Sanskriti Pun, New Delhi

Ellie Jones is a UK based YouTuber who makes vlogs about South Korea which includes exploring different cities, her lifestyle, and much more. Her videos have a fun vibe to match which is suitable for any age group. She has also travelled many countries in Europe in her van and has videos on it too. Here is an excerpt of her interview with Hallyuism:

Tell us about how your journey with YouTube has been so far?

EJ: I started my YouTube channel as a van life page at the start of 2020, and in August took the channel in a different direction and travelled to South Korea where I have been making vlogs about Seoul and other cities in Korea, life in Korea and lifestyle videos. When I started the channel, I had no idea how to edit or film and have learnt as I’ve gone along. At the time of writing, I have 11.9K subscribers on my channel and people are watching from all corners of the world. It is a great way for me to show my friends and family back home in the UK what I am up to and where I am visiting, but it’s great that people that don’t know me personally also seem to enjoy the videos!

What was the motivation behind starting your channel?

EJ: The motivation behind starting the channel was wanting to document my travels and have them as memories to look back on for years to come. I have always loved travelling so finding a way to finance my travels or be a ‘digital nomad’ was always very appealing to me.

How did your family and friends react to you being a YouTuber? 

EJ: My family and friends love my YouTube channel and love seeing what I get up to, they are so supportive of my channel and watch every single one as soon as they come out.

What do you love the most about creating videos related to travelling? 

EJ: Especially this year, I love that people have been able to live variously through me because they weren’t able to travel this year, but could experience new places by watching my videos. Making videos is also a great creative outlet for me and a process that I really enjoy. It also pushes me to continue to explore new places so that I can share them with people.

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A post shared by Ellie Jones 🌞 (@ellieomj)

How do you describe your van life experience? What are perks and what are the challenges that come with it?

EJ: The van life experience was so much fun and a great way to explore so much of Europe that otherwise would be difficult to travel to, it is a laid back way to travel and can be done as slowly or fast pace as you like. It is a simple lifestyle. The perks were being able to park up somewhere and stay for as long as we’d like, but the drawbacks mainly involved finding places to park that were safe and legal.

You have been to so many cities in South Korea. Which city has attracted you the most and why?

EJ: So far in South Korea, I have travelled to Seoul, Busan, Daegu and the island of Namhae. I would say though that Seoul has been my favourite city because it is offers so much, bustling city streets, cute alleys and also many beautiful nature spots.

What are some budget-friendly travel tips to travel in South Korea you would like to tell us?

EJ: Try not to order food too much. Ordering food in Seoul is far too easy so I have found myself doing it quite a lot out of convenience, but it did cost a bit. Travel around South Korea, especially domestic flights are very cheap so I would recommend exploring more of the country that way.

Over the years, South Korea has emerged as one of the most preferred tourism destination. Lots of people want to visit South Korea now. For someone as you, who has been living here for so long, what one should definitely keep in mind before coming to South Korea?

EJ: For people looking to visit South Korea, especially Seoul, I would recommend doing a little bit of research before hand and write out a list of places that appeal to you and you want to visit. I would also recommend downloading Naver maps, Kakao maps, a translator app and a currency converter app.

Did you experience any culture shock in South Korea? What differences from your own country did you find the most memorable one?

EJ: A minor culture shock that I have experienced in South Korea is struggling to find vegan food, in the UK there are vegan options in the majority of restaurants whereas here it is not the case so much. Taxis and transport here is also very cheap compared to the UK so that was a pleasant surprise!

Lastly, what do you advice young children and youth of today about YouTube being a career? Do you think today it can be considered a mainstream career option?

EJ: I definitely think YouTube can be considered a viable career option for young people. It is a saturated market, so I would advise young people or people wanting to start a channel to find a niche or something that makes you and your content stand out from other creators. Also, do not be deterred when your channel doesn’t take off straight away, be patient as it can take time.

On behalf of our entire team of Hallyuism, we would like to thank Ms. Ellie for taking out her time for this interview. Tell us where would you like to travel and experience the most in South Korea?

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A post shared by Ellie Jones 🌞 (@ellieomj)