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Travel Tips : Traveling for Work

September 29, 2014

I started doing work travel very early in my career and whether it was hopping from island to island in Hawaii for projects or making the trek to Korea often, I learned very early on that work travel is an entirely different experience than traveling for fun. This last trip to Korea made me think about all the work trips I’ve made there and all the things I’ve learned and would love to tell my younger 22-year-old self all those years ago. I’ve had some interesting experiences traveling with colleagues over the years and it’s definitely something that I’ve learned a lot from, so here today are my tips for anyone heading out on their first trips for work or that might do some travel for work in the future. It’s important to be aware and remember different things when traveling for work, so here are my tips!

1. Do research about the location before hand.

It’s really important to know a general lay of the land for the place you’re traveling to, particularly if you’re headed abroad. This is important if you’re going alone and need to grab a taxi when you land, or if you’re out with colleagues and decide you want to go back to your hotel before them, you need to know where you’re going. Do some research on your location, where you’ll be, where your work is there so that you’re prepared.

2. Know when to say no.

I’ve had some work trips throughout the years when colleagues wanted to do things I didn’t want to do when out and about. It’s really important when traveling for work to be able to say no to things that you aren’t comfortable with. Know what your limits are and stick to them. There is nothing wrong with going back to your hotel instead of out with colleagues when traveling, just be honest and know your limits.

3. Be polite, but don’t let yourself be pushed.

Especially when traveling to other cultures, it’s important to be polite but also to stand up for yourself and not let anyone push you into anything you don’t feel comfortable with. If you don’t want that next glass of Soju (they drink a lot in Korea, more than I’m often used to), then just say no nicely. Be nice, but don’t let anyone push you into anything.

4. Be professional always.

Being professional is always the key on work trips. This begins with how you dress on the airplane, how your luggage looks, the information you bring to meetings, how prepared you are and so forth. Being professional in how you act and look will leave a great impression no matter where you are in the world.

5. Be willing to try new things.

Traveling for work is different than traveling for fun in lots of ways, but one of the major differences is that you aren’t choosing what you do and eat and where you stay. Be open minded, whether that means a new food that your colleagues order for you or a hotel you might not necessarily pick to stay at. They are all new experiences, just treat them as that and be open minded. I’ve found some amazing things about Korea from my work trips because colleagues of mine have introduced me to them, things I never would have tried on my own, so be willing to try new things!

Seoul Favorites from a Frequent Visitor

September 24, 2014

Seoul has always been a city I enjoy and a place that has so much to offer. I loved getting to revisit so many of the places and areas in Seoul I enjoy on this recent trip and it reminded me of all my favorite things to do and see while in the Korean city. Seoul is huge and sprawls a large distance, but it’s surprisingly interconnected and while each area has its own unique feeling, it also has a very true sense of where you are. So today, here are some of my favorite things to do and see in Seoul!

Seoul has an incredibly interesting cityscape, with modern high rises covered in glass right next to run down old markets and housing buildings. The juxtaposition of old and new, modern and outdated, colorful and neutral adds a fascinating edge to the city of Seoul. For such a huge metropolis, the city also has spots that feel like a small town, like wandering through the stalls of markets on Dongdaemun which is only a few minutes away from the large crowded modern avenues of Meyong-Dong. Seoul seamlessly blends old and new in a very unique way and it’s so interesting to stroll the streets and see where the two come together.

Like many Asian cities, Seoul does not disappoint with the bright colors throughout the city. Nowhere in Seoul will you find only neutral color schemes, from signage to street markings to rooftops, Seoul is filled to the brim with color. The artistic quality of the Korean alphabet also adds to the playful, artistic feel of the city and the colors that burst from its seams.

Korea in general is one of those places I look forward to visiting for the food, often above many other reasons! From Korean BBQ to Bibimbap to ramen, Seoul (and Korea in general) has it all. I indulged in all of the previously mentioned food options during my trip and am still craving them now that I’m home! And in Seoul, it’s often the off road places, in the back of an alley that have the best food, so make sure to go off the beaten path!

Korea has a gorgeous landscape and from North to South, the country is filled with rolling mountains, deep valleys and jagged cliffs. One of the things I love most about Seoul is that regardless of its sprawl, the city is surrounded by beautiful mountains and even from the distance, you can see a ridge in the distance from almost any point in the city. It makes you remember that the metropolis only goes so far and beyond that, the landscape of the country takes over.

Seoul has some of the best shopping in the world, everything from high street to local shops to high end couture. One of my favorite spots to wander the streets and do some shopping is in Myeong-Dong. You’ll find everything here from Zara to Louis Vuitton, plus a plethora of restaurants (even some Western ones like Jamba Juice and California Pizza Kitchen). It’s a great area to just wander and spend an afternoon shopping!

Traveling to South Korea?

See all of my posts on the country!

A Return to Seoul

September 23, 2014

I returned from Korea this past weekend after five days in the country for work (the majority of the time in Seoul) and after four years since my last visit, I was anxious to see how I felt about my return trip. While I was living in Hawaii a few years ago, I went back and forth regularly to Korea. In that time, I got very familiar with the country and in particular with the city of Seoul, finding places I enjoyed, restaurants I liked, coffee shops, shopping, everything I needed, I came to find places in Seoul that became my “regular” spots. I spent a great deal of time wandering the streets, enjoying the culture, and finding myself growing very much in love with the country. Yet during that time as well, Seoul provided something for me I couldn’t get elsewhere in my life at that time. It was a constant, a place that offered me much time for soul searching, a place that gave me the space I needed from an otherwise difficult few years. Seoul (and Korea in general) will always be the place I credit for many of my life decisions that have gotten me to this point today, a place that I would sit in a coffee shop writing or looking out my hotel room window at night and planning my next steps, learning what was important in my life and what wasn’t. Korea was also my first taste of international travel again after a many year absence and with that, it will always stay close to my heart for the reason that it ignited my passion for the world again.

And so after four years between my last and this most recent visit to Seoul, I was anxious to see how I felt about returning. Would I still love it? Would I feel the same way I did about it as I did before? And the answer I realized is more complicated than that. The last time I was in Korea (before this trip) I was only 24 years old, not yet married and Nick and I had been doing long distance for a while. I was at a point in my life where I was sort of drifting, a point where I hadn’t quite realized what I wanted or who I was fully. This trip made that all the more clear and as I look around me now, I’m almost 28 years old, in a completely different phase of life, happy with my choices, with what I’ve built. And yet this trip still proved my love affair with Korea will always be strong, I still love the chaotic streets, the delicious food, the landscape, the people. Yet I also realized that Seoul doesn’t necessarily hold the same meaning to me that it used to. It will always be a place I credit much to in my life, a place I will always hold dear, but I realized on this trip that while some places mean something to you in specific phases of your life, over time, that significance changes. It doesn’t mean it’s any less significant, but it brings out different things in you, it changes you in different ways.

My return to Seoul was eye opening and helped me really grasp how much I’ve changed in the past four years. I felt a different sort of pull this trip, a different kind of emotion, much more sure of who I am and how the city was significant in my life. My return to Seoul proved that places can mean different things at different times in our lives, that they can teach us more than we might think and that those places that fall into our lives (often by random circumstances) are there for a reason. My return to Seoul made me realize that Korea will always be a place that teaches me, that allows me to pull from it the emotions I need at whatever point in my life and a place I’ll be eternally grateful for experiencing.

Traveling to South Korea?

See all of my posts on the country!

Denver : Larimer Square & LoDo

September 18, 2014

After spending the morning in the city center of Denver, we ventured down to Larimer Square and LoDo. Larimer Square is a really cute few blocks of Denver with amazing restaurants, strings of lights hanging over the streets and renovated brick buildings filled with character. We wandered the area and decided to stop for lunch at Osteria Marco. I had read about this restaurant before going, but wasn’t sure our schedule would permit us to get to eat there. It ended up perfectly for a late, leisurely lunch while we were in the area and it was hands down some of the most delicious Italian food I’ve ever had. Order the burrata, the spinach salad and a homemade pizza and you won’t be disappointed!

After lunch we headed a few blocks further to explore the LoDo area (nickname for Lower Downtown) and both of these spots were my favorite areas of the city. LoDo reminded me a lot of Portland’s Pearl District, an area where they took old warehouses and renovated them into lofts and townhouses, complete with restaurants and shops on the ground floors. While LoDo has a much more “Western” type feel than Portland’s Pearl, we really enjoyed walking around the area and taking in the brick buildings and Denver’s beautifully renovated Union Station. The area was bustling on a Saturday afternoon, restaurants packed and lots of people out enjoying the nice weather.

We finished the evening with dinner at Cholon Bistro, another must-eat spot in Denver. The Asian fusion restaurant was delicious and while we were entirely too full after our meal of wanting to try everything, it was well worth it! As the sun started to set we jumped on the Free Mall Ride bus again and rode it up to Civic Center Park as I mentioned yesterday, then headed back to our hotel for an early night in, in preparation for our early flight home the following day.

Overall I really enjoyed seeing Denver and having a day to just wander around the city. I really liked LoDo and Larimer Square and would focus more of my time there next time, but overall it was a great weekend trip and I’m happy to add Denver as a place we enjoyed exploring!

All photos by Nick

Travel Tips : How to Beat Jet Lag

September 2, 2014

I’ve talked before about some of the biggest travel misconceptions that I hear about and experience, but out of all of them, jet lag has to be one of my least favorites. Talk to any traveler and jet lag will be at the top of their list for things they hate about flying and traveling. It goes against our nature to change time zones, to be so tired and sleep deprived and starved for fresh air that you just feel gross when you emerge from a long haul flight. Over the years however, I’ve figured out little tricks to help balance jet lag and while it’s still always going to be there, you can at least help recover faster than you would without doing anything. And before I go, let me just say I have been totally overtaken by jet lag more times than I care to count and yes that is me sleeping on an airport floor in the photo above en route to Rome a few years ago after numerous canceled flights and such. So with that said, I’ve been there. I’ve been so tired traveling that you can literally no longer keep your eyes open, but with only a week to experience a new place, often we have to find ways to combat jet lag quickly so that we can make the most of our trip and here are some of the tips I’ve picked over the years that help me get over jet lag quicker now than I used to.

Have a time zone plan.

Before leaving on your trip, take a look at the difference you’ll be encountering in time zones. If you’re leaving at night and arriving to your destination in their morning, then make sure to try to sleep on the plane (or use sleep aids like Melatonin below) so that you’ll be somewhat on the right time zone. If you’ll be arriving mid-day, then wake yourself up on the plane during morning time at your destination so you start getting on time zone while you’re still on the plane.

Don’t nap when you get to your destination.

It’s important to not get to your destination and lay down for a nap right away. Particularly if you’re landing in the morning or mid-day at your destination, plan to be out and about when you get in. Walking around the city or taking in the place you’re at can help you stay awake for a while and you’ll get fresh air while you’re at it. Many people want to get in and nap right away and that’s a mistake, you want to acclimate yourself to the local time as soon as you can and that means trying to stay awake for at least a few hours after you arrive.

Drink lots of water and eat hearty food when you arrive.

It’s really important, while you’re out and about the first day you arrive, to drink lots of water/fluids and eat hearty foods to get your body going again after a long flight. I usually head straight for a meal when I arrive somewhere to replenish my body. Eating will also get your metabolism going and help keep you awake for a few hours.

Take Melatonin to get through the night.

If you have trouble sleeping on the correct time zone the first few nights at your destination, I’m a big fan of Melatonin for a sleep aid. It’s readily available in the stores as a supplement and will help you fall asleep fast. It’s great to get a full night’s sleep the first night you arrive as that will help you beat jet lag really quickly and get you on your local time zone.

Travel Tips : Traveling for Work

Seoul Favorites from a Frequent Visitor

A Return to Seoul

Denver : Larimer Square & LoDo

Travel Tips : How to Beat Jet Lag

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