Going Solo: How I Became a Solo Traveler

I didn’t know what outcomes to expect from my study abroad trip, but I was excited regardless. Before embarking on my trip, I had made one goal: to grow as a person. 

I let myself spend a lot of time in my own company so that I could get to know myself better. If I didn’t have someone to go with me, I did not let that stop me from doing what I wanted and going where I wanted to go. After all, one of the reasons I wanted to study abroad was to travel and explore a foreign country. 

First Experience Solo

I had the chance to go to my first K-pop concert to see my favorite group, Stray Kids. No other study abroad student I knew could get tickets to attend because only those with the membership could get tickets, and tickets sold out in just a couple of minutes, so I had no choice but to go alone if I wanted to see my favorite group. This was also my first time taking the train by myself, but I wasn’t at all worried because the Naver Maps app, which is used in South Korea instead of Google Maps, helped me know how to get there.

Eventually, at one of the stops, fans from China asked me if I was going to the concert, as they spotted a plush keychain that was Stray Kids merch. They gave me some small gifts they were giving out to fans and joined me as we figured out how to get to KSPO Dome, where the concert was held. Once arriving, we went to the line to get free merch for having the membership, then entered the venue and split off to our designated seats. 

At the venue, people had flown in from all over the world, mainly from the neighboring countries of Japan and China. Although the Stray Kids Fan Meeting was held in South Korea, everything from the show was in Korean, which made it hard to know what was happening at times, as I understand limited Korean. I had fun regardless because they performed all the songs that I know and love, and it is what brought me to this place where I can bond with people from all over the world just because of one shared interest.

At the end of the concert, I went to have some street food outside near the venue, and I decided to join two girls who also came to the concert alone. One of the girls was from Germany but was studying the Korean language in Korea, and the other girl was Korean and a Korea University alum, which coincidentally happens to be the university I was studying at. Before we parted ways, we took pictures of our plushies, exchanged social media, and ensured we were all getting home safely. Above all, it was an unforgettable memory that reminded me of how getting into K-pop led me to study abroad in South Korea and opened me up to many opportunities because I gained a curiosity about South Korean culture. 

Exploring Seoul

After this, I became more confident about venturing into doing more solo trips. I decided to have random days to myself where I went around Seoul, a city immersed with tons of life and culture, exploring and visiting places on my bucket list for Korea, like going to trendy cafes, shopping at COEX Starfield Mall, visiting the BTS Pop-Up Shop, and wandering around areas like Myeongdong, Hongdae, Seongsu, and Gangnam.

The thrill of discovering these places on my own helped me build my confidence in exploring Seoul and becoming more confident in traveling on my own. Especially in a country like South Korea, traveling solo is a lot easier because of how safe the country is. 

Embarking on my first solo trip

My time abroad was close to coming to an end, with only a few weeks left before I had to head back home, but there was still one place on my bucket list for South Korea that I wanted to go to while I was still in the country, that place was Jeju Island. Jeju is known for its many beautiful beaches and UNESCO World Heritage Sites, among many other things that make it special. I decided to visit Jeju Island as a solo traveler.

I planned to stay in Jeju for a weekend. I researched a lot a few days before the trip and planned my itinerary. Through Expedia, I got my roundtrip flights, including my stay, so I didn’t have to worry about getting everything separately; I recommend doing this as it makes everything much easier. I flew from Gimpo International Airport to Jeju Airport, and the flight was only around an hour long. 

If you are worried about not speaking the language, airports and more touristy areas are usually places where the employees speak at least some English. Regardless, it’s good to know at least the language basics, and having a translator app ready is always handy. I highly recommend using Papago for Korean. 

I stayed at a hotel in Jeju City that was not only near the airport but also almost right in front of the beach. I took a taxi from the airport to the hotel using the Kakao T app, which makes booking a taxi easy and convenient; think of it as the Korean equivalent of apps like Uber and Lyft. 

Kicking off my trip

After I checked into my hotel, I headed out to visit the first place on my itinerary. In terms of transportation, Jeju does not have trains or subways, so I only used buses and taxis. I visited the Jeju National Museum, only about 15 to 20 minutes by bus from my hotel. Visiting the museum was a great way to kick off my trip because I could learn about the unique history of Jeju Island and see many artifacts.

After the museum, I returned to my hotel to rest before dinner. I went to Dongmun Market for dinner, which was a short walk from my hotel. I highly recommend Dongmun Market because it is a very lively tourist spot where you can find many souvenirs and gifts you can bring back home, like volcanic stone hareubang statues and Hallabong (Jeju’s own mandarin) themed souvenirs, snacks like yakgwa and oranda. Apart from many souvenirs to buy from, there are many street food options to try. 

Saturday unexpectedly became a rainy day, so I had to switch out my itinerary and travel to the very south of Jeju Island, Seogwipo. Before going to Seogwipo, I stopped by Chilseong-ro Shopping Street to shop at the many trendy shops. Afterward, I headed to Seogwipo, took a bus, and then transferred to the airport limousine bus, which was more like a shuttle bus that took me from the north of the island to the very south. 

After riding the airport limousine bus to Seogwipo for about 45 minutes, the stop was right by the Jungmun Tourist Complex, where there are many different attractions. The first place I visited in Seogwipo was Cheonjeyeon Falls, which includes three waterfalls. To get to the waterfalls, you have to first cross Seonimigyo Bridge; it can seem at first quite scary to some people because it is quite steep, but it is all worth it; the view at the top of the bridge was unlike anything I have ever seen before.

Standing in the middle of the Seonimgyo Bridge and enjoying the view made me reflect for a moment and feel tremendously grateful for everything that has brought me to see such a beautiful view that I had only dreamed of. Luckily, the rain had stopped right before I arrived at the waterfalls, so I could fully enjoy the sights. After crossing the bridge, I went to see the waterfalls, where the water was a lovely aquamarine blue; I had never seen anything quite like it. 

Of course, after seeing such a beautiful sight, I wasn’t going to miss out on getting a picture. A simple sentence that helped me ask strangers to take my picture was “저기요, 사진 찍어 주세요 (jeogiyo sajin jjigeo juseyo),” which means “Excuse me, can you take my picture please?” Don’t forget always to say “감사합니다 (gamsahamnida)” to give thanks after they have taken your picture!

My next stop was Yeomiji Botanical Garden, located next to Cheonjeyeon Falls. At the botanical garden, I visited some of the major gardens after seeing most of the Indoor Gardens, like the Japanese Garden and French Garden, which were among my favorites. 

Right before the botanical garden closed, I headed out and walked to Jungmun Saekdal Beach, which was about 15 minutes away. After all, I didn’t fly to Jeju to miss out on the beautiful beaches. Once arriving at the beach, I watched over the view as it was filled with surfers. But the sunset was approaching, so I went to check out The Cliff, a popular restaurant and bar, famously the filming location of the music video for Alcohol-Free by Twice.

I ordered a pizza for dinner and sat at a spot where I could view the coastline. Off in the far distance, I could see the mountains; I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect view of the sunset. After finishing my meal, I took the bus that headed me back to Jeju City, ready to go to bed early, as I had a packed itinerary the following day. 

Maximizing my Experience

It was Sunday, my last full day in Jeju Island, so I planned to make the most of it. In the morning, I walked to Tapdong Plaza, a nice area near the shore. After going on my walk, I wanted to take a bus to my first destination. I took my first bus and had to transfer, but the bus was taking too long to arrive, and there was no ETA, so there was a chance of it taking over an hour to come. At this point, I realized that the buses weren’t as reliable as I thought. From that moment on, I had to take taxis to each destination I wanted to go to to make the most of my time. 

With the taxi, I promptly made it to my destination; my first destination was Snoopy Garden, and there was lots to explore. Snoopy Garden has an indoor area that serves as a museum and an exhibit of the Peanuts comics, including many photo opportunity spots. Just as you thought there wouldn’t be any more photo opportunities, you reach the actual garden itself, which is vast, and you won’t want to skip out on it. The whole garden is so cute, and some of my favorite areas are Beagle Scout Camp, Snoopy Persona Rock Garden, and Warm Puppy Lake. Apart from all of this, Snoopy Garden also has a cafe and shop.

After Snoopy Garden, it was time to head to an official Studio Ghibli store called Dotorisup. They had merch from practically every Studio Ghibli movie. Outside of all the merch, the store itself had many things from Studio Ghibli fans’ dreams, like a life-sized Totoro and Catbus from My Neighbor Totoro and Calcifer from Howl’s Moving Castle.

Right next to the store is the Koriko Cafe, which is based on the cafe from the movie Kiki’s Delivery Service. The cafe had a unique menu with many references to the movie. I treated myself to a sweet meal, which included what, in my opinion, is the best pound cake ever, exclusive to the Jeju location menu, along with a drink and a Dutch baby pancake. 

The last place I planned to visit on my itinerary was Ecoland, a theme park; it has a train that takes you to different stops around the park that are only accessible via the train. Each stop includes a unique theme, activities, shops, and food; there is a lot to see and do. Some of my favorite sights were the Casa del Viento windmill based on the one from the classic story of Don Quixote, fairy houses that looked like the houses from The Hobbit, and the lavender field that looked straight out of a dream. 

Once I got back to my hotel, I stopped by Tapdong Plaza once again to get a view of the sunset, and because it is near the airport, you could also see planes flying by not too far away. It was my last night, and because I liked Dongmun Market so much, I returned to get a few gifts and my last dinner. At the market, I met a solo traveler from France with whom I quickly bonded. We both enjoyed a watermelon drink I had wanted to try since the first night and then said our goodbyes. The morning after, I had to fly back to Seoul and say goodbye to the beautiful Jeju Island. 

How Going Solo Impacted Me

My first completely solo trip was a huge step in becoming and proving that I have become more independent during my study abroad. I didn’t feel very lonely during my trip, and it was nice to enjoy my own peace. After all, I went on my study abroad trip all on my own, although I was fortunate to meet many wonderful people along the way.

I decided to study abroad for my own self-improvement. The idea of going by myself didn’t stop me from seeing so many places I wouldn’t have imagined visiting. I wanted to share my experience with others and show that it is ok to travel alone. I hope that reading this inspires you not to feel scared of traveling alone. Just start by doing a few small things alone and then build up to bigger trips; remember that there are always people around that you can meet and become friends with wherever you decide to go.

Emily Valdovinos, Florida Gulf Coast University, is studying abroad in South Korea with TEAN.