Yeosu Korea Travel in Our 60s: Our First Trip After 45 Years of Friendship
Our Yeosu Korea travel in our 60s was more than just a trip. It was the beginning of a new chapter for five middle school friends who have shared more than 45 years of friendship.
Our Yeosu Korea Travel in Our 60s
We Met When We Were Just Girls
We first met when we were in the second year of middle school.
We were just girls then, sitting in the same classroom, laughing over the smallest things and having no idea where life would eventually take us.
Then came high school.
College.
Marriage.
Children.
Work.
And all the responsibilities that somehow fill the decades in between.
Our lives went in different directions, and there were years when we were busy simply living our own lives.
But somehow, the friendship remained.
More than 45 years passed.
And then we reached our 60s.
By this point, our children were grown, the busiest years of raising our families were behind us, and something had changed.
For the first time in a long while, we had a little more room.
Not only in our schedules.
But in our hearts.
So five girls who had once shared a middle school classroom decided to do something we had never done before.
We took a trip together.
And for our very first destination, we chose Yeosu, Korea.
The Blue Sea of Yeosu
The first thing that captured my heart was the sea.
The brilliant blue sky, the deep blue water, the green cliffs and a little white lighthouse standing quietly above it all.
When I was younger, traveling often meant trying to see as much as possible.
One more attraction.
One more restaurant.
One more place to check off the list.
But traveling in my 60s feels different.
Now, when I see something beautiful, I want to stop.
Take a picture.
Feel the breeze.
Look at the water for a little longer.
And simply say,
“This is beautiful.”
I've begun to realize that as we grow older, travel becomes less about how many places we see and more about who is standing beside us when we see them.
And on this trip, I had four very special people standing beside me.
Five Women in Their 60s — Or Five Middle School Girls?
Something funny happens when you're with friends who knew you when you were young.
You forget how old you are. 😂
We even wore matching pink shirts.
And apparently, turning 60 had not made any of us particularly serious
We laughed.
We took far too many pictures.
We posed like girls much younger than ourselves.
And somewhere between the ocean, the food and all that laughter, something wonderful happened.
We became schoolgirls again.
Sixty on Paper
There was cake.
There were crowns.
And naturally, there were more photographs. 👑😂
Looking at this picture now makes me smile.
Our faces have changed since those middle school days.
Our lives certainly have.
But there are moments when I look at my friends laughing and I can still see the girls I knew all those years ago.
Maybe that is one of the greatest gifts of a lifelong friendship.
Someone still remembers the younger version of you.
The Little Things We Remember Most
Travel memories aren't always made at famous landmarks.
Sometimes they are something much smaller.
Like five matching bracelets.
Or five pairs of shoes lined up after a long day.
These aren't the photographs that would appear in a Yeosu travel guide.
But they're some of the photographs I love most.
Because they could only belong to our trip.
Still Walking Side by Side
Of course, we explored Yeosu together.
We walked through beautiful paths, visited the waterfront and enjoyed the scenery around Odongdo.
I love this photograph because, in a strange way, it feels like a picture of our friendship.
We started walking beside one another when we were teenagers.
Life sent us down many different roads after that.
And somehow, decades later...
we were still walking side by side.
Good Food Tastes Even Better With Old Friends
Of course, no trip to Korea would be complete without good food. 😊
Yeosu gave us plenty of opportunities to eat.
Fresh seafood, local specialties and little treats became part of the fun.
And yes...
We usually took the picture before taking the first bite.
Some things don't change just because you're in your 60s. 😂
“I'm Happy to Be Traveling — Even More Because I'm With You”
Then we came across words written on a flower wall.
In Korean, they said:
“I'm happy to be traveling. Even more because I'm with you.”
I remember thinking that those words described our trip better than I could.
Yeosu was beautiful.
The ocean was beautiful.
The food was delicious.
The scenery gave us endless reasons to take pictures.
But when I look back now, none of those things were really what made the trip special.
It was the people beside me.
Maybe We Become Better Travelers as We Grow Older
One of my favorite photographs from Yeosu is simply a beautiful sunset over the water.
I think I notice these moments more now than I did when I was younger.
A beautiful flower.
Sunlight reflecting on the water.
A peaceful view from a window.
A delicious meal.
Friends laughing at a joke they've probably heard many times before.
When we're younger, we sometimes think happiness needs to be something big.
Now I'm beginning to think the opposite.
Maybe one of the unexpected gifts of growing older is becoming better at noticing small happiness.
And perhaps that makes us better travelers too.
Yeosu at Night
As the sun disappeared, Yeosu changed again.
The lights came on around the water, and eventually the night sky filled with fireworks.
Standing there with friends I had known for more than four decades, I couldn't help thinking about how extraordinary ordinary life can be.
When we first met in middle school, we couldn't possibly have imagined this moment.
Yet here we were.
Still together. Maybe Our 60s Are Another Beginning
For many years, so much of our time belonged to other people.
Our families.
Our children.
Our work.
Our responsibilities.
Those years were important and meaningful.
But now we've entered another season.
Our children are grown.
Life has slowed down just enough for us to look around and ask:
Where should we go next?
Maybe turning 60 doesn't mean the best adventures are behind us.
Maybe it simply means we finally have the time and freedom to enjoy them differently.
We don't need to rush.
We can sit a little longer by the ocean.
Have another cup of coffee.
Eat something delicious.
Take too many pictures.
And laugh about things that happened 45 years ago.
Where Our Journey Began
When we were teenagers, we sat together in a classroom.
More than 45 years later, we were sitting together again.
This time, looking out at the sea.
So much life had happened between those two moments.
Marriage.
Children.
Work.
Joy.
Disappointments.
Changes none of us could have predicted.
And yet somehow, when we were together, all those years seemed to disappear for a little while.
Yeosu wasn't simply a beautiful place we visited.
It was where a new chapter of our friendship began.
We enjoyed that first trip so much that it didn't end with Yeosu.
Next came Gijang.
Then Geoje.
Then Gangneung.
And this October, we're planning our next adventure together — Jecheon in autumn.
Apparently, once five middle school friends start traveling together in their 60s, it's difficult to stop. 😂
And I'm very glad about that.
We met as girls. We grew older together. And now, in our 60s, we travel together.
Yeosu was where our journey began.
Coming Next
Traveling in Our 60s: Five Old Friends in Gijang, Korea
Our second trip took us back to the sea — but this time to Gijang, where another adventure, more good food, and plenty more laughter were waiting for us.
Disclosure: This post reflects my personal travel experience. Places, businesses, prices, hours and attractions may change over time, so please check current information when planning your own trip.
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