Expat Life: What to do during the Chuseok holiday?

As you might have gathered from a previous post of mine, I live in South Korea. I have lived here for a few years now as an English Teacher and each year I have to wonder, what do I do for the holidays? 
The major holidays in Korea are not close to most of the western holidays I am used to, so planning to meet friends and family around those times is usually not a good idea. The two biggest and longest holidays in Korea are Seollal (Lunar New Year) which is usually around the beginning of February and Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) which is usually in September, both last about three days. For Koreans, these are HUGE family events with a whole lot of preparing and cooking (think American Thanksgiving or Christmas style).
When I first arrived in South Korea, I was told that because those are important family holidays, you won't really see many Koreans in the big cities. WRONG! Although it is true that there is a mass exodus of Koreans to their family's hometowns in the rural areas, still there are a lot of families who live inside the cities and stay there for their gatherings. 
So, what to expats do when this time of year comes along? Here is a list:

1. Travel abroad! Lots of people choose to get out of Korea at this time because it's still a prime vacation-weather season in many parts of the world. I've had friends who have taken this time to go somewhere in Europe, or stuck to Asian countries. The most popular places being Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Japan. All are very easy for us to travel to and find cheap airfare. However, if you plan on traveling abroad, I definitely recommend booking at least a month in advance since it is an extremely busy holiday season for both inbound and outbound travelers. 

2. Travel inside Korea! This is not a popular choice for expats since transportation ANYWHERE inside the country will be jam-packed full of people. This includes accommodations in big cities. In the past, when I misunderstood that big cities were mostly deserted during the holidays, I decided to wing a trip to Seoul. Bad move. All the hostels and hotels, motels, and whatnot were full of other expats and travelers. Thank God I just happened to run into some friends of mine who let me crash in their room at their guesthouse. The good news about traveling around Korea during Chuseok is that many places will offer discounted or free events! The palaces and major cultural centers in Seoul are open for free and some even offer free traditional concerts! Great time to do all that touristy stuff. 

3. Stay home! Now don't go thinking this makes someone a hermit, just because they decide to do a staycation. For those of us who are teachers, this holiday occurs right after we have just started school back up for the Fall semester, and we already need a break. No planning involved...no thinking...no getting up early...just staying in our town and hanging out at home or with our few friends who have also stayed in town. People also choose this option to save their money and their sanity, traveling is hard this time of year. One Chuseok I decided to stay home and invite some friends from my old town (that I used to work at in Korea). We did some hiking at the famous mountain behind my house, did a little tour of my town, and binge-watched Dexter. It was a proper slumber party and I loved it!

No matter what you end up doing for the holidays, it's important to remember to take the time to relax and enjoy yourself.

If you are an expat like myself, what do you do during Chuseok? If you are Korean, what does your family do for Chuseok? Do you keep to a traditional family gathering or do you do something different?