A personal reflection: Our trip to South Korea

As I sit here on the plane - on the first leg of our reallllll long journey home from South Korea I am overcome with gratitude but travel is a crazy thing - it also fills me with so much empathy, curiosity, appreciation, and if I am honest also a confusion as to why there is so much hate in the world today  (but that’s another blog–and not one I will ever attempt to cover) I will just say that the kindness you witness from people you do not share a language with, or the same food, the same traditions, city, timezone etc. etc.- time and time again, always affirms for me that the true universal language of our world is and should be kindness, compassion and goodness.  Of course, I know there are always exceptions…things don’t always go perfect (see below), not everyone is always kind, but for the most part- people are good and traveling, at least for me personally, has always had an incredible way of reminding me of that. 

A lot of people asked me- why South Korea? Why so far away?
PK (pre-kids) life…we traveled every chance we got.  After I graduated from college and wasn’t ready to be locked into a career yet- I took 4 months to travel through Eastern and Western Europe. This unsurprisingly was life changing in so many ways but probably the biggest take away after seeing so much was that I knew after that how much more there was to see. I had barely scratched the surface. My partner had already done a lot of traveling abroad himself so he supported this solo adventure fully and came to meet me to travel together in Turkey for a few weeks.  Over the years we have taken trips to Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Honduras, Thailand, Nicaragua, Japan, and went to Vietnam and Cambodia for our honeymoon. Traveling filled our cups big time.  And then…we had kids… and while amazing-all the things that came along with that felt very overwhelming to add on ... the flights, the strollers, the carseats, the hotel rooms, the food etc. Soooo we stuck with easy domestic + Mexico trips for a good while.  JUST when we thought we were ready to rip the bandaid off and take on a bigger trip (already had tickets purchased) … covid hit and delayed that little adventure. We  FINALLY took that first big trip in 2022 when our kids were 5 and 7….and it felt WAY more manageable.  From there we were off and there was no looking back. 

We decided to prioritize trying to go to at least one new country each year.  Enter South Korea.  This trip felt very much like we were a little bit winging it a bit (full disclosure: I kinda feel like I always feel that way and maybe I like it like that)…. We have always wanted to go to South Korea, the kids really enjoyed and did well on our trip to Japan (with similar food options, accommodations etc.), the weather for the time of year we were able to make it work there was one of our favorites (fall) - but I’d be lying to say there was an 100% totally thought out decision process before we pressed that magical purchase button on our plane tickets- locking in our next adventure. That was four months ago… 

Our trip started out not so smooth, with a very late night, a wrong hotel (at our connection city) and a pretty intense bout of motion sickness. Our youngest is notorious for getting sick at take off and landing (and cars) so luckily I’m attuned and I knew the second my eyes locked with hers we were in for it…. I don’t think I have ever reacted that fast in all my life- but you better believe I caught every drip of vomit in that bag.  Then as we got ready to board for Seoul they scanned our boarding passes, and I could tell immediately something was up. The gate agent told us they actually don’t have seats for us because their system was showing that we did not show up for our first flight (we had gone the night before instead of the morning of and had changed that flight weeks prior).  It had somehow messed up our reservation and we were told we would not be on this flight. Our options were that we could stay another night in Dallas and fly out the same flight the next day or add another 10 hrs of travel (and connections) onto an already crazy long day… It felt very much like the universe was confirming we were not prepared for this after all. But luckily after a few tears (yep- i totally cried), and a very stressful 10 minutes- they eventually were able to get us on the flight. 

Annnnndd from there, thank goodness, things got better—and by better, I mean way more magical than I ever could have imagined.

As cheesy as I may sound- South Korea wrapped us up in its charm from the moment we landed. The beautiful fall colors were the first to greet us (we totally thought we were going to be too late for leaves so this was a pleasant surprise!)—fiery reds and golden yellows painted the landscape like a postcard. We spent our days wandering through serene parks, street markets, temples and palaces that felt like stepping back in time, their intricate details framed perfectly by the autumn leaves…beautiful public parks and spaces and CLEAN public bathrooms a plenty (yes, really!).  

And the food. Oh, the food was an adventure all on its own. We tried everything we could get our hands on—perfectly crispy Korean fried chicken (we ate a LOT of this with the kids), bibimbap, yummy cozy noodle soup dishes, the most delicious bakeries with the most elaborate and beautifully crafted pastries, and street food snacks that I’m pretty sure the kids will dream about for years to come. I was worried about the food—our kids are NOT great eaters…but we were never not able to find something they wouldn’t try/like. 

We walked close to 10 miles a day without even realizing it because every turn led us to something new and incredible. Bustling markets, peaceful hanok villages, and stunning views at the top of hikes that made the sore legs absolutely worth it.

But what really stole our hearts? The people. Everywhere we went, we were met with warmth, smiles, and kindness. The kids were an unexpected hit—strangers would wave, go out of their way to look and smile at them or shake their hands, call them "cute" and point out their freckles with delight. I lost count of how many sweet elders patted their heads, some even stopping to give them paper airplanes, homemade crafts or treats  or how many shopkeepers leaned over counters to say hello. Watching our kids soak it all in, seeing their faces light up at the simple joy of connecting with someone they couldn’t even speak to, was hands down one of the best parts of the trip. It was like seeing the universal language of kindness in action—and witnessing them get it in real time was enough to make my heart burst.

Finally- on our way back from Busan to Seoul for our last couple nights, the city was hit with the biggest snowfall it’s seen in 100 years. Seoul was a winter wonderland—streets, trees, and rooftops covered in a beautiful blanket of white. It was breathtaking, and of course, the kids thought it was the most magical thing ever (even if we were less than stoked that their one pair of shoes and gloves were soaked within 3 minutes of being outside because they were busy building snowmen every chance they got.)  Although it was a chilly end- we couldn’t have scripted a more perfect ending to the trip if we’d tried.

So here I am, somewhere over the Pacific, typing this out with a full heart and a serious craving for kimchi or those delicious Korean pancakes. South Korea, you were everything we hoped for and so much more. The beauty, the culture, the food, the people—it all left an imprint on us. We can’t wait to come back. Until next time. 

If travel as a family is something you have been thinking about, highly recommend taking the leap. Even when things don’t go perfect- the core memories, the lessons, and the experiences are always worth the journey to get there. ❤️