Joy of Traveling in the Era of Covid-19

Although Korea has begun to administer Covid-19 vaccines, it is still too early to feel relieved.
Many people still prefer to spend their vacations in places with as few people as possible.
It is the second summer of Covid-19 and while people still keep their social distances, they never want to stop traveling.
Article. Editor’s Office

From Islands, Small cities, Hocance, and Flights to Nowhere
Safe Travels During the Pandemic

According to the Korea Tourism Organization’s “2021 Domestic Travel Trends”, anxiety brought about by Covid-19 and the uncertain prospect for recovery, will lead to new types of travel seeking stability such as wellness trips, short-term trips, and trips to new destinations. One of them is traveling to islands and small cities. Incheon, one of Korea’s metropolitan cities, has 168 islands alone. You can get more information on all the islands you can go to by visiting the “Visit Korea” website operated by the Korea Tourism Organization.

Traveling to small cities or quiet villages is also recommended. Your vacation will be truly relaxing as you don’t have to travel on a tight schedule. You can apply for a city tour through the Local Culture and Tourism websites. The websites also provide information on places you can go to without cars and the best routes to take for bicycle tours. Also, garnering much attention are relaxing walks through the woods or along the beach, and nighttime tours to places with exquisite night views for memorable pictures.

Those who miss airplanes and hotels, the representative symbols of vacation, turn their attention to the so-called “Hocance”. “Hocance” used to be mainly for people who couldn’t find the time to travel far or long, but now, many enjoy different types of fun “Hocance”, such as the “Kicance” which means spending quality time in a hotel kids room equipped with amenities for kids or the “Petcance” where you can enjoy time with your beloved pets.

“Flights to nowhere” is a completely new concept of travel. It takes you on a trip just to circle above another country without actually landing before taking you back to where you started from. A downside of this, however, is that no in-flight meals are allowed due to safety rules. Nevertheless, this service has gained a lot of popularity as it allows passengers to take photos of the exotic scenery from the window and shop at duty-free shops. Information on “flights to nowhere” services is available on each airline’s website.

Hobby boxes, interior design, and OTT services
You can enjoy everything from your room

You can now enjoy a nice vacation at home where you feel the most comfortable. When you look up “hobby boxes” on the Internet, you’ll find a variety of items from do-it-yourself music box kits to French, hand embroidery kits. Here, you will find that anything in life can be a hobby.

Also, as more and more people are spending time indoors and becoming interested in minimalist lifestyles or self-interior designing, new and easy ways of decorating your homes are being introduced. YouTube videos as well as applications such as Ohouse give you tips on interior designing that allow you to decorate your house at an affordable price.

OTT services are what will help make your vacation at home enjoyable. Vacation is the best time to binge watch shows that you normally don’t have time for. International dramas that usually have multiple seasons are especially great to binge watch as it helps you understand them better. One good example of a show that you absolutely must watch on vacation is the German science fiction, time travel drama, Dark, famous for its intricate plot and relationships between the characters. Watcha even has “The Little Drummer Girl”, a British drama produced by the Korean filmmaker, Chan-Wook Park. If you’re a fan of the filmmaker’s unique color palettes, watching this drama will be like a nice holiday treat for you.