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[Traveling the world with dramas] Travel outwards, looking in


Are You Human Too?

By @purebristles

I’m not Korean, nor am I living in Korea, so one of the best thing about being hooked on K-dramas being primarily set in Korea is that it makes all trips there feel like a visit to a big, country-sized movie set. A really, really big one, where everyone could be the lead actor or actress, and all the extras are always on set, working.

Every visit I make feels like a trip to Disney World for me: Every pojangmacha is where I could sit back-to-back with my best friend whom I’m in love with (like Hong Nan-hee and Byung Hyun-tae from Bottom of the 9th With 2 Outs), every bus ride could be one where I might be sitting beside my forever love (like Jung Jae-chan and Nam Hong-joo from While You Were Sleeping), and every trip I have to make out to Busan could be the train ride filled with zombies!


Train to Busan

So in one sense, the worlds I travel to with K-dramas are the fictional worlds I carry within me whenever I visit Korea. I walk the travellators in Incheon Airport with Seo Do-woo from On the Way to the Airport, take the subway into Seoul with Im Ba-reun from Miss Hammurabi, ride the minibus and wander the streets of Busan with Dong-man and Ae-ra from Fight My Way, and hang out in Jeju with Gun-woo and Jung-joo from Warm and Cozy.

Why is this significant? These K-dramas have given me strength and cheered me on in my life as their stories — these Asian stories — always whisper and salve life wounds. K-dramas show me, “Hey, you’re not a life failure if you’re still living in your parents’ place — look at how Jin-jin from 20th Century Boy and Girl wrangled it; it’s really normal and nothing to be ashamed about.” K-dramas tell me, “Yes, it’s really normal to consider family expectations when making big decisions, like Jang Hye-sung in I Hear Your Voice.”

K-dramas tell me the world is both bigger and smaller at the same time, and we should be kind to one another because we are all muddling through it together, like Lee Ji-an and Park Dong-hoon from My Ajusshi. And when I walk the streets of Korea, I am thankful for the voice the K-drama industry plays in bringing an Asian voice to the table. It may not be truly mine, but it is closer to home, and more importantly, closer to my heart, my issues, my life.


My Ajusshi

Beyond Korea, the worlds which have opened up thanks to K-dramas being set there have made my heart and travel bucket list full. As an avid traveler already who also travels Asia extensively for work (I count myself very blessed!), my heart is happy when I see places I know and love being visited.

I was so excited when I saw my favorite parts of Laos — the waterfalls — being visited by Na PD and the boys in Youth Over Flowers. I squealed over the cute quokka photos from the Winner boys when on the Australian leg of Na PD’s kidnap series, and was delighted to see the Kuala Lumpur skyline in On the Way to the Airport. Revisiting my very favorite parts of Paris with Yoon So-so and San Ma-roo in The Package made me determined to get the K-drama itinerary and visit Mont Saint-Michel.


The Package

It is then at this intersection of “knowing yet not knowing” that my bucket list gets slowly populated — whether I’ve been there or not, whether in Korea or not, seeing travel locations in K-dramas always makes me ask myself: Where else is there to go? What’s there to do, what’s there to eat, where’s more to hike, what’s the best photography spot to head to? Through the lens of breathlessly beautiful K-drama cinematography, let me leave you with my travel bucket list notes through the world:

Greece, you had me at the first strains of “You Are My Everything,” with those sweeping scenes of blue seas and the gorgeous shipwreck on Navagio Beach in Descended from the Sun. I may not have a Yoo Shi-jin, but I have Google maps and a selfie stick and I’m not afraid to use them.

Czech Republic, I will be looking forward to visiting old cottages with beautiful sunset vistas. Please, pretty please, tell me you’ll provide a handsome robot tour guide, like ShinBot from Are You Human Too?


Youth Over Flowers in Iceland

Iceland, I hate the cold, but if Kang Ha-neul and Jo Jung-seok braved it to visit when on Youth Over Flowers, I’ll put you on my list too. With car rental insurance!

Budapest and Hungary, you were never high on my list of places to visit, but if there’s a chance of a doomed romance with Man to Man’s Agent K, sign me up, brudder.

I’m sure I’ll be adding more. What about you? Are you Korean, Korean diaspora, non-Korean? Have any K-dramas made you want to travel to Korea specifically to see something? Or has seeing a short scene set in a foreign land made you set new exciting travel plans for yourself?


Man to Man

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Nice article @purebristles

Greece, you had me at the first strains of “You Are My Everything,” with those sweeping scenes of blue seas and the gorgeous shipwreck on Navagio Beach in Descended from the Sun. I may not have a Yoo Shi-jin, but I have Google maps and a selfie stick and I’m not afraid to use them.

LOL ... this makes me want to pack my bags now and travel to Greece but while I'll also be wielding Google Maps and selfie stick, I'd do more happily without "You Are My Everything" playing in the background.

I know I'd really like to go to Quebec, Canada because of Goblin and see that beautiful hotel with my own eyes. As for Korea itself, I'd like to visit practically every place that has ever been filmed and eat all the food that's ever been consumed in kdramas. But first, let me get through my long overdue (but not happening until year-end 😒 ) family holiday!!! 😋

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Ooh Canada would be lovely! I was just there earlier this yr in Feb; it's colddddd there.

I'll be thanking everyone who comments on this thread with mystery PPL: here - please have a S***** sandwich, courtesy of our sponsors. In fact, take 5 - make sure you eat them while displaying the logo prominently, and if you can, comment on how fresh it is.

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LOL, do you have a list of products to PPL? Let's guess what's mysteriously being advertised now? 😆 😄

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Tee heehee this is just for fun :)

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This was such a pleasure to read - I can totally relate to everything you said, lol. Thank you for sharing! x

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Thank you for the lovely response! I am thanking everyone who responds to this post with mystery PPL: please have this lovely Americano coffee courtesy of H***** Coffee.

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Aw no probs. LOL Holly’s Coffee was my first stop off point when I landed at Incheon airport. Sad, but true. 😂

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Great post.

Almost want to travel anywhere I have read about or seen on screen.

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Thank you for the lovely response! I am thanking everyone who responds to this post with mystery PPL: please have this lovely Americano coffee courtesy of H***** Coffee.

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I love this. I agree with most. And I have different places I like to include in my bucket list. 😊
I never thought of Korea as Disney World. Hahahh but I see ur point. 😊

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I figured if Disney World is where the characters of Disney come alive, then the whole of Korea is totally that for me :)

Thank you for the lovely response! I am thanking everyone who responds to this post with mystery PPL: here's a discount voucher for your next holiday - you can use it on the accommodation booking app, H***** C*******.

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I loved your line about Jin-Jin still living with her parents in 20th Century Boy and Girl. I really enjoyed that drama, currently in my Top 10 kdramas. Jin-Jin was such a different female lead, she's introverted but has a tight knit group of close friends, she's a celebrity but very reserved/down-to-earth kinda gal, and successful but still chooses to live her daily life with her immediate family and no she's not a failure because she waited to date only until the right man came along too. I relate so much to her and not only that I too still live with my family...I'm in my mid-twenties/starting to get to late twenties and am happy with my living situation. My parents respect me and i respect them and we help each other out.

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Definitely, I loved Jin-jin. So thoughtful. One of my favorite leads in a drama.

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I found Jin-Jin really unrealistic for a top movie star - living with her parents upstairs I can stomach, but in an apartment without lobby security? Where the paparazzi could just waltz in anytime? It feels a little far-fetched.

But I very much agree with you - she's such a lovely and thoughtful character; can't imagine how the guy ever let her go in the first place, even if he was busted by her dad when they were dating as kids.

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Hello @ohhaeyoung - I LOVED YOUR SHOW OMG just finished watching it 2 wks ago and the soundtrack is playing ENDLESSLY on loop now on my laptop.

Thank you for your comment -- I love shows which show friendships too -- I have a bunch of close girlfriends too but life and kids and work don't let us hang out as often as kdrama like to show... how can they go out drinking and eating nearly every single night? Who is so free? But we can hope of course. :D

Here's a bracelet from J.**tina for you!

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The Oh Hae Young Again OST is truly amazing! I want to buy a physical copy of it...been meaning to do that...also am planning on rewatching Oh Hae Young Again soon!

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you are so fortunate to be able to travel for work in Asia!

YES, the Laos waterfalls from YOF, then Iceland from the other YOF - but i remember the Victoria Waterfall in Africa from yet another YOF...

i was able to tell my girlfriend about the Noonas Over Flowers episode that went to Croatia -- and as it turned out, she and her friend stayed in the very same unit with the deck overlooking the marina that was featured! she also found the bar hanging on the outside of the wall, and told me it was SCARY because it was a super windy day when she went...

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Hello @spazmo! Thanks for sharing your story about Croatia -- so fun to see stuff you know/have friends see stuff you see on TV right? And then to find out that it's not so great stuff anyway... very cool.

I've never been to Croatia so am envious of your friend, but YES I count myself really fortunate and blessed to have a job that lets me travel around, and where I keep my fingers crossed that I have time to see some stuff along the way somehow.

Doesn't quite turn out that way though - my most recent trip was to one of the "stans" countries in central Asia, and it was so tight that it was all I could do to stick my phone out the taxi and take a couple of blurry photos of the beautiful shrines as I passed them by, while the sun was setting. It's usually on these types of trips that I hope to be stuck at a traffic light!

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I enjoyed reading your post, @purebristles. Well done!

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Awww thank you @Tizzy, your encouragement makes my day! Here's some coffee from ***.komm for you!

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Great post. Definitely enjoyed reading it!

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Thank you for your encouragement @korfan! Positive people FTW! Here's a facemask from Lan**ge for you!

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I loved reading this! I still have to take my first trip to Korea but I’m sure I’ll be just like you, imagining it as the biggest movie backlot in history!

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Thanks @Ally! Sometimes I think the longer we wait to go see a place, the better we know ourselves, and we get to maximise our enjoyment of the trip because you can already whittle down what you NEED to see, what you WANT to see, and what you could do without seeing/doing.

Being a kdrama fan also means you can actually amass MORE shows whose "backlots" you want to see, which may actually be re-used! For example:

1. The Boss' House -- Secret Garden, and What's Wrong with Secretary Kim -- and I'm pretty sure there are other dramas that this iconic house was used in too.

2. Petite France - in The Liar and His Lover, My Love From Another Star, Secret Garden

3. Rooftop (sort of) apartment - in Goblin and Secret Garden -- very coincidental that it was Yoo In Na in BOTH shows and using the SAME apartment to film lol

4. That street corner with the cherry blossoms - in Oh Hae Young Again, Liar and His Lower, Goblin, and I think also could be I Need Love 3

Obviously, KOREA IS THE BIGGEST MOVIE BACKLOT EVER and I look forward to hearing you post a story when you finally visit!!!

Here's a woolly winter jacket from M***-B*** to accompany you when you head to Korea if you go in winter, or anywhere else cold!

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Omo, lots of reused places and I’m sure this is just the tip of the iceberg!

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The Chinese have discovered Budapest (which is really two cities: Buda and Pescht- facing each other across the Danube) - expect to see a lot of Chinese tourists there. Like Prague it is an undiscovered gem to most Americans. I liked the Package- I had thought that I would never want to visit France but now it is on my list of places to go. And I loved the way that Jeju Island was portrayed in Warm and Cozy - if and when I go to Korea it is probably what I will want to see the most.

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I did not know that about Budapest-- thanks for enlightening me.

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Thanks @OldLawyer for the comment! I think the Chinese are discovering the world :D they're visiting everywhere!

The Package was such a surprise watch for me - I thought it looked silly, but the kismet and wistful writing about being in transition and on hold, really struck a chord with me. The France setting then made the story magical.

I just went to Jeju in Apr 2018! It's a beautiful place, well-worth the trip there I felt. Some folk felt the locations in Warm and Cozy were too crowded and overhyped - I agree, BUT there are so many other places around the crowded areas, so I felt there was enough space for everyone.

For me, the magic was in the seascapes - there are these random lighthouses here and there if you're driving along the coast -- just stopping to smell the sea air and take a couple of movie-poster-type shots will make your holiday a great memory already.

Here's a ***way sandwich for you to munch on as you dream of the self-drive holiday in Jeju!

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Yup the Chinese are discovering the world! I met their group tours everywhere in Australia, South East-asia, in Europe, in Japan and even in the middle east countries!

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It was such a wonderful post. I enjoyed reading it as I imagined myself instead of you at those locations.😍

Greece, you had me at the first strains of “You Are My Everything,” with those sweeping scenes of blue seas and the gorgeous shipwreck on Navagio Beach in Descended from the Sun.
Exactly my thoughts. I want to visit to so many places but Navagio Beach is my top priority. The picture of the beach is my laptop background. I just love that beach.
Let's hope we visit the beach sooner or later but for sure.💗

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Thanks @Mimu! I'm glad I could take you and your brain on a little "holiday" to these locations. And YES let's hope we visit that beach in Greece sometime during our lives!! Although I hear it's ridiculously crowded all the time now....

Here's a S***ovski brooch for you to pin your hopes on :D

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Wow @purebristles the way you've described visiting stops that were showcased in various dramas made me imagine the scene and revisit the drama. Loved reading this!

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Thanks @Andy, here's a coffee from A Two**** Pla** -- you can join me and @Ally as we dream about visiting the biggest movie backlot in history: South Korea! :D

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thanks for sharing! reading how you described some of the locations also took me back to the same feels I'd have when I watched some of the same dramas (especially On The Way To The Airport)! can't wait to see some of these other countries/cities/locations IRL :)

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Thanks for the comment @Mich!

OTWTTA was one of the shows I raved to my friends on and on about because it was (1) so beautifully shot, (2) featured Jeju Island which I wanted to see more of on TV - this was before I visited recently this Apr 2018, (3) had such incredible yet understated chemistry between the leads.

I hope you get to see more of these cities IRL too! In the meantime, here's some Red Ginseng from some PPL brand to to give you energy :D

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thank you! in return, let us konbae with drinks from Subway (and maybe a cookie or 2?) ;)

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Wow, what a great read this is! I empathize completely. Thanks for sharing.

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Thank you Tim!

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Nice post! I like that you're able to enjoy the company of characters/actors whose footsteps you're walking in. May you continue to explore the world and relish your adventures for many years to come!

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Thank you @risa! Indeed may we all be able to keep exploring the world around us for the rest of our lives!

Here's some R***e chocolates to tide you till your next adventure!

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When I visited Korea, i didn't particularly hunt any drama locations but when i got home and could recognize the places in a drama i got excited seeing those places and thinking "hey i've been there before!"

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Hi @parkchuna, I TOTALLY get what you mean! Last trip I was in Seoul, I visited the Ihwa Mural Village -- then I came home and then saw it on Are You Human Too? and totally spazzed out :D

Here's a face mask from L**eige to keep you dreaming of Korea :D

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Aww thanks!

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Thank you @purebristles for this lovely post. Like you I am not Korean. After years of travel to Europe in 2015 I turned west (for me in NYC) to Asia. First to Hong Kong and Thailand. Then in 2016 to mainland China and last year to Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. I have still not visited Korea!
When I finally get to Seoul one of the first things I would like to do is to stand on that spot across from the Gwanghwamun Gate where Jin-oh and Se-joo stood in CHICAGO TYPEWRITER. That scene between the boys and Seol with the taking of photos I consider one of the most emotional that I have seen in a kdrama.
Thanks again.

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Thanks @Bong-soo for the comment! I know what you mean about REALLY wanting to visit a particular spot -- my last trip to Korea I really, really, REALLY wanted to head to Busan to see the iconic Gamcheon Cultural Village, so while my friends were off doing something all day in Seoul, I told them that I'd head off to Busan for the day to walk around.

It was an expensive day-trip, but I figured what the heck, I was already IN the country, and who knows when I'd be back, so I threw caution to the winds and said to myself, CARPE DIEM AND YOLO - LET'S GO BABY - and bought my return tickets for the day.

For that trip, I HAVE NO REGRETS.

So YES, totally stand at the Gwanghwamun Gate and take as many photos as you can!

Life is short, let's make it beautiful.

Here's a low-calorie, healthy ***way sandwich to ensure you live a long and enjoyable life. :D

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Answer is yes & one of the reasons I visited Macau as featured in quite a few K dramas especially the Gondola ride at The Venetian Hotel & Casino. However I really want to go to Jeju Island one day and eat Abalone porridge

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Thanks @Ilovekdrama! Don't wait for Jeju to eat abalone porridge -- make it yourself, it's quite simple, and can be done in a rice cooker! Instead of PPL, here's a recipe for you --http://mymindpatch.blogspot.com/2017/01/abalone-scallop-congee.html

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Thank you for sharing! 😍 This i can relate during my recent stop from Incheon Airport to Gimpo and Busan.

Im waiting for Memories in Alhambra because that was my latest stop in Europe.

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The airport stories are quite fun since Seoul is quite a popular transit stop, so many people DO get to experience a little bit of Korea at the airport. Not to mention SO MANY SHOWS have that last minute dash to the airport:
1. Oh the girl/guy is going to leave and their OTP half needs to stop them because ONCE THEY GO INTO THE GATE THERE'S NO TURNING BACK BECAUSE.... well because dramatic tension;
2. Oh the criminal is going to leave the country and if he gets into the gate then technically he's in international territory and we CANNOT ARREST HIM ANYMORE --- well technically he's not truly immigrated OUT of Korea until he passes through immigration per se, plus if he's still on the airport, on the tarmac, he technically CAN still be arrested by the airport police...

On The Way to the Airport, and currently-showing Fox Star Bride/Where Stars Land, AND also Beauty Inside -- feature Incheon Airport fairly heavily... waitaminute IS THIS THE BEST PPL OR WHAT? :D

Here's a B*** S*** white musk perfume to spray away the Something is Fishy smell here ... :D

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Omg i love airport stories very much .. i did stop to take a very long look around for these scenes while in Incheon, Gimpo and Busan. i have a fair share of good ones too while hopping from one airport after another - some beanies thought they can turn into a good comedy if im creative enough to write a story.

Aww thank you for the Body Shop perfume 😍🤩

You have to share more about your travel and kdramaland here, im sure there are many beanies excited to read because most of us can only afford to travel through watching dramas

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@ryunami I'll write more if there's an appropriate prompt for the week! None of the prompts really spoke to me till I saw this one on travel, and I thought THIS IS MY KARAOKE SONG BABY heh

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