A scene from the travel show "Punghyanggo" / Courtesy of YouTube channel DdeunDdeun
What happens when Korea’s most seasoned variety star is stripped of Google Maps, booking apps and online searches for traveling? In “Punghyanggo” Season 2, Yoo Jae-suk and his cast are allowed to use only their phones’ call and camera functions — everything else is disabled. That single rule turns the travel series into an unexpectedly fresh experiment in analog adventure in an increasingly digital era.
True to its title, which loosely means “going wherever the wind takes you” in Korean, the show embraces spontaneity over strategy. After heading to Vietnam in 2024 for its first season, the team now travels to Austria and Hungary, once again without reservations or pre-planned itineraries. Instead of relying on search engines, they carry printed booklets and navigate by instinct.
Their unplanned, reservation-free journey brings viewers a rare sense of spontaneity and rediscovery in travel as “Punghyanggo” offers something in contrast to today’s hyper-organized trips — the messy, uncertain joy of getting lost and finding your way again.
The four members — Yoo, Lee Sung-min, Jee Seok-jin and Yang Se-chan — are hilariously earnest in their "no apps, no plans" adventures. Starting with their aimless search for a bank at Incheon International Airport, they roam Vienna's crowded streets during the Christmas season with just a map in hand looking for lodging and queue for schnitzel only to miss out without a reservation, but chats with locals spark raw fun.
In the latest episode, released Feb. 14, they embark on their journey to Hungary, blissfully unaware of a train delay that sends them scrambling in confusion. Upon reaching Budapest, they fumble with taxis and hotel key cards, dragging oversized suitcases through the snowy streets. Despite these little mishaps, they smile widely at the sight of the beautifully lit Hungarian Parliament Building.
A poster for the travel show "Punghyanggo" / Courtesy of ENA
That "no apps, no plans" philosophy also lands as a kind of digital detox for viewers who feel worn down by information overload. The clumsy thrills of smartphone-free travel, those slow and inconvenient yet deeply human moments are precisely the message "Punghyanggo" conveys. Onscreen, we see members lose their way yet laugh together or discover true hidden gems through sheer footwork, reminding us all of travel's forgotten essence.
“I’m from the generation that traveled with nothing but a map and a guidebook,” wrote blogger tanpopo1003, after watching the show. “Before smartphone apps or Google Maps, I wandered wherever the wind took me, getting lost but always smiling. Watching 'Punghyanggo' made me realize again that even when plans go astray, the real joy of travel lies in those fleeting, unscripted moments of laughter and discovery.”
Emotional connection fuels viral success
Source: Korea Times News
