South Korea Travel Tips

RheaAngeline

Sep 21

"Gone are the days when I can book a roundtrip ticket without costing me too much." Jeff said while shaking his head slowly. True enough, there's no such thing as budget travel nowadays. Plane fares are at its peak. Add-ons were not limited to fuel charges, travel taxes, and check-in baggages. Since the news regarding delayed and cancelled flights surfaced the social media, we never travelled without insurance anymore. Supplementary expenses, argh. But this is what we love doing, and this is one of the many things that makes us feel alive.

Having said this, it is imperative to plan ahead and make the most out of our vacation. So for those who are having an idea of visiting South Korea, I'm glad to share to you these information:

I. Full Meal vs Street Foods

While it is fun to taste the appetizing street foods in Seoul, especially in Myeongdong, it is more costly than having a full meal at any restaurant in the area. This is based on the observation of Jeff. Buying noodles and a platter of dumplings in Kyoja, for example, is cheaper than buying two pieces egg tarts, potato twirl, black sesame ice cream, and oreo ice cream with churros. See the difference in terms of heaviness and quality? But I suggest to try their street foods too because you will never regret it. Just don't see it as some way to save some bill.

II. Find Restaurants with Michelin Stars

Speaking of food, believe me when I say that Tiktok is now the number one search engine in the whole wide world. The day I started looking about South Korea travel, all the stories about Michelin-starred restaurants lined up in my feeds. My first impression is that these restaurants will cost us a lot, but I'm telling you, you will be able to enjoy their food without thinking how much you will pay afterwards. But expect long lines at the entrance! Better be ready to entertain yourselves while waiting for your turn to have a seat. Is it worth it? I'd say YES! Go to Kyoja and Menten. They are my top reco.

III. Eunpyeong instead of Bukchon

When you search about Hanok Village, I bet you will be led to Bukchon. I'm not surprised that this is the most popular since it is also near Gyeongbukgung Palace. In many times I've been to South Korea and visited Bukchon, there's nothing much there but an alley and a lot of tourists. You will find it hard taking your pictures or video clips unless you want to include all the people in the background. Good thing that when we started planning the itinerary, Jeff said to choose places that I have not visited yet. That is the beginning of finding this gem, called Eunpyeong Hanok Village. It's just a one train and one bus ride from Myeongdong. See the difference, and you be the judge.

IV. Hanbok Rental via Klook

If you're going to South Korea for the first time, never leave without wearing their National Costume, called Hanbok. There are a lot of rental shops near Gyeongbukgung Palace, but we opted to avail one in Klook for discounts. Note that Klook voucher has specific date of redemption. We arrived there at five in the afternoon, but the staff explained to us that the Palace is closed from five to seven in the evening. We were delighted when she said that we can still use our voucher the day after without additional charge. So we came back the next morning and got our Hanbok. It is important to note that wearing one will waive your entrance fees to palaces and other tourist destinations.

V. Our go-to T-money

T-money is basically a card that you can use as a means of transportation to trains and buses as well as payment option in convenience stores. You can buy one at Incheon Airport and you can reload it at any convenient store or at any train station reloading machine. Good news that T-money doesn't have an expiration. In fact, we used the T-money I bought for me and my niece way back 2017 and the balance is still there. It is way convenient to use one than getting all the changes and coins. Plus, you can use whatever balance at the airport to buy snacks when your Korean Won is depleted.