinderella tours" that allow visitors to fly to Tokyo and back without staying overnight.
For Koreans, Southeast Asia is the ultimate spot to relax, with the different countries' enticing food, interesting cultures and relatively cheap goods and services. The beaches of Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia are expected to attract more tourists, especially in the summer.
For a complete ``retail therapy" experience, go to shopping paradises Hong Kong and Singapore during their ``sale season." Singapore is holding its Great Singapore Sale, when stores offer discounts of up to 70 percent, from May 23 to July 20. Hong Kong Shopping Festival is usually held from July to August.
Capitalizing on the English education craze in Korea, an emerging trend is the holiday study tours. Some travel operators are offering guided trips to English-speaking countries, which allow students to practice their English and experience a different culture.
Hana Tour (www.hanatour.co.kr) is planning a special package to travel destinations where students can practice their English while on vacation. Guam and Saipan are possible destinations, although they are not yet confirmed.
Off the Beaten Track
If you're looking for a new adventure, why don't you try a trip to Kilimanjaro? Or take a train from China to Tibet? Or be one of the few to have visited Antarctica?
Shoestring Travel (www.shoestring.co.kr) offers packages such as the Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (where you can find the snows of Kilimanjaro made famous by Ernest Hemingway's short story); an East Africa game safari expedition; Camino de Santiago tour in Spain; and even Antarctica.
Jang Young-bok, director of Shoestring Travel, said they cater mostly to backpackers and travelers who are looking for a different experience.
Also offered is a trip to Tibet, via train from Shanghai, China. The new Qinghai-Tibet railway is considered the highest in the world, passing through the Tanggula Pass, which is over 5,000 meters above sea level.
``In summer and winter, traveling to Europe is very popular. During the summer, 90 percent of our customers are bound for Europe," Jang said.
Tours for Expats
While there are many tour packages available from Korean travel agencies, it is not so easy for foreigners to find packages with English-speaking guides.
The Web site www.korea4expats.com organizes several special tour packages every year. For the Lunar New Year holiday next month, Korea4Expats has organized a one-week tour to Northern India. The tour will take you to New Delhi, Agra (where the Taj Mahal is located) and Jaipur.
There is also an eight-day Nepal coach tour Feb. 14 - 21. This is a good opportunity to see the fascinating sights of Nepal without the difficulty of trekking or experiencing cold temperatures. A trip to Tibet is also being organized in May.
Travel Planning Tips
If you're just starting to make plans to go abroad during Lunar New Year (Feb. 6-8), you're out of luck as most tours are fully booked.
According to Jung Ki-youn, manager of overseas travel at Hana Tour, their special package trips for the New Year holidays have been booked months in advance.
``These packages were booked almost three months ago. If you are looking for a trip now, I'm sorry but there are almost no trips available," Jung said.
The lesson is: it is never too early to make travel plans. Always plan ahead especially if you want to take a trip during the Seollnal, Chuseok and peak summer season.
Shoestring Travel's Jang said you should start booking flight tickets for the summer season as early as March. There are special advance purchase tickets available for sale.
``There are airlines offering 'early bird' prices. Starting March, you can avail yourself of low airfares for the summer season. Thai Airways has tickets to anywhere in Europe for only 650,000 won, if you book it and it is issued immediately," Jang said.
Hana Tour's Jung emphasized that planning in advance would mean less trouble and less time wasted. ``They say the trip starts the moment you plan ahead. It's not the moment when you get on the plane, but the moment you decide your destination and start gathering information. It helps you appreciate the trip much more and it gives you happiness on its own," he said.