10 K-Dramas That Will Scratch Your Travel Itch During Quarantine

Much of the world is still fighting against the COVID-19 virus by re-locking down, limiting their time outside, and a plethora of sanitization precautions. Airports are especially avoided as they are often an easy area for disease to spread. This means, no one is really traveling besides maybe a visit to family (as they should).

But, some of us miss traveling, some of us are going stir crazy, some of us feel like we have an itch that we just can’t scratch. Despite being unable to go to most places except your house and perhaps the store, you can go anywhere you want on the internet! These 10 K-Dramas will certainly help scratch that travel itch that has been bugging you all year. You’ve got this!

1. The Package (France)

Yoon So So (Lee Yun Hee) relocates to France with her college boyfriend but a few years later, her boyfriend heartlessly returns to Korea without her. She then works as a tour guide for “Luxurious Premium Tour Packages: 1 Week in France”. The seven tourists in this show include a man who came without his girlfriend, a couple that has been together for 7 years, an older couple of a complaining husband and his mellow wife, and a man traveling with a younger woman. During the trip, So So learns that one just might be her fated lover.

What could get you more in than travel mood than a literal tour of Paris? This drama is simple but captivating and takes you all around the best parts of Paris.

2. Spring Waltz (Austria/Jeju)

To escape debt, Lee Su Ho (Seo Do Young)’s father went to a remote island where his friend has a daughter Eun Young (Han Hyo Joo), who is the same age as Su Ho. After being abandoned by his father, Su Ho wanted to leave, but his mind changed after being touched by Eun Young’s pure heart. A series of unfortunate events ensue. Years later, while traveling in Austria, Eun Young meets the pianist Jae Ha, a man with a cold exterior and few words, who looks like Su Ho. As their love starts to develop, the truth unfolds…

This drama is from the iconic “seasons” series that includes: Winter Sonata, Autumn in My Heart, and Summer Scent. The beginning of the show explores the beauty of Austria’s capital, Vienna. Further in the plot, they arrive in Jeju and show the glorious greenery. Despite the “Spring” title, the beginning is quite the winter wonderland.

3. Are You Human Too? (Czech Republic)

An android named Nam Shin III (Seo Kang Joon) must pretend to be the son of a rich family when the real Nam Shin falls into a coma.

This show shifts to the gorgeous Czech Republic every once in a while and it’s a lovely surprise every time.

4. Misaeng: Incomplete Life (Jordan)

Jang Geu Rae (Im Shi Wan) has played Go since he was a child. When his plans of becoming a professional Go player fail, he is forced to take an office job as an intern to a large company called One International. On his first day of work, Geu Rae meets an eager intern Ahn Young Yi (Kang So Ra) as they both try to please their new boss.

This drama made headlines in both South Korea and Jordan as it was the first K-Drama to film in Jordan, let alone that entire area. The few scenes that are in Jordan are intriguing to look at and it was fun to see the same temple from Indiana Jones the Last Crusade.

5. Memories of the Alhambra (Spain/Hungary/Slovenia)

As if you needed any other reason to watch a Hyun Bin drama than himself, this drama is absolutely stunning. It mostly gives us the lovely architecture of Grenada, Spain, while also sprinkling in a little of Hungary and Slovenia into the VR game.

6. Devilish Joy (China)

Gong Ma Sung (Choi Jin Hyuk) is the successor to the Sunwoo company and excels in anything to do with the cranial nerve. He is respected and looked up to as a brilliant man. One day, when trying to help a woman in trouble, he gets into an accident and loses the ability to remember past one day. He then meets Joo Gi Beum (Song Ha Yoon), a once-popular celebrity and entertainer loved by all. She went through a horrible experience that ruined her confidence and destroyed her future. Ma Sung falls in love.

This drama begins in the beautiful Hainan, China at its capital of Haikou. The mix of tropical nature and modern and traditional Chinese architecture makes it almost look like a movie set.

7. Lovers in Paris (France)

Kang Tae Young (Kim Jung Eun) lives in Paris and is working on a screenplay. She meets Han Gi Ju (Park Shin Yang) and Yoon Soo Hyuk (Lee Dong Gun) when her bike breaks down. Gi Ju asks her to act as his fiancée for work reasons. Things go badly and everyone returns to Korea. Back in Korea, Gi Ju and Soo Hyuk end up feeling more feelings towards Tae Young than they initially thought. However, Gi Ju is Soo Hyuk’s uncle and they had grown up like best friends since they were only about 7 years apart.

This classic drama is perfect for the traveler’s heart. Much of it was filmed in Paris and it takes you through bustling cafes, beautiful fountains, and luxurious dining that you would find in the city.

8. Crash Landing On You (Switzerland/”North Korea”/Mongolia/Jeju)

One day, while paragliding, Yoon Se Ri (Son Ye Jin), a South Korean heiress, has an accident caused by a storm, leading her to crash into North Korea, where she meets Ri Jung Hyuk (Hyun Bin), a North Korean army officer, who agrees to help her return to South Korea. They fall in love, despite the issues between their two countries.

This drama will take you through two distinct countries and one hidden one. While no drama can actually film in North Korea we still get a feeling of what it would be like to travel there. Much of it was actually filmed in South Korea, with the flashbacks mostly being filmed in the glorious and snowy Switzerland. The secret, however, is that some of the parts set in North Korea were actually filmed in Mongolia.

9. Splash Splash LOVE (Joseon Era)

Jang Dan Bi is a high school senior who has given up on math. When she is about to take the KSAT, she is transported back into the past during a freak rain shower. She finds herself in the Joseon Kingdom, which is suffering from a severe drought. She encounters King Sejong (Yoon Doo Joon), who yearns to learn advanced mathematics, and falls in love.

Look, it’s been a rough year, maybe traveling to a different country isn’t enough. No, you need to travel through time. You need to get as far away from 2020 as you can, and how much farther can you get than the late 1300s? This drama is a short and easy 2 episodes while still providing enough plot and fun to be entertaining.

10. Scent of A Woman (Japan)

Lee Yeon Jae (Kim Sun Ah) is given the grim prognosis that she only has a short time left to live, so she decides to quit her job at a travel agency and live her life to the fullest.

There’s a reason this drama is such a huge classic. One of those reasons is the countless picturesque scenes we are introduced to. Japan is an extraordinary background to the two leads budding love.