🟠 Talking About Travel Experiences in Korean | Intermediate Level (TOPIK 3–4)

“Want to describe your amazing trip to Jeju or talk about a weekend getaway with friends in Korean?”

Travel is one of the most exciting topics to share in any language. For Korean learners at the intermediate level, mastering past tense expressions, descriptive adjectives, and sequencing events is key to telling your travel stories naturally. In this post, we’ll explore how to talk about travel experiences — from first impressions to memorable activities — and provide practical dialogue examples you can use right away.

📚 Table of Contents

Key Elements of Describing Travel
Essential Vocabulary for Travel Stories
Grammar Patterns for Narrating Past Trips
Practice Dialogue
Teacher’s Tips
Did You Know?
Say what?
Extra Insight
Final Thoughts

💡 Key Elements of Describing Travel

When sharing travel experiences, you’ll often combine three elements:

Destination details – Where did you go? (서울, 부산, 제주도 등)
Activities – What did you do? (먹다, 구경하다, 사진 찍다)
Impressions – How did you feel? (즐겁다, 아름답다, 신기하다)

📝 Essential Vocabulary for Travel Stories

여행하다 (yeohaeng-hada) – to travel
관광지 (gwangwang-ji) – tourist spot
풍경 (punggyeong) – scenery
기억에 남다 (gieoge namda) – to be memorable
숙소 (sukso) – accommodation

📖 Grammar Patterns for Narrating Past Trips

Use the past tense -았어요 / -었어요 to describe what you did, and sequence events using -고 (and) or -아서/어서 (because/so):

제주도에 갔어요. 바닷가에서 수영했어요.
I went to Jeju Island. I swam at the beach.
사진을 찍고 시장에서 음식을 먹었어요.
I took photos and ate food at the market.
날씨가 좋아서 산책을 많이 했어요.
The weather was nice, so I walked a lot.

🗣 Practice Dialogue

A: 지난 주말에 어디 갔어요?
Jinan jumal-e eodi gasseoyo?
Where did you go last weekend?

B: 친구랑 속초에 갔어요. 바다도 보고 맛있는 회도 먹었어요.
Chingurang Sokcho-e gasseoyo. Bada-do bogo masinneun hoe-do meogeosseoyo.
I went to Sokcho with a friend. We saw the sea and ate delicious raw fish.

🧩 Teacher’s Tips

Common mistake: Many learners forget to switch verbs to past tense consistently. Mixing present and past tenses in one story can confuse listeners.

Pro tip: When describing multiple events, keep the order chronological and use connectors like -고 or -아서 to make it flow naturally.

🌏 Did You Know?

Top 5 travel destinations Koreans love for weekend trips:

Jeju Island (제주도)
Busan (부산)
Gangneung (강릉)
Jeonju (전주)
Sokcho (속초)

Say what?

“먹방 (meok-bang)” – A popular Korean slang meaning “eating broadcast,” where people stream themselves eating large amounts of food. It’s also a fun way to describe food-focused trips!

✨ Extra Insight

When telling travel stories in Korean, sensory words (e.g., 시원하다 for refreshing wind, 고소하다 for nutty flavor) create vivid images. Try adding them to impress native speakers with natural descriptions.

📦 Final Thoughts

Sharing travel experiences in Korean not only improves your speaking skills but also helps you connect with locals on a personal level. I hope this guide helps you describe your favorite trips more confidently and naturally.

Many of my foreign friends in Korea light up when they can share their adventures in Korean — it feels like a milestone in language learning. I hope you’ll have that moment too!

🔗 Related Posts

Talking About Food You Like – Beginner Level
Perfect follow-up for describing meals during travel.
How to Commute in Korea (Subway, Buses, and Apps)
Essential transport phrases for any trip.
Making Comparisons in Korean – Intermediate Level
Useful when comparing destinations and experiences.
Talking About Weather in Korean
Great for describing travel atmospheres.

🎓 Want to practice storytelling in Korean?
Book a lesson with me on italki and learn how to narrate your travel memories naturally.

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Consistent learning leads to unforgettable experiences — keep exploring and share your stories with me!