My next trip to Bali
By Seo Eun-mi
I am proud of having a Korean passport because I can travel to as many countries as I want without needing a visa. However, with the current coronavirus situation, I need to rethink my future travel plans. I enjoy traveling to other countries whenever I have time. I enjoy experiencing foreign cultures and meeting people. That is the main reason I like to travel internationally. Besides that, I teach English so I think it's important to expose myself to foreign cultures and share my experiences with my students.
I like to make plans and those plans have worked pretty well so far. I prefer to purchase the plane tickets for my overseas trips at least ten months in advance. The earlier I purchase the ticket, the better the deal I can get. Whenever I purchase plane tickets, I feel great. I have more time to imagine the great times I'll have in foreign countries. I avoid tour groups and enjoy traveling by myself as it allows me to experience foreign cultures directly.
After I came back from Bali last December, I wanted to visit again. I'd been able to stay at a beautiful villa there, owned by a former colleague named Nicki. She decided to retire in Bali and now lives an admirably adventurous life.
As a lone traveler, it sometimes makes me nervous to travel to my accommodation using public transport in a foreign country. Nicki picked me up at the airport and did all the planning for me, allowing me to relax and enjoy my time there. Bali has beautiful nature and great food, and I was happy to spend time with a good friend. I want to visit once more to understand the culture in Bali. But I cancelled my trip because of the current virus situation.
Unfortunately, I realized the cancellation fee was far more expensive than I had anticipated. My problem was that I'd failed to read the cancellation policy when I purchased the ticket. According to the travel agency, the cancellation fee differs according to each airline's rules. I should have read the details carefully. I had to pay $300 in addition to the travel agency's cancellation fee. I think I learned a big lesson from my careless decision. I have no regrets but in the future I will be more careful when I make travel plans.
The author (emseo@howon.ac.kr) is a professor of English who is Indang Library director at Howon University in Gunsan. She is also teaching Korean language to Americans at the University of Maryland Global College.