Exploring South Korea

Our age limit is not due to us doubting the fitness of older travellers but more to do with the style of these tours not being suitable. This is one of our Shoestring style tours which means accommodation is in backpacker hostels in same sex shared dorm rooms, the majority of other people staying in the hostels will be young people aged 18 to 35 and travelling on a budget. In our experience this style has not been suitable for those over 55.

No, we don't offer the trip in reverse. The only trip we offer at Encounters Travel is this direction. On this trip, the upgrade to Private Single Room is priced from A$1220.00 and excludes the night in the temple, which is same-sex shared dorm rooms.

We include the flight from Busan to Jeju Island but not the return flight from Jeju to Seoul but we can add it on and book it for you at a cost of $175. Please not that this is one of our budget "on a Shoestring' tours so the accommodation used on the tour is a mix of simple stays in hostels, simple hotels and a temple stay. These stays are based on same-sex shared rooms of 6-10 people per room. The majority of other people staying in the hostels will be young people aged 18 to 35 and travelling on a budget and located in noisy areas. Travellers also need to carry their own luggage around from one point to the next, and between various parts of public transportation methods. We set a maximum age limit of 55 based on previous feedback where travellers over 55 didn't find this trip of trip suitable nor enjoyable.

We set a maximum age limit based on previous feedback where travellers over 55 didn't find this trip of trip suitable nor enjoyable. All travellers between 55 and 65 years are required to complete an eligibility questionnaire to determine whether they would be suitable for the travel style and trip. At the hostels we use we have a limited number of private twin/double rooms that can be booked at an upgrade supplement.

Unfortunately, the June 8th departure is no longer available. The June 15th tour is currently available on request, priced at US$2250.00 per person sharing.

We can't assist with the 1st May departure. We also checked the next day, the 11th May, but that date is now also fully booked.

Payment information: For any tour departing before June 28th, 2025 a full payment is necessary. For tours departing after June 28th, 2025, a minimum payment of $250 is required to confirm your booking. The final payment will be automatically charged to your credit card on the designated due date. The final payment of the remaining balance is required at least 65 days prior to the departure date. The following cards are accepted: Visa, Maestro, Mastercard, American Express or PayPal.

The group size is maximum 20 travellers per departure. We use public transport, including buses and trains between cities. With so many choices, vegetarians and other special dietary needs can generally be well catered for in South Korea. International flights are not provided and are excluded from the package. We use public transport as much as possible on this tour, to keep costs down and to give a better immersion into the country.

The accommodation is a mix of simple stays in hostels, simple hotels and a temple stay. These stays are based on same-sex shared rooms of 6-10 people per room. Travellers also need to carry their own luggage around from one point to the next. We set a maximum age limit based on previous feedback where travellers over 55 didn't find this trip suitable nor enjoyable. We allow travellers up to 58 years, however, 66 years is unfortunately way over the maximum age limit.

Dorm rooms are typically shared with six to ten people.