korea

Less Touristy Things to do in Seoul

Julio Moreno South Korea , , , 1 Comment
Less Touristy Things to do in Seoul

Finding an off the beaten spot makes any trip feel a tad bit more personal. Even if you’ve visiting a place with millions of tourists, your trip suddenly becomes unique when you don’t just do what everyone else does. Every year (with the exception of 2018), I’ve revised and republished what I honestly believe is the best countdown to the coolest things to do in Seoul and in Korea as a whole. However, I am still often asked to recommend “less touristy things” and well, the time has come. The style of this list will be similar to the “Eat this, not that” diet books which I never read, but thought were was a cool concept. Here are some touristy things to do in Seoul and their far less touristy alternatives.

 

Seoul Palaces -> Skip Gyeongbokgung, go to Gyeonghuigung

If you’re looking for a palace in Seoul to roam around all by yourself, there are a grand total of five. However, Gyeongbok, Changdeok, Changgyeong, and Deoksu all Read more →

Korea’s Five Best Festivals, Period

Julio Moreno Korean Festivals, South Korea , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 0 Comment
Korea’s Five Best Festivals, Period

If I am quite honest, most Korean festivals are two steps short of being great or even good for that matter. They are either too crowded (Seoul’s International Fireworks Festival), completely lost objectivity (Boseong Green Tea Festival), or a foreign drunk-fest (Boryeong Mud Festival). If you’re looking for something worthy of traveling half way across the world, the following festivals will not disappoint.

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Five Amazing Untouristy World Heritage Sites

Julio Moreno UNESCO World Heritage Site , , , 2 Comments
Five Amazing Untouristy World Heritage Sites

[The following is a guest post from a fellow UNESCO fanatic named Jordan Adkins (his bio and blog link is at the bottom). I found his entries very fascinating (especially #3) so I hope you enjoy them as well. If you would also like to contribute your top 5 UNESCO sites and are a fellow travel blogger, shoot me an email: maximuz04 (at) gmail.com]

Have you ever visited a tourist site and thought it looked better in pictures? Or arrived only to be overwhelmed by hordes in tourist buses? I feel your pain! Global tourism is booming, and yet everyone seems to go to those same few places…Eiffel Tower, Colosseum, Statue of Liberty. Now this is not without good reason but we have a huge planet out there to explore. There must be somewhere we can have a little time and reflection to ourselves? Well yes there is … there are over 1000 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, most of which have very few visitors, and are spread out all over the globe. I myself have been to 200+ so far and want to help people explore the lesser-known gems. So I put together a list, from my experiences so far, of 5 Amazingly Un-touristy World Heritage Sites! Hope you enjoy, and are inspired to visit more yourself!

#1 of 5 Amazingly Untouristy World Heritage Sites:

The Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum in Malta

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The Hal Saflieni Hypogeum (underground cemetery) was only found in 1902 during residential construction in Malta. Little did the workers know they had stumbled upon an enormous subterranean structure which was originally excavated in 2500 B.C.. Little is known of the incredible neolithic find other that its construction at the time was unparalleled with any other known developments on earth. Huge blocks of coralline limestone where lifted into place to create this ancient space, which was originally a sanctuary, but then became a necropolis in prehistoric times. Today it is one of the treasures of Malta and strictly guarded. Only 10 people are allowed in per hour on a limited guided tour (to prevent excess carbon dioxide and air humidity damaging the rock paintings), with no back-packs, cameras or other items. These guys are serious, and tickets sell out months in advance but WOW…It is worth it! Not to be missed!

P.S If you in the area check out my guide to the Top Five Things to Do in Malta!

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Top 40 Things to do OUTSIDE of Seoul, Korea (2017 Edition)

Julio Moreno South Korea, Top 10 Style Lists , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 17 Comments
Top 40 Things to do OUTSIDE of Seoul, Korea (2017 Edition)

So you’ve visited Seoul and love it with all of its palaces, shopping districts, and nightlife, but now… you’re looking for something new. You grow weary of this Seoul-centric Korea and want to see what else is out there. Well, I’m here to tell you that the rest of the country does not disappoint. Here is your countdown to the 40 best things to do OUTSIDE of Seoul (2017 Edition).

Note – A couple of places overlap with  the list of Top 80 Things to do in Seoul. This was done on purpose for two reasons. First, many of these lie in the greater Seoul metro network, making a separation impractical for a guide. Secondly, it is a good benchmark for you to compare how these places stack up to places in Seoul!

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