South Korea Real Food Adventure

The cuisine of South Korea includes a lot of meat and seafood. For vegetarians and vegans, we recommend reviewing the itinerary to ensure you can fully enjoy and participate in the trip.

South Korea is best explored on foot, and many travelers are surprised by how much walking they do! Be sure your shoes are comfortable and you're ready to spend most of the day on your feet.

Pack smart! You’ll need to carry your luggage between train stations and hotels, which can involve multiple flights of stairs. Elevators are available, but lighter luggage will make your journey easier.

One night of this trip includes Korean-style floor bedding in a traditional hanok in Jeonju. The futon-like mattress may feel firm compared to Western beds, but heated floors ensure comfort. Extra mattresses are available upon request.

During the monastery visit, you'll experience monastic cuisine and rituals. Respecting local culture is key, so you'll be provided with pants and a tunic to wear, and socks must be worn in the temple.

The Jeonju Bibimbap Festival (third week of October) and the Seoul Kimchi Festival (first or second week of November) offer unique experiences. If you're interested in attending, please check our departure dates to align with your preferred festival.

1. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
2. While we endeavour to cater for specific dietary requirements, some meals and food activities are set in advance and may be difficult to adjust. Please advise us of any dietary requirements at the time of booking so that we can ensure you’ll enjoy this trip.
3. Please advise bedding configuration requests to your booking agent at time of booking.

What you need to bring will vary according to the trip style you have chosen, the countries you are visiting and when you are travelling. Generally speaking, we recommend you pack as lightly as possible and make sure that you are able to carry and lift your own luggage and walk with it for short distances or up or down a flight of stairs. Our travellers usually find the smaller their luggage is, the more they enjoy the trip not having to worry about carrying heavy bags! Aim to keep your main luggage under 15kg.

Many travellers carry their luggage in a compact smaller suitcase or backpack with wheels. We recommend your bag has carry straps or handles so it is easy to lift and carry for the times you are unable to wheel it (ie. on rough surfaces or up steps).

If you are taking overnight trains, or primarily using public transport then the smaller your luggage the easier it will be to store under or above bunks. Large suitcases may not be able to be taken on board. A lockable bag or small padlock for your bag will be useful especially when travelling on public transportation as well.

You'll also need a day pack/bag to carry water, camera, swimming suit, waterproof pouch/bag for phone, hiking shoes and jacket etc. when you’re exploring during the day.

Below we have listed the essentials for this trip:, https://www.intrepidtravel.com/packing-list, WATER BOTTLE
Please bring your own water bottle to refill along the way. Although it can be difficult to avoid bottled water when travelling, please use the water dispensers which are provided on some of our vehicles and at some of our accommodation. Your group leader or local representative will advise whether tap water is safe to drink in your destination, and if it is, you can simply refill it with tap water. When unable to avoid bottled water, it is better to buy the largest available and distribute it into your smaller bottle for the day. If you are walking or trekking as part of your trip you will need to carry at least 2L of water with you., REUSABLE CUP
If you enjoy grabbing a local drink while exploring please consider bringing a reusable cup with you as well.

Travelodge Myeongdong City Hall Hotel, 22 Sejong-daero 16-gil, Bukchang-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, KOREA, REPUBLIC OF, Phone: +822 63626000

Travelodge Myeongdong City Hall Hotel is conveniently located across from exit 8 of City Hall Subway Station. Shops and restaurants are within walking distance. The hotel features a fitness centre, self-service laundromat and laundry service, co-living pantry space, communal space, 24hr reception. All rooms are come with a private bathroom, wifi, and flat-screen TV with cable channels.

Please don’t confuse this property with the Euljiro (Myeongdong) or Dongdaemun branches.

Alternate Joining Point

Intrepid can assist with pre-booking an arrival transfer from the airport - enquire with your agent. Please advise your flight arrival details at least 14 days prior to your departure.
For your confirmed arrival transfer, you’ll be met by a transfer representative holding an Intrepid sign after you’ve collected your luggage and exited the immigration and customs area. If you cannot locate the transfer representative, please call the number listed in the ‘Problems & emergency contact information’ section of this document.
Alternatively, Seoul is very well-connected by public transport. Take Airport Limousine bus #6701 from the airport to the City Hall (Plaza Hotel) stop. Cost is approx. USD15. Arrive at Plaza Hotel and walk about 5 minutes to our hotel. From the bus stop cross and go down Namdaemun 1 Road, cross the road and go down Sejong Daero 18 Street.
Or take the train from the airport to Seoul Station. Change to subway line 1, travel one stop and arrive at City Hall. The hotel is a 5min walk away.
If you’d prefer to take the subway from the airport, buy a reloadable T-Money card (USD3) and load it with WON7000. Take the Airport Express Train to Hongik University Station (approx. 45 minutes). Once you arrive, transfer to line 2 (green line) towards City Hall. Exit City Hall station at exit 8. Cross the street and go down Sejong Daero 18 Street and take the second right, down Sejong Daero 18. From the subway station to the hotel should only take about 5 minutes.
If you would like to consider other modes of transport between Incheon Airport and the hotel, visit https://www.airport.kr/sites/ap_en/index.do

Travelodge Myeongdong City Hall Hotel, 22 Sejong-daero 16-gil, Bukchang-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, KOREA, REPUBLIC OF, Phone: +822 63626000

Travelodge Myeongdong City Hall Hotel is conveniently located across from exit 8 of City Hall Subway Station. Shops and restaurants are within walking distance. The hotel features a fitness centre, self-service laundromat and laundry service, co-living pantry space, communal space, 24hr reception. All rooms are come with a private bathroom, wifi, and flat-screen TV with cable channels.

Please don’t confuse this property with the Euljiro (Myeongdong) or Dongdaemun branches.

Alternate Finish Point

Intrepid can assist with pre-booking a departure transfer to the airport - enquire with your agent. Please advise your flight arrival details at least 14 days prior to the start of your trip.
If you have a confirmed departure transfer your leader will advise your pick up time the day before your trip ends.
Alternatively, your leader or hotel staff can assist with guidance on reaching the airport by public transport.

Breakfasts included: 5

Lunches included: 5

Dinners included: 5

While we will endeavour to cater to dietary requirements where possible, please note that many meals and food activities on Real Food Adventures are set in advance in order to deliver a well-rounded experience of a country’s cuisine. In many countries, dietary restrictions are uncommon and not well understood. If you have dietary requirements and are concerned about whether this may impact on your ability to participate fully in all food-related activities on this trip, please contact your agent at time of booking for further information. If you have dietary requirements and/or food allergies, you must notify your booking agent prior to departure so it can be determined whether your dietary requirements can be met.

In South Korea, garlic or sesame allergies are hard to accommodate for.

Meals & Beverages:
Please refer to the inclusions section for the included meals and food activities. Beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) are not included with meals unless specified or part of a beverage tasting activity. 

While we always endeavour to provide the best possible holiday experience, due to the nature of travel and the areas we visit sometimes things can and do go wrong. Should any issue occur while you are on your trip, it is imperative that you discuss this with your group leader or local representative straight away so that they can do their best to rectify the problem and save any potential negative impact on the rest of your trip.

We recognise that there may be times when your group leader or local representative may not be able to resolve a situation to your satisfaction - if this is the case, please ask the group leader or local representative to speak to their direct manager.

You may also choose to provide details in your online feedback, which we ask you to complete within 30 days of the end of your trip. Please do be aware that it is very difficult for us to provide any practical help after the trip is completed, so informing us while still travelling will give us the opportunity to resolve the issue in real-time.

For general contact details please use the following page: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/contact-us

In case of a genuine crisis or emergency, you can reach our local office on the numbers below:

In the case of a genuine crisis or emergency, please contact our local office:

Available for phone call or WhatsApp call on: +821 067067769/ +821 090031918

Hotel rooms:
Many South Korean hotels have a limited supply of twin rooms. If you are a couple travelling, please advise at the time of booking if you would like double bedding. Please note that double bed size tends to be smaller in South Korea than the normal western standard, closer to a queen size bed. It's possible to book twin share rooms where you may push the two beds together into a large bed, but this is not guaranteed.

Air-conditioning & Heating:
Air-conditioning is not usually turned on until the warmer season. The traditional housing has floor heating.

Hanok Stay:
Your mattress will be on the floor. If you find that the surface is too hard, you can stack the bedding or ask for an extra mattress.

Temple Stay:
Please note couples are not able to share a room during the Temple Stay (Day 4), as this is against Temple rules. You will share a twin share room with someone of the same gender for this evening.

If you are spending additional time before or after your tour, you will find that the transport in South Korea is reasonably priced, quick and efficient. Public buses don't always have the signage in English so is is recommended that you write your destination in hangeul (Korean phonetic alphabet) letters on a piece of paper. Bus drivers don't speak English. Local tourist centres usually have English-speaking staff and are the best places to find out about local buses.