Checking into a Dream Destination

Check in at Your Dream Destination — Checking into a Dream Destination

Perhaps the best way to escape the tedium of everyday life is to read about someone else’s journey. At Check In, a space filled with travel books and wine, checking into another world happens quickly and effortlessly.

Interviewer Parc Jinmyoung
Interviewee Ko Yoonkyung (Owner, Check In)

There are certain words that make your heart flutter just thinking about them. For me, they’re words related to travel — boarding pass, in-flight meal, check-in, room service. Check In, a travel bookstore tucked away in Yeonnam-dong, Seoul, must have had exactly this feeling in mind. Check In offers more than just travel books. There’s wine to help you dive quickly and easily into the destinations within the pages, along with snacks to pair with it. But above all, the strongest presence in the space is bookstore owner Ko Yoonkyung, who unspools travel stories like a friend one moment and an older sister the next. Whether you’re looking for lighthearted yet earnest advice about an upcoming trip, or need a bit of courage to hit the road, all you have to do is walk through Check In’s door. Simply listening to her stories is enough to bring you the joy, encouragement, and comfort of travel.

What kind of space is Check In?
It’s a bookstore that mainly deals in travel books. We also sell wine and simple snacks to enjoy alongside them.

What made you decide to open a bookstore?
It started with a travel agency. The first company I worked at was the largest travel agency in Korea, but they were churning out package tours like a factory. Even during the winter off-season, we had to sell trips to the Rocky Mountains. I felt disillusioned by that and quit. The second company I joined was the polar opposite — it specialized in remote destinations like the Arctic and Antarctic, dealing directly with local operators so that most of the profit went back to local communities. Back then, it was truly a matter of ‘starting from scratch.’ In such remote places, you had to arrange everything separately — vehicles, guides, hotels, travel agencies — which wasn’t easy at all. After that, I moved to yet another company, but I realized that as long as I was employed somewhere, I could never just do the work I wanted to do. So, drawing on over a decade of experience in the travel industry, I started my own travel agency in 2016.

Is your travel agency also called Check In?
It was originally called ‘Go&Do Travel,’ but now it’s merged with the bookstore under the name ‘Check In with Go&Do.’ In 2019, once the travel agency had gotten on its feet, I needed a place to meet and consult with clients, so I created Check In. I also wanted to help people discover their own travel preferences through the travel books I love. After running it for about five years, I’ve seen clients who came in for travel consultations become regulars at the bookstore, and vice versa.

What sets Check In with Go&Do apart?
I believe that if there are 100 people, there are 100 different kinds of travel. At the same time, given how hard it is to take long vacations in Korean society, people need travel plans that maximize efficiency in a short amount of time. At Check In with Go&Do, we first understand each client’s tendencies and preferences, then curate and suggest a list of hotels, restaurants, and activities. Pinpointing exactly the information clients need — the kind that would otherwise take hours to research — that’s what we do.

I heard you also run a regular travel package.
It’s a trip to Kanazawa, Japan, done in partnership with Nakagawa Hideko, a culinary researcher who runs a cooking class in Yeonhui-dong, Seoul. Kanazawa, Hideko’s hometown, is famous for having escaped both war and natural disasters, which means it has preserved its long history and traditions intact. The traditional cooking methods that make use of the region’s abundant local ingredients are also well preserved. Every year, we run a ‘Kanazawa Gourmet Tour,’ staying at a ryokan and taking cooking classes together with Hideko.

Running both a travel agency and a bookstore — two very different kinds of work — at once must not be easy.
Until last October, I would open the bookstore for three weeks out of every month, sometimes stepping away for business trips related to the travel agency in between. I made sure to take the remaining week entirely for personal travel. That’s because of a product I started this year called ‘Room Service.’ Once a month, I put together a package of souvenirs I’ve bought while traveling and send it out along with a postcard — like a gift from a friend who just got back from a trip. Last month’s Sicily, Italy edition had 60 people sign up in advance — a record. Buying specialty products, stationery, and crafts made by local artisans takes an enormous amount of energy, but even that feels like travel to me, and I enjoy it. This month, I’ll be continuing Room Service from three cities in Eastern Europe: Prague in the Czech Republic, Vienna in Austria, and Budapest in Hungary.

How do you curate the books?
We mainly carry travel essays and travelogues from various eras, as well as books focused on specific cities. There are also books on art, food, music, and painting that can help readers discover their own tastes. Personally, I love paperbacks, so I curated a collection of small-format books you can stuff into a side pocket of your backpack, under the title ‘Books for Those Setting Off on Long Journeys.’ When you travel alone for a long time, loneliness can creep in — these are books that can offer comfort in those moments.

What criteria do you use to choose the wines?
I select wines that reflect the character of each region, in tune with the season. Most of our regulars prefer a casual style. Rather than expensive bottles, I choose approachable wines — the kind you might casually bring along when visiting a friend’s house.

When do you feel most rewarded running the bookstore?
When I can pay the rent on time? (laughs) Just kidding. Often I can tell at a glance where a customer is planning to travel. I’ll strike up a conversation, saying something like, “Looks like you’re headed somewhere — how exciting!” and offer tips on how best to travel there. Sometimes customers who were happy with my advice send me a postcard from their destination. I’m always so grateful that they thought of me while traveling. On the other hand, there are customers who want to travel but hesitate, lacking the courage. My favorite moments are when they soak up some good energy in this space and decide to set off on their own.

On November 1st, you held a talk at the bookstore on the theme of ‘sustainable travel.’
That event came about through my participation in the ‘Green Chips Festival 2023,’ recently held in Yeonnam-dong, Yeonhui-dong, and DDP. I wanted to create meaningful content rather than simply sell things. Honestly, I’m not really in a position to talk about sustainable travel (laughs) — I’m out there creating a massive carbon footprint every month. But I thought it would be nice to share what I personally can do, even if it’s not grand or ambitious. It was a gathering where guests ate vegan food I made, drank natural wine, and we shared everything from how to find sustainable hotels to tour operators that give back to local communities.

You must have picked up a lot of know-how from years of travel experience.
It’s really small things — not keeping too many photos to save on data storage, using my own toiletries instead of hotel amenities, and so on. Eight people came to that event, and surprisingly, many of them didn’t know where to start. I talked about how ‘low carbon’ is a hot topic in Europe these days, and introduced * Germany’s 49-euro ticket. Since I’m planning to travel to France next year, I’m also thinking of trying out ** France’s 49-euro pass myself. Though honestly, I wonder if someone as impatient as me can manage a trip without taking the TGV (laughs). I want to show people the things you can only see when you travel slowly.

* Last May, Germany introduced a transit ticket allowing unlimited use of local public transportation nationwide for 49 euros (about 70,000 won) per month.

** A transit pass set to launch next summer. It’s currently under review to allow unlimited use of the subway, buses, and trams, excluding the TGV.

As you mentioned earlier, taking a long trip isn't easy in Korea, so it seems like it might be harder than expected to convey the appeal of slow travel.
It does sound contradictory. Lately, restrictions on short-haul flights within Europe have made planning itineraries more difficult, and some guests still come to me with itineraries that just aren't feasible. In those cases, instead of a city that requires a long journey, I suggest a small nearby town or find other things to enjoy, offering a new direction. I think it's also my job to keep emphasizing the sustainability of travel.

How do you plan to spend the rest of this year?
Starting in November, I changed my operating cycle. I plan to open the bookstore for ten days, then travel, then return to everyday life, repeating that cycle. I'll be spending the rest of the year this way in order to complete 12 countries and 12 room services.

What kind of future does Chaeckin dream of?
Honestly, all I can think about right now is paying the rent on time (laughs). I'll be introducing a variety of travel content to keep this space sustainable, so please look forward to it.