A trip to Korea with the person who lives here in it. Three ways, depending on how much you hand over: an itinerary designed just for your dates, a day walked together — Seoul, Paju or Jeju — or a whole trip carried from first message to flight home. Every one of them is me: not a team, not a franchise, one person planning it the way I'd plan a friend's visit.
It all starts the same way — a DM or an email. Tell me your dates and how you like to travel; not sure which of the three fits, ask, and I'll tell you straight.
US$59 · one trip
Your days, decided — a designed book of your trip, built from a questionnaire about how you actually travel. Every place in it is one I go to myself; every name links to its live Naver page; and the small notes carry the one thing worth knowing before you head somewhere — a closed day, a queue app, a sell-out hour. Delivered as a PDF within the week.
US$350 a day per group of 1–5 · US$450 for 6–10
Seoul is vast — each neighborhood feels like its own city. You pick one district and we walk it the way I do: the cafes I actually go to, a real meal, the shops with stories a map won't give you. Not a checklist — a day that moves at the neighborhood's own pace.
US$450 a day per group of 1–5
An hour's drive north, and the horizon opens. Paju is the closest city to North Korea — the DMZ from Odusan Observatory — but it's also sound and design: Concino Concrete and Camerata, rooms built for sitting still inside music, and Book City, a district made of publishers. The daytrip out of Seoul I'd actually take.
US$450 a day per group of 1–5
The one destination in Korea I always recommend beyond Seoul: a one-hour flight to volcanic peaks, forest roads, coastline without end, and the freshest food in the country. The island is bigger than you expect, and who guides you — and in what order — is most of the difference. One day is a glimpse; two or three and you feel its rhythm.
US$600 a day per group of 1–5 · US$700 for 6–10
For the dates you choose, every detail handled — before, during and after. I'm your translator, guide and friend, and the concierge who books the restaurants, the cars, the clinics — walking with you through the day and adjusting it in real time, Seoul to Jeju, high-end or casual. Concierge, but present: not at a desk, but right there with you.
These terms cover the tours and concierge above. The guide's 7-day pass has its own, simpler policy, inside the app.
DM @afriendwholivesthere or write to jay@lifeguide.world. I answer myself.