More South Koreans Do 'Staycations'

 

At this time last year, Yoon Seok-min, his wife Kim Hyo-jung and their two children traveled to the Philippines, Vietnam, and Guam. They were considering a trip to the Hawaiian Islands this year.

Since the coronavirus health crisis¹ began, Yoon and Kim's family, like other South Koreans, have turned to a new kind of vacation: a "staycation."

"Staycation" is a term that suggests a vacation while staying at or near one's home. Some people do "staycations" by changing their homes into their favorite holiday stops.

Kim and Yoon live in Yongin city, south of Seoul. Their five-bedroom apartment has small palm trees. The chairs and other furniture are made from rattan², a climbing palm grown in tropical countries.

Kim and Yoon have created the breezy feel of the tropics³ in each room. Their bedroom looks like something one might see at a resort hotel on the Indonesian island of Bali. The living room has things you might find in Hawaii.

"Since we can't travel abroad for some time because of the coronavirus, we tried to bring those vacation spots to our home," Kim said.

Yoon and Kim's complex home improvement project cost them at least $67,000.

But they are not alone in investing in their home, as social distancing forces many people indoors.

Hanssem Corporation is the largest home furnishing company in South Korea. The company says the number of houses it has refurbished between April and June of 2020 tripled⁵ from a year earlier.

Camping at home

Another kind of "staycation" has also become popular in South Korea. It is "home-camping."

Home-camping is a term that means that people set up camping equipment at home - just as they would in the woods or at the beach.

Che Min-hee and her husband changed their Seoul apartment into an indoor campsite after a rise in coronavirus cases and two months of heavy rain.

On a day not too long ago, Che and her husband, Lee Seung-yoon, sat on folding chairs and cooked food on a small stove. Behind them, the television was showing a campfire video. This is their second weekend home-camping trip.

"We were supposed to go on a week-long trip to New York this summer, which we cancelled due to the ... coronavirus outbreak," said Che. "Instead we spent that money on camping gear⁶, which cost us" around $8,400.

South Koreans are normally among the top ten spenders on international travel, according to the World Bank. Because of the outbreak, some people are buying camping equipment to make up for missed vacations.

South Korea's E-Mart Incorporated⁷ reports that sales of camping equipment from April to mid-July increased 51.6 percent compared to last year.

South Korean officials recently asked people to avoid leaving home and to cancel any unnecessary trips. The government is considering stronger social distancing rules.

Lee says he fears these moves mean home-camping is the safest summer vacation this year.

His 7-year-old son Lee Ji-sung is thinking about ways to be even more creative.

"My friends seem to be just playing games, but it's really nice that our family is doing something special," the boy said.

"I think it would also be good if we can draw trees on the wall."

I'm John Russell.

Words in This Story

tropical – adj. of or being from an area with temperatures high enough to support year-round plant growth

refurbish – v. to freshen or brighten up, often by remodeling

triple⁴ – v. to make three times as many

according – adv. as stated by or in

draw – v. to make or create a picture

1 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

2 rattan   

n.藤条，藤杖

参考例句：

• When they reached a long bridge fastened with rattan strips,everyone got out and walked.走到那顶藤条扎的长桥，大家都下车步行。
• Rattan furniture,include rattan chair,rattan table,and so on.藤器家具包括藤椅藤桌等等。

3 tropics   

(名)热带

参考例句：

• The disease is thought to have originated in the tropics. 这种疾病据说起源于热带地区。
• I went to the tropics for the first time last year. 我去年第一次去了热带地区。

4 triple   

n.三倍之数，三个一组；adj.三倍的

参考例句：

• Twelve is the triple of four.十二是四的三倍数。
• He received triple wages for all his extra work.由于额外的工作他领取了三倍的工资。

5 tripled   

v.（使）增至三倍( triple的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The enemy tripled his strength. 敌军把兵力增加到原来的三倍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He tripled his income. 他使他的收入增加两倍[增至三倍]。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 gear   

n.齿轮，传动装置，设备，衣服；vt.使适应

参考例句：

• We have to gear our lives to the new changes.我们必须使自己的生活适应新的变化。
• The teeth of the wheel gear into each other.齿轮互相啮合。

7 incorporated   

a.结合的，并为一体的

参考例句：

• Many of your suggestions have been incorporated in the plan. 你的很多建议已纳入计划中。
• These conditions must be expressly incorporated into the contract of employment. 这些条件都必须明确地写进雇佣合同之中。