Welcome Back to Breakfast with Lisa & Josh!

South Korea was such a breath of fresh air for us - literally. It had everything we were missing over the past few weeks. A massive, modern, pedestrian-friendly city filled to the brim with bright lights, adventure, culture, incredible food, and, most importantly, brisk, cool weather that allowed us to actually get outside and walk around any time of the day, without being a nonstop pile of sweat.

It was the typical COVID-travel entry process - PCR test before you get there, pre-departure paperwork on a clunky website, and another PCR test once you arrive, and then having your vaccination records checked a minimum of 5 times along the way. We had an overnight flight on AirAsia, which is always a… treat… but the most important thing was that it all worked. The whole process was straightforward, with the rules all well explained and applied evenly. Even though this process was new and obviously not many people had tried it yet, it felt really well thought through.

These Covid travel protocols and processes are starting to feel very normal to us, but we got a glimpse into just how not normal they feel to everyone else, with our parents traveling with us.

But, once we made it in, past the immigration and the vaccination checks and the QR code and figured out the SIM card situation and the on arrival PCR test, it was all back to the exciting part of traveling. 

We had to figure out how to get from the airport to our hotel without being able to read any of the signs, we got to figure out the incredibly complicated ATMs, and made it to our hotel and everything was fine and just the way it should be. Traveling shouldn't be all easy. Figuring things out once you get to a brand new country is one of the best parts, if not the actual best part of traveling. All of these new requirements are just an additional layer to that already fun challenge that has has always existed. The whole point of traveling is to not be at home anymore, to throw away all those comforts and familiarities, to go and experience something new, something different, something wonderful, and always something unexpected.

While these new restrictions might be exhausting, overwhelming, and seem like they're specifically built to keep you out, they're actually the precise opposite. They’re a welcome mat put out specifically to make sure that both the people who are hosting you (in their house, as a reminder), are comfortable with you coming to visit, and it’s a sign to let you know that you're welcome to come back, even if you need to spend a little bit more time wiping your shoes (and taking them off) before you come in the door.

This new welcome mat might not seem so welcoming to us or to you, but every country has to do things differently to make their own feel comfortable and safe. We know, the process can feel onerous, but after being here for just a few days we can see why it's necessary. People here feel differently about the pandemic than people might back at home (and any other place we’ve visited along the way.) This process works for them. It’s their house, and we’re lucky visitors.

South Korea did more than just put out the welcome mat, they actually rolled out their finest KBBQ shaped red carpet. What a country :)

Videos This Week

There’s so much more to Indonesia than just Bali - Yogyakarta is AMAZING.

We thought we knew what Bali was all about. We were wrong.

See you next Sunday…ish :)

- josh (and lisa)

Oh, and if you want to learn how we afford to take all these trips after quitting our jobs last year, you’ll likely be interested in our Skillshare course on Travel Hacking and Frequent Flier Miles. It’s been really taking off lately, but we still have a few uses of this link left for those of you who want to see the class for free. It comes with a free month of Skillshare, which is more than enough to watch our class and any of the other great courses on there!

Check it out here: https://skl.sh/lisaandjosh02221

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