hello and happy new year!
i’m back on substack and i’m excited! i finally have that thrill again where i’m keen to share the things that mean a lot to me. this newsletter is all about my recent travels to south korea. enjoy!
jade x
the quick details
this was a family vacation: dad, mum, sister and i.
we spent 13 days in south korea. most of our time was spent in seoul but we also visited busan for a weekend trip.
this was our first time visiting south korea.
i’m already saving to go back and hopefully in 2025 (for the BTS reunion tour, obviously!)
my travel journal
i love a good travel journal and i’m really really proud of this one. here are my favourite spreads:
travel journal tips:
before your trip, go to a daiso or muji and buy the following:
an organiser to safely file any materials you collect.
tape glue. it’s mess free and way stronger than stick glue.
travel scissors. don’t forget to pack them in your checked in luggage lol.
if you’re at a tourist attraction, look out for free maps, stamps and stickers. most printed material is double sided so pick up more than one copy. it gives you more content to journal.
keep receipts. receipt aesthetic is so cool, but they also contain a lot of information fit for a quick diary entry - the date, time, location (not to mention, super helpful for future budgeting or trying to figure out exactly where your money went).
ask for business cards when you visit cafes, shops, museums, galleries, etc. they are a perfect, free memento.
you don’t need to write diary entries. with all of my previous travel journals, i would spend hours writing everything that happened in the day. after a full day of sightseeing, i would stay up all night journaling and that would seriously impact my next day of travel. i would get behind on entries and eventually i would lose interest. it’s so much simpler collating and collaging a spread of things you collect. when you go back and flick through your journal, those stickers, receipts, maps and postcards are the things that will spark the memory of where you were at the time, what happened and how you felt. and that’s more than words can describe.
with the tiredness of travel, it can be really challenging to finish a travel journal before you return home. i’ve never actually finished one as of yet. the end of a holiday is when i become super avoidant. i don’t want to remember the good times because it makes me sad to think they aren’t happening anymore. i don’t want to be reminded, not yet.
what a sad way to live and i really want to overcome this silly habit so i’m going to make a commitment to complete my south korea travel journal. i’ll keep you updated.
i made some new friends!
i was walking down a clothing street in hongdae and found a free art gallery. i went upstairs and discovered the current photography exhibition was run by a university student club. everyone was so friendly and showed me around the exhibit while talking about their works.
i asked for everyone’s instagrams and was hoping we would be free to catch up again… and they were! we organised a date and all met at anguk station. we walked to bukchon village and hired traditional hanbok to walk around and take pictures. we then cafe hopped and chatted about what it was like being a young person in seoul vs living in australia. they asked me what my life goals and dreams were which was a really big question to answer on the spot! it was really interesting to hear their answers: photographer, fashion designer, travel. we had tteok-bokki for dinner and then it was time to say goodbye 😔
thank you:
baek juwon - @juwon2312
jeon yijun - @definitely_not_yj
min.lee - @minhyung3924
kim chaehyun - @su.gocalr
lee seunghyeok - @ls.hyeok
kim yeonjoo - @0_y0_0j_4
i really hope i get to see all of you again soon! ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹
my first tattoo
i’ve wanted tattoos for ages but couldn’t find a style or artist that i really liked. i’m so glad i waited because i finally found the perfect tattoo artist @piggy_boogy! all of piggy’s work is so jade coded!
i had organised the appointment before i left for seoul. i was a little nervous but as soon as i stepped into the studio and saw VINTAGE TROLL DOLLS, i KNEW it was a SIGN that everything was going to be perfect.
and it was… i love my new tattoos!
thank you, piggy!
romance
seoul is very romantic, the love is abundant! everywhere, couples are holding hands, wearing complimentary outfits, cuddling, whispering to each other. i’m not one for pda but the affection was very endearing to observe: a strong sense of respect for one another but also a hint of playfulness, like a high school crush. i felt sucked into their world, an extra in their big kdrama romance and with that, a loneliness i hadn’t experienced before. for the first time in a long time, i had a longing to have someone by my side, someone to share the world with. it was a strange awareness that was purely instigated by environment because i haven’t had the same feeling since returning home.
new skincare regimen
south korea is the capital of all things skincare. i knew a large portion of my travel budget would be investing in a new skincare regimen. i went to @individuelgeneve_kr_official and had my skin analysed by AI! based on the results, the clinician put together a specific treatment to target my problem areas (my pores!). after the treatment, my skin was so plump and glowy! i also walked away with a long list of products to buy from olive young. sticking to the routine has been difficult and i need to work on consistency but so far i’m really liking all the products, and i walk around with that glassy glow.
photo dump
last notes
i really really enjoyed my time in south korea. everyday i check for flight deals to seoul. i cannot wait to go back and see more, eat more and shop more!
you should absolutely visit south korea.
💌 read my previous newsletter here
🎀 monthly round up for february is coming soon!
🌳 check out what else i do here
i read this whole newsletter with an austrailian accent in the back of my head