In this blog post, I’ll focus on the experiences and changes I’ve gained from meeting new people through solo travel, as well as the impact that travel has had on my life.
Anyone who has completed their military service will likely relate to the fact that during their time in the military, they spend a lot of time pondering what to do on leave or how to live their life after discharge. Having been discharged this past January, I, too, spent a great deal of time thinking about these very things. Since I served as a military police officer, I had plenty of time to reflect on my own, especially when I was the youngest in my unit. I often thought about what to do on leave and would jot down my thoughts one by one. One of those ideas was “trying a solo trip.” As I read many books about travel, I began to think about it in new ways, and above all, I frequently came across the idea that traveling alone allows you to have diverse experiences and gain deep insights. I’d always had a positive view of travel, having built memories and gained many insights while traveling with family and friends. However, since I’d never traveled alone before, I couldn’t easily understand the emotions described in those books. So I decided to experience it for myself, and I’ve now been on three solo trips.
My first solo trip began 100 days before my discharge, when I headed straight to the express bus terminal without any plan. After quickly reading other people’s travel reviews on a travel forum, I immediately booked a bus ticket to Gyeongju. Remembering how a junior soldier had told me that guesthouse parties were really fun, I focused my search for accommodations on guesthouses. After much deliberation, I found a place that was perfect for a solo traveler like me and booked it right away.
As soon as I arrived in Gyeongju, I unpacked at my guesthouse, rented a bicycle, and rode around exploring various spots. After exploring for an hour or two, I got hungry and headed to a popular restaurant I’d looked up on the bus. I remember feeling incredibly embarrassed walking into the restaurant alone to place my order. I even felt like all the couples, families, and foreign tourists around me were staring at me. But as soon as the food arrived, I forgot all about my embarrassment and polished off a whole bowl of rice in no time.
After dinner, I hurried to attend the guesthouse party. There, the person sitting next to me happened to be an officer serving in the same unit as me. At first, it was so awkward that I even wondered if I should salute him since we were from the same unit. But thanks to the common ground of both being soldiers, we naturally started talking about our unit and became friends in no time.
After the guesthouse party ended, we were once again amazed. Not only were we assigned the same room, but we’d even been given the top and bottom bunks of the same bunk bed. Finding it hard to believe such a coincidence could exist, we marveled at it together and spent the next morning exploring Bulguksa Temple and going for a drive. Though it was a short time, it was enough to let me experience the unique charm of traveling alone.
My trip to Gyeongju introduced me to the joys of solo travel, and as soon as I was discharged, I set off on my second solo trip to Jeju Island. Actually, I hadn’t expected to go alone—I’d planned to visit Jeju with high school friends who were also discharged around the same time, and I’d even booked my flight a month in advance. However, one of my friends’ family vacation plans suddenly conflicted with ours, so we had no choice but to cancel the flight. Since I really wanted to go on this trip, I booked a new flight ticket the very next day—just as I had done for my Gyeongju trip—without even making a plan.
Through my trip to Gyeongju, I’d learned that I could find travel companions on travel forums, so I posted a message just in case: “If anyone has a travel schedule that matches mine for Jeju Island, please contact me.” A few hours later, I received a reply from a man saying that his schedule matched mine perfectly and asking me to contact him if I was truly interested in traveling together. Although there are many risks these days, after exchanging a few messages on social media, I got the impression he wasn’t a bad person. I figured that having met so many people during my military service had given me a certain knack for judging character, so we ultimately decided to travel together.
We booked the same guesthouse and agreed to meet in Jeju. The next day, with a flutter of excitement, I boarded the flight to Jeju. Perhaps because it had been a while since I’d been on a plane, a smile spread across my face of its own accord. I arrived about an hour and a half early, so I was exploring downtown Jeju while waiting for my travel companion. Suddenly, I received a message from my companion saying they’d run into an acquaintance on the way to Jeju and asking if it would be okay for that person to join us. Since the whole point of this trip was to travel with a stranger, I actually thought it worked out for the best.
A short while later, the three of us met for the first time, exchanging awkward smiles. I had assumed “acquaintance” meant a friend, but it turned out to be someone I’d met at a previous guesthouse. At first, we were all a bit shy, so we briefly introduced ourselves. One was Jang Jae-yoon, who had been discharged from the Marine Corps around the same time as me and was traveling, and the other was Park Min-kyung, who was traveling while on a leave of absence from school. Since I didn’t know much about them yet and figured our travel styles might differ, I thought it would be best to keep a moderate distance at first. That’s why I’d been a bit vague about the rental period when we booked the car.
But as we traveled together, had many conversations, and took lots of photos using Min-kyung’s tripod, we grew close before we knew it. All three of us had lively personalities and shared similar values about the future, so we were able to become close in a short amount of time. On the second day, we woke up at 4 a.m. to head to Seongsan Ilchulbong, but heavy clouds prevented us from seeing the sunrise in its entirety. Feeling a bit disappointed, we decided to create our own memories anyway and set up the tripod to take photos in unique poses. We were so engrossed in the fun of taking pictures that we even forgot to eat breakfast.
That evening, at a guesthouse with a unique atmosphere, we had a wonderful time drinking beer and singing songs with new people until the early hours of the morning. We drew on each other’s faces with whiteboard markers, and the laughter never stopped. One of the guests was a chef, and I still can’t forget the taste of the bulgogi and kimchi fried rice he made for us. The atmosphere was so relaxed that I couldn’t tell whether I was a guest or just visiting a friend’s house; I felt as comfortable as if I were at home.
By the third day, we continued our trip with a sense of regret that we would soon have to part ways. On the last day, we decided to go boat fishing together. Thanks to a recommendation from the guesthouse, we were able to go fishing for just 10,000 won—a perfect fit for us as students who weren’t exactly rolling in cash. As someone who loved fishing, I set out to sea with high hopes, but I didn’t catch a single fish. Instead, I remember being taken aback when Min-kyung and Jae-yoon—who had no fishing experience—ended up catching more fish than I did. To make matters worse, I even got seasick, so by the end, I was feeling quite queasy and had a rough time.
The other two, excluding me, were stopping by Jeju Island as part of their “Nae-il-ro” trip and said they planned to head back to Seoul in about five days. We promised to meet again in Seoul and parted ways, leaving our regret behind. Then, exactly five days later, they both contacted me to say they had arrived at Seoul Station. I confidently told them I’d plan a three-day tour of Seoul to show them around and ensure they had a great time—just as good as their time on Jeju Island. Although we haven’t been able to meet often since our Seoul tour because our schools are far apart, we’ve become the kind of friends who can always laugh and chat whenever we meet again.
Experiencing for the first time that it’s possible to maintain lasting relationships with people I met while traveling brought about a significant change in my way of thinking. Furthermore, as I met and talked with various people while traveling, I naturally came to understand different ways of thinking and living that I wouldn’t normally encounter, and I realized that I had been living in a very narrow world up until then. Not only that, but I experienced firsthand and truly understood the words in books that say traveling can broaden one’s perspective on the world.
After my trip to Jeju Island, I felt an urge to keep traveling. Since I’d already visited Gyeongju and Jeju Island, I decided it was time to travel abroad. I wanted to see a broader world, and since I’d already traveled extensively within South Korea, I chose Vietnam as the destination for my third solo trip.
To satisfy my wanderlust, even if just a little, I read many books on the subject. Books written based on experiences traveling abroad alone all emphasized that you can experience a whole new world overseas and encounter diverse cultures and people that are hard to find in South Korea. I decided on Vietnam as my destination because airfare and the cost of living there are relatively affordable, making it a budget-friendly option. Vietnam was also a place my family had visited while I was serving in the military. A significant part of my desire to go to Vietnam was likely due to the regret I felt from not being able to go with them because of my military service.
My family told me that Vietnam is a relatively low-stress destination for solo travel and that each region has its own distinct character, offering plenty to see and do. While I usually prefer to travel spontaneously and freely, my overseas trip had a limited schedule, so unlike before, I thoroughly researched travel information and made detailed plans before leaving. It was a new realization for me—someone who usually finds planning a hassle—that I could prepare this thoroughly, and I also came to understand that a well-planned trip allows you to experience so much more.
I learned online that many travelers from around the world visit Vietnam, so I set a goal for this trip to dine with or travel alongside foreigners. In fact, after arriving in Vietnam, I ended up having dinner with the person sitting next to me on the very first bus I took—achieving my goal much sooner than expected, which surprised even me.
I arrived at Ho Chi Minh City Airport in Vietnam around 1:30 a.m. and boarded a bus with a mix of excitement and the urgent need to find a place to stay. The person sitting next to me looked to be around my age, so I asked where they were headed. Not only did they speak English fluently, but they were also very friendly, so we were able to chat a lot on the way to my accommodation. Based on his recommendation, I ended up changing the accommodation I had originally planned to book, and I also received various tips for my first day of travel.
When I think back on how he introduced me to affordable accommodations in Vietnam and generously shared travel advice, I still feel that he was a tremendous help. He made such a positive impression that I wondered if I could have been that kind to a foreign traveler visiting South Korea—and thanks to him, my first impression of the Vietnamese people was very favorable.
However, that turned out to be a mistake. I had read countless warnings online advising against riding motorcycles recklessly in Ho Chi Minh City, so I kept refusing the offers from people who wanted to give me a ride. Despite this, one man persistently approached me, showing me notes left by South Korean travelers who had used his motorcycle in the past and repeatedly assuring me that he was trustworthy. In the end, trusting his words and getting on the motorcycle was my downfall.
Since I’d read online that you must always agree on a price in advance when traveling abroad, I tried to confirm the fare first. But he kept insisting he’d only charge a small amount, so I ended up taking the ride without verifying the exact price. When it came time to pay after arriving at my destination, the man—who had been so friendly—suddenly changed his attitude and threatened to take me to the police station unless I paid more. I insisted as much as I could that I didn’t have the money, but fearing I might miss the sleeper bus or that the situation could escalate, I ended up handing over a bit more money and hurriedly left the scene.
I learned firsthand that abroad, you can find yourself in dangerous situations much more easily than expected, and when it actually happens, you can’t help but feel even more flustered. Through that experience, I resolved to act even more cautiously when traveling abroad, where communication can be difficult.
However, aside from that incident, my trip to Vietnam is filled with fond memories. Since I was traveling alone, I was able to naturally strike up conversations with many foreign friends. In particular, on the sleeper bus, I spent about two hours with two travelers from Europe, showing each other photos of our respective countries and discussing our cultures. It was amazing to me that I, despite not having excellent English skills, was able to keep the conversation going, and it was the first time I realized that English could be this much fun. At the same time, I set a new goal: to improve my conversational skills in a foreign language so I could have more diverse conversations with people from around the world. This was because I keenly felt that my limited English skills placed a ceiling on my conversations. I came to believe that, above all else, improving my English was the top priority for gaining a deeper understanding of other cultures and histories.
When I returned to my daily life after completing my three solo trips, I didn’t really notice how much I had changed. However, with each trip, I accumulated precious memories, and as time passed, I found that simply reminiscing about my travels brought me happiness.
I also developed a new perspective on life, and my desire to keep seeking out and visiting new destinations grew stronger. I realized that while connections made through travel can easily be one-time encounters, they can also last for a long time depending on mutual understanding and effort. In fact, the fact that I’m still in touch with people I met on my travels and maintaining good relationships with them has been a very meaningful experience for me.
Furthermore, my confidence has grown significantly through repeated experiences of approaching many people—especially foreigners—and striking up conversations with them. Discovering that I’m now more proactive in reaching out to others than I used to be is, I believe, one of the greatest gifts that solo travel has given me.
Not only that, but traveling made me reflect anew on the value of the small, trivial things that are easily overlooked in daily life. For example, while traveling abroad, I gained a deeper appreciation for just how convenient and well-developed South Korea’s public transportation system is. Things I had previously taken for granted took on a new perspective through travel, and my gratitude for my familiar daily life naturally grew.
The greatest reward I gained from my three solo trips wasn’t simply exploring new places, but rather meeting new people, creating memories with them, and broadening my perspective on the world. Although I initially set out on these trips out of mere curiosity—simply wanting to try traveling alone—I eventually realized that it’s the connections between people that make a trip truly special.
Traveling alone doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be alone the entire time. On the contrary, being alone makes it easier to strike up conversations with new people and increases the likelihood of forming unexpected connections. Of course, you might encounter dangerous situations or face unexpected difficulties while traveling. However, as long as you’re careful and maintain a mindset focused on self-protection, even those experiences can become valuable lessons that help you grow and mature in life.
I believe that everyone should experience traveling alone at least once in their lifetime. The time spent meeting new people in unfamiliar places and reflecting on yourself while stepping away from your familiar routine will become a special memory that lasts longer than any other trip.
