South Korea: A Journey Through Time

• Accommodations, as noted in the itinerary. Mostly 4-star properties, with one traditional (hanok) style property used.
• Breakfast daily, most lunches and a few dinners (9 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 2 dinners).
• Restaurant tips for included meals.
• Services of experienced, English-speaking local guides, drivers and other staff, including a MIR Tour Manager.
• Arrival/departure airport transfers. MIR will arrange for all travelers to be met on arrival and seen off on departure whether we make your airfare arrangements or not, provided you arrive and depart on the tour start/end dates in the tour start/end city.
• Ground transportation throughout the itinerary by coach, minibus or van (type of vehicle depends on group size).
• Guided sightseeing tours and entrance fees as outlined in itinerary.
• Special events, excursions and cultural performances per the itinerary.
• Baggage handling where available.
• Gratuities to local guides, drivers, porters and other service personnel.
• Complete pre-departure electronic document that includes detailed packing suggestions, reading list links, country-specific information, maps, travel tips and more.
• Assistance booking your custom flight arrangements (on request; please note that international airfare is not included in the land tour cost).
• Electronic final update bulletin, with any late news, updates and important information.

• International airfare or taxes/fuel surcharges.
• Meals not specified as included in the itinerary.
• Partial single supplement charge, if requested or required.
• Items of a personal nature (phone calls, email, laundry, alcohol, excess baggage, etc).
• Gratuities to Tour Manager.
• Visa/passport fees, airport departure fees if required (note: no South Korean visa is required for U.S. passport holders).
• Expenses incurred as a result of delay, modification or extension of a tour due to causes beyond MIR’s control.
• Travel and trip cancellation insurance.

Level 2: Moderate

This small group tour in modern and cosmopolitan South Korea features long days walking and standing while touring, and some possibly long days in the touring vehicle. Only those fit to travel and who accept the local conditions should consider joining this program.

Travelers must be able to walk one to two miles a day, keeping up with fellow travelers. Footing can be an issue and travelers should be able to negotiate pavement, curbs, potentially uneven surfaces (possibly steep and/or wet), as well as unpaved terrain; and deal with situations without handrails or ramps. Some attractions are only accessible via steep staircases, and museums may not have elevators. Some smaller hotels also may not have elevators.

Past travelers to this region have also encountered challenges with plumbing, bureaucratic service, variety of locally available foods, and availability and quality of public restrooms.

Accommodations are planned to be four-star properties, with one night spent in a more rustic traditional (hanok-style) property. At that hotel the authentic hanok-style rooms do not have western furniture such as chairs, tables and beds. Sleeping arrangements are on floor-level futons, and seating is on the futon, or large floor cushions, or on the floor itself. Tables are low to the floor and are sat at or knelt at as well.