After spending nearly all of last year in Seoul, South Korea, dealing with grief and sorrow, we sought to reinvigorate our joie de vivre in 2024. So many things to do, places to go, and people to see! This year, we transitioned slowly from the cozy comfort of a home base in Korea back to vagabond life. Travels this year included: Korea road trips and the Jeju Island Olle Trail, Kyushu Japan, Oaxaca Mexico, Italian Alps, family trip in the United Kingdom, a Lycian Way-inspired month in Turkey, and then a return to the United States.
January: “Home” in Korea
After completing seven weeks of mourning (a ritual called 사구재 “sa-gu-jae” in Korean) following C’s father’s passing and performing the ancestral memorial service to honor the first anniversary of his mother’s passing, we were ready to cherish every moment of LIFE on this beautiful planet.
As an initial get-away from the Seoul, we did a road trip with Korean family to Pocheon (포천) to walk the “river and cliff trail” and see the unique volcanic-era geological formations and mineral springs. It was festive and fun — and cold!
Korea is BONE-CHILLING COLD in the winter…
February: Hot Springs and Volcanoes in Kyushu, Japan
…to warm up, we headed to Kyushu, Japan, in February. We spent three weeks road-tripping, soaking in hot springs, hiking volcanoes, exploring far-flung beaches, and communing with monkeys in the shade of thousand year old cedar trees. We passed through Nagasaki, where we were deeply inspired by the incredible story of doctor, author, and atomic bomb survivor Takashi Nagai. His book “The Bells of Nagasaki” should be required reading for every high school student on the planet.
March: Olle Trail in South Korea’s Jeju Island
In March, the palm trees of Jeju Island beckoned. We decided to walk the Olle Trail, a 400+ kilometer walking trail that circumnavigates Korea’s largest island. We were a little early in the season, so it was mainly just us and the locals for over three weeks. It was characteristically windy, but much warmer than Seoul in early Spring. And we got to see the canola fields in all their glorious yellow bloom! As we walked with just a simple backpack and no real plan, our wanderlust kicked in. We headed back to Seoul with the intention of returning to vagabonding after our apartment lease was finished at the end of June…
April: Whirlwind Tour of Seoul, Busan and Gyeongju with Friends
We returned to Seoul a day before our besties arrived from the United States, visiting us for a week in April. We were ecstatic to welcome them to Korea and show them around! They were super-troopers! In just a week, we whirled through the sites in Seoul, whisked them via high speed train to the beaches in Busan, then wrapped up with a traditional cultural hanok stay in Gyeongju. Our friends are always up for everything, even in the fog of jet lag - so many laughs, memories, and FOOD!! Words cannot express how much we appreciated their visit, smiles, and loving hearts!!
May: Surfing and Diving in Oaxaca, Mexico
In May, we were briefly in the United States for business and my nephew’s high school graduation party. Since we were in the western half of the globe, we popped on over to Mexico for a few weeks. After a wonderful time visiting our friend in Playa del Carmen, we flew west to the state of Oaxaca. Our mission: learn to love the beach. We threw ourselves into the task, starting with surfing lessons, then a little snorkeling, and finally diving all-in on a full Open Water SCUBA certification course. By the time we returned to Seoul in early June, we were sun-kissed groovy beach bums!
June: Transitioning Back to Vagabonding (Again)
We returned to Korea in June. Our lease was up on the apartment we had rented and we were ready to downsize once again to backpacks and vagabonding.
We spent the month of June enjoying the sunshine, Korean food, and family, doing a little hiking, and disposing of all home-base possessions. 안녕히계세요!! 또 봐요!
July-September: Italian Alps (Dolomites)
The beach time in Mexico had been inspiring, but our true love is the mountains. After moving out of our apartment in Seoul, we headed to the Italian Alps. Having disposed of all home-base possessions, we were traveling with just the packs on our back… and one burdensome suitcase henceforth dubbed the ill-fated “third bag” experiment. We spent the entire summer in the Dolomites, climbing via ferrata courses like kids at a playground! Unbelievable scenery, every single day.
A note about the “3rd bag” experiment: I suppose I had become a little too attached to some of the comforts that having a home-base affords, such as a sharp knife, a reliable vegetable peeler, a yoga mat, an extra pair of shoes, and “just in case” overnight camping gear. When it came time to downsize to backpacks again, I rationalized that a 3rd bag would enable us to carry “luxury” items for “more comfort and flexibility”. In reality, the third bag was a huge pain in the butt that caused more arguments and hassle than it was ever worth! Thankfully, my mom took the suitcase and all its un-necessary contents back with her to the United States after our trip to the United Kingdom in September. Henceforth, I shall trust the wisdom gained from past vagabonding adventures: Lighter is ALWAYS better.
September: Family Trip in London and Scotland
After several months of hiking and climbing in the Dolomites, we flew to the United Kingdom for a family road trip in England and Scotland. First we met my mom in London for a rapid-fire tour of Big Ben, London Eye, Southwark, Tower Bridge, St. Paul’s Cathedral choral practice, Buckingham Palace guard change, Hyde and Kensington Parks, Stonehenge, and Windsor.
The three of us rendezvoused with C’s sisters and brother-in-law in Edinburgh. Another several fast-paced days in Edinburgh: Royal Mile, Tartan Museum, High Tea at the Signet Library Colonnades, St. Giles horse parade, bagpipes, haggis, pubs, and morning beach strolls.
From Edinburgh, we drove to the Highlands and the Isle of Skye. We were blessed with a crazy-for-Scotland streak of dry, sunny weather. We had not a drop of rain or fog to obscure the views: Old Man of Storr, the Fairy Glen, Portree harbor, Urqhart and Eilane Castles. With all that beautiful sunshine, “Nessie” was too shy to surface, so no pics of the famous “monster”.
A final stop in gritty Glasgow capped off the two weeks - street art, neo-gothic architecture, and industrial history to remind us how quickly economies rise and fall…
October: Lycian Way in Turkey
After 15 days in the UK (and minus the 3rd suitcase), we parted with family and went to Antalya, Turkey, with the intention of hiking the Lycian Way. The country was in the grip of an unusual heat wave, though, so it was too hot for a through-hike of the trail. Instead, we used the trail more as inspiration, traveling between the ancient Lycian towns by bus, instead of walking: Letoon and Xanthos, Gelemis, Kas, Cirali and Antalya. Along the “trail”, we ended up doing far more than we anticipated, including scuba diving and kayaking in Kas.
Click any photo for a larger slideshow…
We had a lot of quality time in the seaside area of Konyalti Beach, Antalya, over the month, as well. Before hitting the Lycian Way, we also scratched off a bucket list item in Cappadocia by visiting the underground city of Derinkuyu, the fairy chimneys, ancient early Christian cave churches, and (of course) the daily sunrise balloon festival.
November and December: “Home” for the Holidays in the USA
We returned to the USA to visit American family and celebrate the holidays. We had planned to continue onward to some place warm. But it was kinda nice being “home” after a busy year of travel. Our friends came to see us in Pittsburgh and we enjoyed a lot of warm family moments. We had started the year with Korean family and ended the year with American family. It felt like a big hug to wrap up 2024.
