mosaic tours

Meaningful Place Visits

One of the most important days of every Mosaic and Mosaic Hapa Tour is the Meaningful Place Visit. Based on each tour participant’s adoption history and personal goals, we will work with you to establish a meaningful place you would like to visit and explore while you are in Korea. For some adoptees, this means visiting the orphanage where they lived; where they were discovered; or a foster home where they spent time before leaving Korea. Me & Korea facilitates all travel and lodging to your meaningful place, no matter where it might be located in Korea.  You will travel with a dedicated volunteer who can help you navigate language and travel barriers, translating for you as needed.

Meaningful Place Visits take place towards the end of each tour. Some tour members may travel only with their volunteer; for others, you may be paired with adoptees from your tour whose meaningful places are in the same city (or in some cases, the same exact destination!). 

Following your Meaningful Place Visit, all tour members reunite in Seoul to discuss the visits in an open group session, and to spend a final few days together before the close of the tour.

Prepare for your Meaningful Place Visit

Below, Mosaic Tour and Mosaic Hapa Tour alumni share their tips and insights for what to expect (and how to prepare) for your Meaningful Place Visit:

Be sure your cell phone is charged so you can take lots of pictures. Be sure you have enough space on your phone to take videos. Be sure to take a portable charger and a WiFi egg. - Rebecca

It will be an emotional experience that you might not be able to process all at once. Know that once your tour group is back in Seoul, you'll have plenty of opportunities to share your experience and digest what just happened with a group of people who couldn't understand more. You'll be supported in your journey! - Victoria

Enjoy the day, even if there is no place or person to see, you will be taken care of by a dedicated volunteer. -Jennifer

Do a DNA test before going on the tour. Miracles do happen!! - Kimber-lee

The Meaningful Place Visit is the Mosaic Tour’s flagship experience. It really sets the Mosaic Tour apart from other adoptee tours to Korea. Your Meaningful Place Visit is yours alone, take ownership of it, make it how you want. I also recommend sharing your experience with the other tour members. - Joe

Really allow yourself to soak it all in. It can be quite emotional. - Young-wha

For me, it brought a peaceful resolution within my heart. Bring an open mind and a forgiving heart; it can help relieve deep-seated burdens or sadness. - Janine

Be open! I wasn’t looking forward to this day because I didn’t have a lot of information about where I was born. But, trying to figure things out was kind of like a fun mystery. The Meaningful Place day was one of my favorite days! - Jenna

[Go with] NO expectations and an open mind. - Mosaic Tour Alum

Try to find out in advance from Minyoung what you can about the people who will be meeting you during your visit. Take extra gifts because you never know how many people you may meet or who may play an important role in your search. Try to dig deep in advance to consider what you may want to do when you are there. Time is limited so you will want to maximize your time there. -Rebecca

If you are visiting the city where you were born, try to talk with older locals through your interpreter. They might have some interesting or even helpful information about the area. - Matt

Even if you prefer to go by yourself - don’t! The volunteers are so dedicated. - Brit