“Home is where the heart is” and Korea is home. It’s my place of residence but also my place of birth; both my routes and my roots. Korea is a country full of beauty and mystery, one where modern meets old, present meets past, one I am so proud to call my motherland.

And ever since we moved here nine years ago, Young and I have been exploring its nooks and crannies and now, we get to experience it through the eyes of our three kids. My husband often says that moving back to our motherland has felt like rereading a childhood favorite book – nostalgia layered with new perspectives. Fresh eyes to rediscover the familiar and uncover the hidden treasures.

Traveling with littles is not for the faint of heart. Our youngest is 16 months and at a challenging stage to travel with, but we’ve still managed to do it. And this summer, we traveled throughout Korea, hitting up the west coast, the east coast, Jeju-do and I even squeezed in a visit to my parents in the southern-most province of Jeolla-do. I took the kids to my parents’ by myself and let’s just say I won’t be doing that again anytime soon.

Those visiting Korea know the usual suspects, Seoul and Busan. And don’t get me wrong- they’re great. But because we live here, we’ve been finding areas that are less frequented.

안면도 Anmyeon-do: With both O and my mom having July birthdays, we took this trip with my parents as half birthday celebration, half summer-kickoff. Young booked the “kids’ room” and though it wasn’t ideal for a family of five, we made it work (a theme in all our travels).

It was actually our second time to the resort, Island Resom and there’s a reason why. It’s convenient and comfortable for families with children. With multiple restaurants on site, and delivery directly to your room for a small cost, we enjoyed an array of cuisines comfortably.

Aside from several eating options, the resort has a kids’ play area/library/arcade/pool and spa all within the resort, making traveling with littles much more manageable. Also included in our package was a self-photoshoot (all the rage here in Korea these days). We made sure to make the most of it and got the best photos of our family.

The main restaurant at the resort offered a breakfast buffet that we took advantage of our last day. And the restaurant thought of every last detail to make it truly kid-friendly. Highchairs are a given, but they even had a separate kids’ section! It was at a height making it easy for kids to access the food independently and was stocked with kids’ plates and utensils and kid-favorites. They even had packaged seaweed!

And the very best part? The resort is right on the water, just a few steps away from the beach. Anmyeon-do is known for its 갯벌, mudflat, the perfect playground for littles to freely explore, finding creatures and shells, without the worry for parents of being near water.

제주도 Jeju-do: Something that’s been popular amongst pockets of Koreans these days is “제주살이”- living in Jeju for a temporary period of time. Jeju seems to offer the perfect change of scenery and change of pace. And thanks to our friends doing 제주살이, we got an inside look into life in Jeju- eating where the locals eat, and visiting places that were not swarmed by tourists.

Jeju has a vibe all of its own. The volcanic rock walls all throughout the island really are special and unique to island.

They call Jeju the “Hawaii of Korea”. And in many ways, I can understand why. Hawaii, though a part of the U.S., feels like a completely different country and Jeju is similar in that way. And with sandy beaches, blue waters and green mountains, Jeju has it all.

We spent a day at the beach - our friends led us to the most idyllic cove. Truthfully, I’m not a big beach person. Maybe it’s the sand, the stickiness, the waves and the unpredictability. But I thoroughly enjoyed this cove. It was perfect.

The main objective for our Jeju trip was soaking up every last bit of quality time with our dear friends before they left Korea. And we got to do just that, while crossing off the few things on my to-do list – get 회 (raw fish) and good coffee, see horses, go to the beach, and take a walk through the forest.

Our friends are experts at “breaking bread”, bringing people together for food and fellowship. Around their dining table, we got chatting about the trivial, the deep, and I left this particular trip refreshed, rejuvenated and with a new fire in my heart to pursue passions and dreams.

양양 Yangyang: Our final trip of the summer was to Yangyang, a beach town on the east coast of Korea, known for its surfing. Korea’s east coast has the bragging rights for the best air quality (something quite important here) and between the clear air and lush mountains, it’s a favorite vacation spot.

This trip was with friends we’ve done life with since day 1 of parenting. It’s special when you have a group of people you’ve done life with and can travel with. Despite our group being 15 people total, 7 kids and 8 adults, we all found a groove. When you do life together, and the kids jive and the parents jive, everything becomes easier.

We rented an Airbnb right by the beach and spent 2 night, 3 days in Yangyang. Between a game night that was elaborately planned by two dads (with the best prizes and a powerpoint presentation and all), and noraebang c/o the Airbnb, it was eventful.

Our beach day was at a beach less known than THE beach in Yangyang. And it was the perfect choice because with no crowds, we all got a bit of sun and sand.

We rented two picnic benches that came with parasols which came in handy giving us much-needed shade and a place to eat. We managed a lunch on the beach – some of us ordering burgers from a local joint and others taking full advantage of a Korean convenience store and all of its glory.

Photos by @walkwithdoug

On our last day, we found a cafe with views. We eventually found seating to accommodate all of us and indulged in baked goodies and got our fill of caffeinated drinks. There was a moment when the four boys sat at their own table with their drinks and a game, and I got emotional, thinking about how good friends are sometimes all we need in life.

And that’s a wrap!

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