For many, winter vacation is upon us. For those who plan to travel to another country this winter (or anytime), I’ve made a list of 5 tips for safe travels that have helped me in foreign lands over the years.

Food Poisoning

Last year a few of my friends got food poisoning during their winter travels. It was often, but not always, due to the country being somewhat lacking in the sanitation standards we’re used to in first world countries. To combat this, I suggest trying to stick to a vegetarian diet when in a strange place to reduce the risk. I’m not much of a carnivore so staying away from meat while traveling isn’t a big deal but I can see how some would shudder at the thought. To each its own. Staying away from meat won’t totally eliminate the risk of contamination obviously, but that method has done me well so far. If you’re in a place like Thailand, most people are Buddhist so veggie cuisine is amazing not hard to find.

My first meal in Thailand. Vegetarian green curry and cucumber salad. Amazing.

Street food in Thailand. This lady made me veggie pad thai for dinner almost every night of my stay. I miss her.

If you wish to be carnivorous, be smart about where you eat. If a local takes you there, it’s probably decent, but if it looks funky, then it probably has a funky kitchen too, so use your head. Take a peek at how many people are eating in there and how many locals too. If the locals trust it, go for it. If they’re not busy, there may be a reason for that.

Purse Snatchers

For the ladies, I would suggest keeping your purses on short straps and keep one hand on the body of your purse as well, don’t just let it swing off your hip. My friend who went to Vietnam last January was advised this by one of her tour guides. While riding in one of the tuk-tuks, she put her purse under her seat and the driver told her it wasn’t safe and to wrap the strap around her legs and put the body of the purse between her feet or between her thighs. He said people on motorbikes ride by and swipe tourist’s purses all the time.

Open tuk-tuk, often seen in places like Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Photo courtesy of angkortuk.com.

Passport & Cash

Many travelers I’ve met are divided on the issue of bringing their passport out with them or leaving it in a safe box in the hotel. I feel safer with my passport at the hotel in my room safe where I have set the combo and locked it up myself. There is no need to bring it out with you as you will rarely need to show it at any time doing regular touristy things. The only time I’ve ever needed to bring a passport out was to cross a border into a neighboring country on a day trip so if your passport is needed your tour guide should tell you before the trip commences. As for cash, I like to bring enough money for the day just in case something does happen to my purse, I won’t lose all of my money for the entire trip. Extra money can join your passport in your room safe.

Photo courtesy of wikipedia.org.

Vietnamese currency. Photo courtesy of hochiminhcitytravel.net.

Key Words

It’s always helpful to learn the basics in the native language and it goes far in terms of how you’re perceived by the locals. For example, just “hello, goodbye, thank you” or maybe “yes, no” or “how much is this?” It shows that you are trying to communicate earnestly and that you respect their culture enough to learn a few words. That simple effort breaks down walls and allows you to get in a little better with the people of the country you’re visiting.

Grab a Card

Whatever hotel or hostel you’re staying in, be sure to ask for a business card of the place, written in the country’s native language so if you ever need a taxi (or help in general) and can’t explain where to go, the driver can just read the business card. I still do that here in Korea and it has helped me a lot.

Some hotel cards I’ve kept from my travels.

This article was inspired by my Uncle Derek who wrote me earlier this year, asking about travel tips for his daughter who was about to travel Southeast Asia. Hearing that the tips were useful, I thought I’d share in hopes of helping others. What are your safe travel tips? Please share in the comment section below.

Happy New Year everyone!

I finally had my day at the War Memorial of Korea. After months of good intentions and failed plans, my friends and I made it to Seoul to rove the grounds and soak up some history. For those of you in Korea who are thinking of going, you should do it at least once while you’re here.  It’s very nationalistic of course, but it’s really well-laid out and quite insightful if you enjoy history. The museum showcases the Korean War and many other wars that the Republic of Korea Armed Forces have participated in.

The Statue of Brothers monument, depicting a true story of two brothers who fought on opposite sides of the Korean war and reunited by chance on the battlefield.

Inside the Two Brother monument, a dedication to all the nations who helped the ROK during the Korean War.

Since the ROK Armed Forces was established in 1948, it has joined many United Nations missions to assist with disaster relief and humanitarian operations all over the world. For example, they sent troops to Angola from 1995-1996, to East Timor from 1999-2004 and are still serving now in Somalia, Lebanon and Liberia. There are also a lot of displays showcasing the UN and countries around the world who supported the nation during its time of war and separation from the north.

The Korean War monument, built to commemorate the 50 year anniversary of the Korean War ceasefire.

A closer look at the Korean War Monument.

The war museum has three floors and a huge display of tanks, missiles and planes outside the grounds.

In front, the KT-1 Woongbi Trainer, used by the Korean military as a training aircraft. Behind, a B-52D Stratofortress Bomber, used by the US for strategic bombing operations.

A C-46 Commando, a transport aircraft used during WWII.

A C-119G “Flying Boxcar” transport aircraft, used to transport troops, equipment and cargo.

A K-1 tank, made in Korea for main battle. Designed to move through the mountain and swamp regions of Korea.

Jon with the M167 American Vulcan Air Defense System, used to protect USAF warplane and helicopter airfields.

ROK army missiles.

Me next to a military chopper.

The Monument of KIA. Each pillar holds a marble plaque with names engraved of those in the ROK armed forces, police force and UN who died in the wars after the foundation of the ROK.

A closer look at the plaques in the Monument of KIA.

The first floor has paintings and displays showing the battles Korea fought against Mongol, Japanese and Chinese armies as well as the evolution and development of the Korean military.

A smaller scale reproduction of the famous Turtle Battleship designed by Admiral Yi Sun-Sin during the Imjin War.

A side view of the Turtle Ship. This ship and Admiral Yi Sun-Sin played a big role in the Royal Korean Navy’s victory against the Japanese in the battle of Sacheon.

Old Korean archery tools: Bows, finger tabs and quivers.

More quivers and arrows, arrow holders (front-left) and bow holders (front-right).

An old Japanese samurai uniform.

The second floor has short documentary films playing that cover footage of the major battles Korea has faced since the time of film and television, mostly regarding the Korean War. The second floor also holds a recreation of the signing of the armistice agreement and a couple 4D simulations.

My friend David, stylin’ in an old military jeep.

Yours truly on an M-1939 85mm anti-aircraft gun. This machine was made in the USSR in 1939 and was used by the North Koreans during the Korean war.

Jon and I in a sidecar motorcycle. Starsky & Hutch or Wallace & Gromit?

The third floor has a combat experience room where visitors can get some hands-on learning.  Patrons can check out the F-15K 3D experience room where you get to see what it’s like to board a F-15 fighter jet. There is also the shooting area where visitors can shoot a K-2 rifle. It’s just a simulation, so don’t worry! The rifle shoots air into a target on a screen a few feet away. The manager of the area said it was only for students, but my friend told him I was a student and he was my teacher, so we got to give it a go :)

Some artifacts from the ROK Women’s Army Corps room, showcasing the foundation and growth of women in service for the ROK Armed Forces.

Female uniforms in Korea over the years.

Small calibre, anti-aircraft, naval, mortar and howitzer ammunition.

Explosives and hand grenades.

An ancient uniform and shields of the Korean troops of long ago.

Admission is free to the War Memorial of Korea, but donations are welcome. You’ll see several boxes around the first floor where you can donate some won if you like.

The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30-6pm. The site suggests it takes 3 hours to get through, and I would agree with that. It took our gang 2 and a half hours to mosey around so if you want to take your time and read all the info, you should get there before 3pm.

For subway transport, get off at samgakji station, (line 4 or line 6) and leave through exit 12. You’ll be right around the corner from the museum from that point. I hope you enjoyed this mini-tour as much as I did the real thing!

Insadong (인사동) is a popular cultural district in Seoul and is one of the top tourist destinations in the city. The area is basically one main strip of souvenir shops and other traditional goods, with little side streets branching off on either side of the strip. These little alleyways hold unique restaurants, tea houses, art shops and other cultural wares. The main strip has your usual souvenirs with a variety of older, traditional Korean items like pottery, fans, chopsticks and items made out of old hanbok material. (A hanbok is a traditional Korean dress).

Traditional Korean kitchenware made from clay.

Old school fans, still popular with ladies of all ages in the summer.

They’ve also got some Korean pop music stores so if you’re into K-Pop you can get your fix there too.

Korean pop music and Korean actors/actresses paraphernalia.

Most items are reasonably priced and if you take some time to walk from shop to shop, you’ll see that most vendors sell a lot of the same things for the same prices. The only set-back of going into the little vendor shops is that the stores are often packed to the brim with merchandise which makes it overwhelming to browse and the staff tend to latch on. It’s difficult enough maneuvering through a shop filled with breakables without someone acting like a human blanket all over you. You’ll notice a bit of difference in the quality of some items from shop to shop, so pay attention and if something is a dollar or two more in another store, take a second look and you’ll probably see why.

Change purses and make up bags made from hanbok material. Above them are bookmarks. Below, chop sticks.

Marble signature stamps. Many Korean people use signature stamps for official documents instead of signing their names in pen.

There was a larger shop I went into that had many different vendor tables inside one big room. That was the place I ended up doing most of my souvenir shopping as I found the staff way less stalker-ish and the quality of merchandise to be better, so don’t feel pressured to buy  at the first place you step into.

The busy street of Insadong.

Red bean breaded snacks, usually found in the shape of a fish. This vendor was selling them in the shape of pooh, or “dong.” Seriously.

On weekend afternoons they close off the main strip from vehicle traffic, making room for a more carnivalesque atmosphere. Once the walkways are cleared of cars, street vendors move in selling everything from socks and jewelry to potatoes on a stick and old-fashioned Korean sweets. That’s the best time to experience the real Insadong. I’ve seen street performers doing b-boy dancing, ladies selling traditional Korean hair pins and doing street tutorials on how to wear them, jugglers and more. There are also fantastic Korean snacks to be had, hot off the cart. The whole area comes alive and all the while the shops are still open so shopping becomes a lot more fun!

Tubular ice cream. There is always a line up for this awkwardly shaped snack, even in winter.

Awkwardly shaped ice cream guys, hard at work.

Spiral seasoned potatoes on a stick.

If ever I’m feeling lonesome or homesick, I try to plan a trip to Insadong because it’s one of my favourite places to be in Seoul. It always reminds me of why I fell in love with Korea and why this chapter of my life is so precious. If you don’t have any souvenirs to buy and just want to check out the scene, it’s an inexpensive afternoon. Keep in mind that if you dine in one of the restaurants on the main strip, prices will be higher than regular Korean dining, but that’s to be expected as you’re in a tourist hotspot.

Me at the Cheonggyecheon stream, right outside of the Insadong main strip.

Turkish ice cream. Also very popular in Insadong and other tourist areas like Itaewon.

A huge shopping complex within the main strip with multiple levels and restaurants.

A walk through Insadong is always interesting and really lifts your spirits to watch all the excitement. Once you’re tapped out, you’re not far from the subway tunnel so you can get on your way with no stress. You can easily reach Insadong via subway by getting off at either Anguk station (line 3) exit 6, or Jonggak Station (Line 1), exit 3. Maybe next time I’ll see you there! Until next time Dear Readers, stay warm and be well.