Traveling Solo in Korea!

Traveling to a new country without being familiar with the language or culture can be nerve-racking, and traveling alone can add another layer of fear. In this blog, I will talk about my experience traveling alone in Korea!

Upon landing in Korea, I felt a wave of discomfort being in the unknown. I didn’t understand the language, didn’t know how to get around, and didn’t know the cultural norms. However, the eagerness to explore and learn about Korea overpowered those feelings. I tend to prefer traveling alone at home, and I didn’t want to change that while I was abroad. Here are some things I did while solo traveling:

| Filter for “solo dining” on Naver Maps.

Google Maps does not work well in Korea. Most people use Naver Maps or Kakao Maps to navigate (I prefer Naver Maps). On Naver Maps, you can easily find solo-friendly restaurants by clicking the “solo dining” option, which looks like a triangle gimbap icon!

Korean searches usually get better results than English searches on Naver Maps! If you can, I recommend searching for places with the Korean term, rather than the English. There is a term in Korean for solo dining called “honbap”/혼밥, which means eating alone.

Some chains I recommend for solo dining:

1. Shabu-shabu (a Japanese hot pot!)
2. Hongojib (solo BBQ, but portions can be a little small…)
3. Menchuru (ramen place! Some places have a phone stand so you can watch a show while you eat)
    

| Carry an external battery with you!

If I am out alone during the day, I will make sure to carry a power bank. I am the type of person who gets nervous once my phone drops below 20% and I am out alone. However, if this is you and you’re out alone, the best thing you can do is go to a cafe with a charging station. Many cafes in Korea have convenient charging stations!

| Go to cafes to chill or do work.

I love hanging out at cafes. Rather than staying in my dorm during the day, I’d much rather explore a small area and go to a cafe! There is a cafe culture in Korea. Every street basically has a cafe that you can go to. However, not all cafes have the working vibe. Most are actually for socializing and chatting! In those cafes, I felt awkward opening my laptop to do work. Instead, I would search for cafes to visit depending on the reviews! Naver Maps has a review section where you can see if it is “good for work”. Larger chains are always a great option if you want to! Here are some recommendations:

​Chains:

1. Twosome Cafe
2. The Coffee Bean
3. Hollys

Smaller work cafes:

1. Cafe Gabie (walkable from Hongdae, everyone there is working!)
2. Jakupsil (in Hongdae, small, but very nice vibes!)
3. Cafe de Lyon (near Ewha Uni., their strawberry cake is really delicious!)
4. Blackburn (the owner is very kind and tried to talk to me in English; they also have healthy food options here)

| Try to plan your day.

I like to decide in the morning if I will be walking/shopping or sitting for most of the day. This determines if I will be carrying my laptop and work supplies with me. In the beginning, I would carry my laptop and iPad, but spend most of the day walking and exploring. I would get tired quickly and have a not-so-amazing experience exploring. Having a vague plan of how you want to spend the day will be helpful instead of aimlessly wandering with a heavy backpack.