Jeju without a car →
Buses, taxis, and one very good e-bike. My 4-day loop, fully costed.
(besides eating, obviously)
This is what I do
Seoul after dark →
Where I take visiting friends between 9pm and 2am.
tracked on every trip — down to the last kimbap. Real budgets in every guide, in won and dollars.
Where I've been
31 cities, 5 islands, every KTX line.
The Postcard ✉
One letter from a Korean local, monthly. Short, useful, occasionally about dessert.
Join the list
Eat like me →
Every stall, restaurant and 3am snack I'd order again.
grab your T-money card
Day trips from Seoul
Jeonju Hanok Village
The original bibimbap, choco pie pilgrimage, and 700 hanok roofs at sunset.
2h45 by express bus · ≈₩68,000/person
Gyeongju by KTX
Silla tombs, temple bells, and the best autumn light in the country.
2h10 by KTX · ≈₩110,000/person
The palace day (technically not a trip)
Changgyeonggung + the greenhouse, for jet-lag day one. Gentle, gorgeous, cheap.
Subway line 4 · ₩1,000 entryNami Island & Gapyeong
Yes it's touristy. Yes I still go every autumn. Take the ITX, skip the shuttle scrum.
1h20 by ITX · ≈₩45,000/personSuwon Hwaseong Fortress
Walk the full wall loop, then eat galbi where it was invented. Underrated.
1h by subway · wall walk is free
honest answer: it depends
When are you coming?
late October → mid November
Autumn 🍂 — the season I tell everyone to come
Peak foliage hits Seoul in late October and rolls south through early November. Palaces in sweater weather, ginkgo-gold streets, and hiking trails that smell like roasted chestnuts. Book Naejangsan weekends way ahead.
Read my autumn planning guide
start with these two
The guides friends ask for first
Busan in 3 days: beaches, hills & raw fish
My exact itinerary with KTX times, the hillside village that beats the postcard version, and a full ₩ total per person. Includes the one market I go back for every single time.
Bukchon without the crowds: my walking loop
The 8am route past the famous photo spots (before the tour flags arrive), which alleys are actually residential, and where locals get their coffee after. Map included.
no mystery, no gatekeeping
How I book my own trips
Klook
Tours & tickets — palace passes, cooking classes, and the airport train.
Agoda
My go-to hotels — usually the best rates in Korea, and where I book my own weekends away.
Airalo
The eSIM I set up for friends at the airport, before their luggage even shows up.
Korail
KTX passes, sorted — when the rail pass pays off and when single tickets win.
born and raised here
🇰🇷 Written by a Korean local
I grew up here. Most travel bloggers didn't.
Most Korea travel guides are written by foreigners who moved here. I'm the friend who actually grew up here — I'll tell you where locals really eat, what's worth your time, and what to skip.
Real costs, real timings, honest opinions — including the famous places that aren't worth it and the boring-sounding ones that absolutely are.
— JeriOne letter from a Korean local, monthly.
Occasionally with dessert recommendations
No spam, no daily "content". Just what's blooming, what's closing, and what I ate.