Jeremy

Jeremy founded Living the Dream in 2008 to chronicle his long-term trip around Asia. Since then he has been on two long-term trips, visited 69 countries, and is just getting started. He is now on a Lifestyle Design quest to build businesses to pursue a life of travel.

Hiking Tips for the Yeongsil Trail on Mount Hallasan on Jeju

One of the top things to do in Jeju is most certainly hiking in Mount Hallasan National Park. 

This mountain is actually a shield volcano and is the tallest mountain in South Korea (at just under 7,000 feet), and the national park covers just about 8% of the island itself- truly making for a great space to get out and enjoy nature!

One of the most popular hikes on Mount Hallason is summiting the peak itself. But after having read about its intensity and how it often takes 8-10 hours, we decided to hit the Yeongsil Trail instead which was a much more approachable 4-5 hour hike. Coupled with peak fall colors, we made our way out to the park to enjoy Jeju’s beauty.

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The Seoul Lantern Festival is an Event You Really Must See

The Seoul Lantern Festival is a colorful event that takes place in South Korea’s capital during the first 17 days of November. 

While the theme of the festival changes every year, it takes place along the Cheonggyecheon Stream and features dozens upon dozens of colorful and ornate paper lanterns that really must be seen to be believed!

We were fortunate enough to end our South Korea trip in Seoul right after this one started, and wanted to share a bit more from this festival!

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What to Expect at a Hanok – A Traditional Korean House

When exploring South Korea, odds are good you’re going to stumble upon many hanoks- traditional Korean houses. These buildings have been constructed in Korea since the 14th century and are present in almost every city in the country.

We saw a good number of these when exploring the Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul (where they are mainly homes, B&Bs, and historical museums) as well as Jeonju (where they are used as a mix of B&Bs and modern businesses) and rather enjoyed the ambiance of walking around the streets full of these unique buildings.

As many hanoks are open as guesthouses, we decided to stay in one during our brief stopover in Jeonju and wanted to share what the experience is like in this one!

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How to Hike Naejangsan National Park from Jeonju

Naejangsan National Park is one of the gems of South Korea and is a 76,000 square kilometer park located less than two hours south of Jeonju.

We decided to take a day trip from Jeonju to Naejangsan National Park to hike through the park’s famed fall foliage. While we arrived a bit too early for peak colors, we still had a pretty amazing day out in the park all the same!

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