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Many OptionsJul 18 '06 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line There are a lot of options for finding information about travel in South Korea, but some of them aren't so reliable. The travel section in the Midwest Borders where I worked ran to hundred of titles. When I went looking for a travel book for Korea before coming here, I did have the inside knowledge of having shelved that section off and on for 10 years. I pity the poor soul who wades in untutored. And I knew what that poor soul felt like when I started searching the Internet for more current information. For a former Hermit Kingdom, there’s an astonishing number of sites. Here’s the highlights of what I found. Internet Tour 2 Korea http://www.tour2korea.com/ It’s a really nice looking site and very organized, but it’s pretty lean on information. It is a good place to start because it gives a good overview. You can find plenty of general information and a few specifics. Weather, exchange rates, some hotel and airline links. A few restaurants. Life In Korea http://www.lifeinkorea.com/index.cfm?Language=English This site has loads more information, but it’s really crowded and hard to look at. There’s just a lot of stuff crammed onto the front page and every other page. With patience you can get all the information you need, but it’s going to take time. Korea.net http://www.korea.net/ When I found this site while looking for travel information, I was surprised. It isn’t so much about travel as it is about news. When I looked again tonight I saw lots of information about flooding. Not what I expect from a travel site. It could be useful if you’re headed out in the middle of rainy season, but I wouldn’t start here. Geoji Foreigner Resident Association http://www.gfra.net/home The Geoji (pronounced go-gee) Shipyards are world renowned in certain circles. I nearly fell over laughing when they were mentioned on The West Wing. Because of this, there is a large foreign population on Geogi and they have formed an association with a club house and everything. If you plan to go to Geogi this site will get you started. I once found a site put together by the international school in Okpo, but I can’t find it now. If you can, they have maps of the island. Lonely Planet http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/asia/south-korea/seoul This site is almost entirely useless. The thorntree section is a message board and interesting for up to date and specific topic information, but the rest is not worth the time I takes to load.. Dave’s ESL Café http://www.eslcafe.com If you look at the Korea board you can find current information in addition to a lot of bellyaching. Like Korea.net it can be good for last minute information. Books As for books, I’ll limit myself to the big 3. Fodor’s, Frommer’s and Lonely Planet. Each line tries to make it’s own niche, but those distinctions can get pretty fine. Fodor’s is for near top of the line travel. Korea’s a cheap place, but Fodor’s will give you the "best" options. If you want to travel in comfort you’ll want to Fodor’s guide. The only guide that goes more luxe is Michelin, but I didn’t think they make one for Korea. They are scrupulously researched, though things may change from writing to publication. Frommer’s Guides are cheap family travel oriented. They’re written for families who want to see things, but don’t exactly have gobs of cash to throw around. If you don’t mind a bit of discomfort (and in Korea, it’s hard to avoid what with the raw fish for sale on the streets in July), but don’t want to live out of a backpack then these are the guides for you. They are generally well researched and thorough. Lonely Planet Guides are published for young people trekking around the world, living out of backpacks. They dig for the cheapest possible options like hostels and street food. Unfortunately this will entail some discomfort, maybe a lot of discomfort. If you don’t mind risking salmonella and sleeping a in dorm with strangers it’s not bad. Sadly, the cheapness extends to the research. My copy was published in 2005 with information that was outdated in 2002 and we’ve uncovered one set of really bad directions (the book said to turn left when we needed to go straight, erg.) Traveling to Korea can be a fantastic experience, but any travel experience is better with a little advance planning. Hopefully the links and titles I’ve suggested will help out. My other Korea travel reviews: What Shots Do I Need? Safety Seoul Local Customs 1 Local Customs 2 Yongsan Market Jonggak Station  |
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