Whatever it takes, and often the bulk of the consumable income and vacation time of the entire extended family goes to one child.
This “pocket 8” culture – so named because each child is said to have the deep pockets of two doting grandparents and equally doting unmarried aunts and uncles – has spawned everything from carefully curated “children’s coffee” The “Hall” lets kids play while adults eat and chat, becoming an entire luxury hotel subculture dedicated to family vacations.
All of this and more, let’s take a look at some of the reasons why traveling with kids in Korea is so much fun.
1. The hotel is a children’s playground
Hotels in South Korea are trying to outdo the rest with bigger and better family-friendly offerings.
Francesca/CNN
It’s hard to know which luxury Korean hotel first came up with the idea of building large, dedicated play spaces for children, but most major hotels try to outdo the others by designing fun and seasonal activities for kids.
This sparked the latest travel trend in South Korea – accommodation known as “hocance” (a combination of hotel and vacation, the French word for vacation). During the holidays, the entire hotel is fully booked with local families with children.
“It’s been fascinating to see the ‘temporary’ trend really taking off for families with children over the past few years,” said Diane Na, Assistant Director of Sales and Marketing at Le Méridien Seoul. “In 2019 alone, our ‘hocance’ Package sales have more than doubled.”
2. Whimsical Kids Cafes Are Everywhere
The spa-themed kids café Plouf offers a blowout station for the little ones.
Lilliput
Almost every neighborhood in South Korea has kids cafes, which are hourly billed indoor play areas.
What’s most amazing about them is that they take their parents’ needs as seriously as their children’s desire to play.
Not only do they feature an open-plan design that allows parents to keep tabs on playing kids while they eat, drink, and have actual adult conversations in the cafe area, but to cater to an Instagram- and blog-obsessed nation, the visuals and food exceed expectations.
3. Shopping with kids is actually fun
Shinsegae has a drop-off cafe to give parents time to shop alone.
new world
Department stores across the country cater to parents – not only are there many kid’s cafes, but many also offer free stroller rentals (sanitized after each use), borrowed strollers (like strollers, in addition to being shaped like a car) ), a private nursing room and a children’s café are installed on the children’s clothing floor.
There is also a state-of-the-art children’s lounge, with nap rooms with cots, changing rooms with toddler stations and feeding rooms well-equipped with sterilizers, microwaves, electric kettles and bottled soaps.
4. Ingenious children’s products
These dual-purpose toddler beds unfold into playmats.
Francesca/CNN
Insulated stackable lunch boxes. Tailor the towel to keep your child from getting wet when brushing their teeth or washing their face. Light up the LED umbrella. Pacifier carton sterilized on the go with UV light. A toddler bed that unfolds into a playmat.
Ingenious children’s products that seem like parents’ wishful thinking are not only easy to find, but also inexpensive.
5. Wonderful Museum
Hello Kitty Museum in Jeju Island.
Hello Kitty Island
Korea has a wide variety of children’s museums – the perfect way to spend a rainy or hot day.
6. One word: KidZania
KidZania is the ultimate cosplay destination.
Minyou Kum
In the Nongshim District, children use a ramen machine to assemble ramen cups, while in the Korean Air District, children can choose whether they want to experience a flight simulator in a pilot’s uniform or assist passengers as a flight attendant.
They can also assemble hamburgers at Lotteria, or bugs at CESCO.
The highlight is the firefighting unit: mini firefighters use real water to put out real fires in a three-story building.
7. Temporary medical services are available everywhere
Last but not least, every type of quality temporary medical care is available in every community at relatively cheap rates.
Not only will you not have to worry about having to get emergency treatment while traveling, but you may end up cleaning your kids’ teeth while traveling, as uninsured treatment in Korea will still be many times cheaper than what you’d typically find elsewhere.
Seoul, in particular, has plenty of English-speaking dentists—thanks to the rise of dental tourism in recent years.
![Japanese women appear in cosplay to celebrate Japanese Maid’s Day[Photos]– SoraNews24 -Japan News-](https://soranews24.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/05/maids-day-cosplayers-artists-dolls-japanese-women-japan.png?w=580&h=305&crop=1 "Japanese women appear in cosplay to celebrate Japanese Maid’s Day[Photos]– SoraNews24 -Japan News-")
