How far ahead should I book Yanolja or Goodchoice for the Chuseok holiday?
I want to travel to Gangneung over the Chuseok holiday and friends warned me accommodation fills up. I have used Yanolja once but the listings and cancellation terms were in Korean. How early do places sell out for that week, and what should I check about cancellation before paying?
1 Answer
Book six to eight weeks out for Chuseok, and check the cancellation terms before you pay rather than after.
Accommodation in Gangneung is among the first to sell out for that week because it is a standard holiday destination from Seoul. Rooms in the popular areas near the beaches go early, and what remains close to the date is typically either far from the centre or priced well above normal. If your dates are fixed, book now rather than watching for a better rate.
On cancellation, this is where the Korean booking apps differ from what you may expect. Yanolja and Goodchoice both list a refund schedule per property, not one policy across the platform, and the refund percentage steps down by the number of days before check-in. Many holiday-period listings are sold as non-refundable in exchange for a lower rate, and during Chuseok that is common. Before paying, open the cancellation and refund section on the listing and read the specific date table, because a property that allows free cancellation until seven days out and one that refunds nothing after booking sit side by side in the same search results.
For the Korean-only listings, the app interfaces have English modes but individual property descriptions are often written by the owner in Korean only. Running the description through a translation app before booking is worth the two minutes — details about parking, check-in times outside reception hours, and whether meals are included are usually buried there.
One alternative worth knowing: for holiday periods, booking directly with a pension or guesthouse by phone sometimes finds rooms the apps show as sold out, because owners hold back inventory.