Last week at lunchtime, Minjeong, a senior colleague at my company, brought up a festival.

She said a cherry blossom festival was being held in Jinhae this weekend and asked if I'd like to go with her.

It was a festival I had wanted to go to for years, so I immediately answered, “Of course I'll go!”

We took the train early Saturday morning, and when we arrived at the station it was already full of people.

Cherry blossoms were in full bloom on both sides of the road, so just walking made us feel good.

It was a little tiring because of the crowds, but thanks to her I spent the most wonderful day of this spring.

Because I worried about motion sickness, I always took only the train when going somewhere far.

But last month, when I tried to go to Gangneung, the train tickets were all sold out.

With no choice, I booked an express bus for the first time, and I felt uneasy right up until the day before departure.

When I actually got on, the seats were wide and comfortable, so I didn't get sick even once.

On top of that, we stopped at a rest area on the way, and I could buy a warm snack.

Even things you worry about at first often turn out to be no big deal once you actually do them.

Now, when I make travel plans, I always look up buses too.

Last summer I went on a three-day, two-night trip to Busan with two friends.

Our lodging was a guesthouse we had hurriedly booked online just by looking at the price.

The map said it was close to the station, but in reality it was at the top of a hill.

The road was far too steep and long to walk up dragging heavy bags.

In the end we took a taxi, and the fare was almost the same as one night's stay.

Since then, when I choose lodging, I always check not only the price but also the route there.

Last vacation, I deliberately took a slow train instead of a fast one to Yeosu.

The train took over five hours, so my friends worried that I'd be bored.

But there were more things to do on the train than I expected.

I passed the time doing things like reading a book or looking at the rice fields and sea outside the window.

Every time we stopped at a small station, it was also fun watching people get on and off.

The elderly woman in the next seat even shared some tangerines she had brought from home.

I realized that a trip where you enjoy the journey, rather than arriving fast, is also a good one.

Last month I took my parents on a trip to a seaside city on the south coast.

The most famous thing there was a cable car that crosses over the sea and goes up to a mountaintop.

But partway up, while we were passing over the sea, the cable car suddenly came to a stop.

My mother was startled, but soon an announcement said it had stopped briefly because of the wind.

While we were stopped, my father took photos of the sea and islands below our feet.

After about ten minutes, the cable car slowly began to move again.

It was scary at first, but now those ten minutes are the most memorable moment of the trip.

Every autumn, a big fireworks festival is held on the beach in our city.

So many people come to watch every year that it's good to prepare in advance.

First, in crowded places you can lose your group, so it's good to decide on a meeting spot in advance.

Also, when the festival ends, the subway stations get very crowded and it takes a long time to get home.

That's why some people leave a little before the last firework goes off.

The night wind by the sea is colder than you'd think, so bringing a warm jacket helps.

With a little preparation, you can enjoy even a crowded festival much more comfortably.

Last autumn I went on a trip to a small island with my husband.

The plan was to spend one night on the island and come back on the ferry the next afternoon.

But from the next morning the wind blew hard, and all ferry service was suspended.

There was no other way to leave the island, so we had no choice but to stay one more day.

My husband called his company, explained the situation, and extended his vacation by a day.

At first we were worried, but the lady who ran the guesthouse made us warm fish soup, and we felt at ease.

When you travel to an island, you must remember that the schedule can change because of the weather.

Last month, after my business trip ended, I took a day and stopped by the Jeonju Hanok Village.

I'd heard it's crowded with tourists during the day, so I went out early, around seven in the morning.

At that hour, I found the alleys much quieter than I'd expected, and the air was clear too.

The morning sunlight shining on the tiled roofs looked just like a painting.

The owner of a tea house, who was just opening up, offered me a cup of warm tea.

After ten o'clock, the streets began to fill with people.

The more famous a destination is, the more I'd recommend visiting early in the morning.

In Korea, many people go to the East Sea on New Year's Day to watch the sunrise.

This year I really wanted to see the first sunrise too, so I took a night train with my friend Seoyeon.

The weather forecast I checked before leaving said the dawn temperature would drop to minus ten degrees.

Seoyeon was worried, but I said that no matter how cold it got, I would wait until the end.

At dawn, people wrapped in blankets had already gathered on the beach.

When the red sun finally rose over the sea, everyone clapped and made wishes.

My hands and feet were frozen stiff, but I don't think I'll forget that moment for a long time.

When I was little, I took the train to my grandmother's house in the countryside every vacation.

This spring, I decided to make that trip by train again for the first time in twenty years.

The train I used to ride as a child was gone, and a much faster and cleaner train was running instead.

Still, the mountains and river outside the window looked just the way they used to.

When I got off at the station, the little shop where I used to eat noodles with my grandmother was still there.

The lady who owns the shop recognized me and laughed, saying how much I'd grown.

The train had changed, but the place full of memories still welcomed me warmly.

My wife and I decided to go back next month to Tongyeong, where we went three years ago.

The fish stew we ate then was so delicious that I really wanted to go back to that restaurant.

But I couldn't remember the restaurant's name or its exact location at all.

I asked my wife, “Was that restaurant inside the market, or was it in front of the harbor?”

My wife thought for a moment and then found a photo from that day in her phone's photo album.

The sea was visible behind the sign in the photo, so we could tell the restaurant was near the harbor.

On this trip, I plan to be sure to write down the names of any good restaurants we visit.

At the end of October, I went to Seoraksan with coworkers to see the autumn leaves.

As we climbed, red and yellow leaves covered the whole mountain.

I wanted to show it to my family, so I took dozens of photos.

But when I looked at the photos at home, the colors were dull and the feeling was very different.

No matter how well I took them, the photos weren't as good as the scenery I saw with my own eyes.

So next autumn I've decided to take my parents along.

I think it's better to show beautiful scenery in person than to keep it in photos.

Last summer I went to the Boryeong Mud Festival with my foreign friend Lucas.

At first, Lucas hesitated a little when he heard that you cover your whole body in mud.

But when we actually arrived, adults and children alike were happily playing and throwing mud.

We too rode the mud slide, jumped into the sea, and had a blast all day.

After washing off the mud, our skin seemed to have become softer, which was amazing.

On the bus home, Lucas kept saying how incredibly fun the day had been.

It made me laugh that Lucas, who had hesitated at first, said we should definitely come back next year.

Over the last long weekend, I set off alone on a trip to a small mountain village in Gangwon-do.

When I arrived at the village bus stop and looked at the timetable, the writing was almost worn away.

Seeing the elderly men sitting leisurely on the bench at the stop, it seemed the bus didn't run very often.

One grandfather kindly told me the bus comes once every two hours.

While we waited, the grandfathers told me stories about the village and places worth visiting.

By the time I boarded the bus two hours later, I already felt like a local.

When traveling in the countryside, it's good to check bus times ahead and move at a relaxed pace.

Every Chuseok, my family drives to my grandfather's house in Daegu.

Last year we left at ten in the morning, but the traffic was so bad that it took nine hours.

This year, since the roads were sure to be jammed again if we left during the day, we decided to leave at four in the morning.

We got in the car rubbing our sleepy eyes, and the highway was much emptier than expected.

Along the way we watched the sunrise at a rest area and ate some warm udon.

In the end we arrived in four hours and were able to have breakfast with my grandfather.

Even if it's a bit tiring, leaving early seems to be the best way to travel during the holidays.

Last winter I decided to travel to Southeast Asia with friends and booked plane tickets.

A week before departure, while packing, I happened to open my passport.

But my passport had only three months of validity left.

When I looked into it, I found that many countries only allow entry if a passport has at least six months of validity left.

So the very next day I went to the district office and applied for a new passport.

Fortunately, I received the new passport the day before departure and could leave on the trip without trouble.

When preparing for an overseas trip, you absolutely must check your passport's expiration date first.

This fall I went to a local festival where lanterns are floated on a river.

Last year I arrived in the evening and could barely see anything, standing on tiptoe behind the crowd.

So this year I hurried there by three in the afternoon, and I was able to get a spot right by the riverbank.

While waiting for the sun to set, I also took part in an activity making my own lantern.

On my paper lantern, I carefully wrote a wish for my family's health.

When night fell, countless lanterns lit up the river, and I couldn't take my eyes off it.

I learned that to really enjoy a festival, it's good to hurry a little.

This year, on Jeongwol Daeboreum, I went to a village festival in the countryside with my six-year-old nephew Jiwoo.

When the full moon rose, the villagers gathered with lanterns at the stone bridge over the stream.

When Jiwoo asked why everyone was crossing the bridge, an elderly woman standing nearby answered.

She said, “They say that if you walk across a bridge on Daeboreum, your legs stay strong all year long.”

It's said this custom began because the word for a person's legs and the word for a bridge are the same.

Hearing that, Jiwoo got excited and went back and forth across the bridge three times.

It was meaningful to experience, together with my nephew, a custom that's hard to see in the city.

Last Friday I recommended the Seoul city tour bus to my friend María, who came from abroad.

But the next day I got a text from María saying the bus wasn't coming.

It turned out María was waiting for the tour bus at a regular bus stop.

On the phone, I explained again, “So what I mean is that you can only board the tour bus at its designated stops.”

María checked the map, found a nearby tour bus stop, and got on the bus without trouble.

In the evening, María thanked me, saying she had comfortably toured palaces and markets.

From now on, when I recommend something to someone, I should explain in detail how to use it, too.

I used to fill my bag with clothes and things every time I went on a trip.

But dragging a big bag up and down stairs wore me out more than the trip itself.

One day, an older friend who travels a lot taught me how to pack less.

He said that whether you go for two days or ten, one small backpack is enough.

He told me to pack just three sets of light clothes that I could wash and wear again.

Last spring, on a week-long trip, I set off with just one backpack for the first time, and it was less inconvenient than I'd thought.

With lighter luggage, my steps felt lighter too, and I could enjoy the trip much more.