*posting this first - will update the list when i've filled in those gaps in my train of thought hoho*
after staying in seoul for 17 days, i think we've been rather accustomed to the way of korean life and have experienced a pretty decent amount of interaction with the people there.
so today i'll share some tips and tricks on saving money/getting around/fitting in and everything else :-)
i hope that this will be a useful post for those who are planning to travel to seoul because i have learnt a lot from others' experiences online on their blogs so i hope i can pay it forward too!
the planning
collate all your information on google docs
the most travel-friendly document sharing platform that i've used so far would probably be google docs.
while planning the itinerary for seoul i've done countless of drafts on pen and paper, some on microsoft word, but i always end up having to re-write/re-type information...
and what's worse is your travel buddies can't keep up with what you're planning.
so the best solution is probably to start a document in google via google docs, and just plan everything from top to toe there.
my favourite part about google docs is that it is a shared document and real-time edits can be made so you know who amended what or who suggested something.
in our google docs, we included the itinerary, a budget plan, basic survival tips (some conversational vocab list), our accommodation choices etc.
it came in really handy during our entire planning process and we could easily share the document with our parents via email invitation too so they could know where we were headed.
choose your flight/airline company wisely + BUY EXTRA BAGGAGE
forgot to mention that we took asiana airlines to korea!
air tickets are reasonably cheap when it's off-peak periods i.e. non-school-holiday months!
that's why we decided to fly by asiana, if not forget it we'd better off be flying budget.
we paid $780+ for a 2-way trip and i felt it was pretty decent for a korean airline company.
meals were provided and there was in-flight entertainment.
though we could've got other cheaper flights but nah i shan't complain. asiana was good enough.
however if you're flying during the peak periods, i'd reckon sticking to a budget airline, but obviously without compromising on the flight quality.
i think scoot/tiger airways are reliable (wait does tiger even fly to seoul i'm not sure haha) enough!
i don't see why it's necessary to splurge on air tickets because it's only a 6-7hr long flight anyway so just endure through it!!
also, i don't exactly believe in/like the idea of transit flights.
as much as it saves you a certain load of cash, the time wasted during transit is really *ouch*.
furthermore, transiting also means 1) higher possibility that you might miss your connecting flight and 2) higher possibility that there'll be a case of lost baggage.
my friend paid about $400+ for a transit flight (china eastern airlines if i'm not wrong).
i think topping up an extra twice the amount is worth it - kinda like insurance ya know? lol.
i know some may beg to differ, but what i'm trying to get at is that you ought to work out a budget plan and weigh the pros and cons of flying.
depending on whichever will suit your needs better then decide from there! :-)
just know your limits and see if every cent you are going to fork out is worth it.
OH AND THE MOST IMPORTANT REMINDER OF ALL: PLEASE BUY EXTRA BAGGAGE WEIGHT.
i cannot emphasise this enough because it was a very heart-wrenching experience for van and i.
the idea of buying extra baggage completely slipped our minds i don't even know how.
if you jolly well know you are going away for an extended period of time, do buy extra baggage (it probably only costs less than S$50) from your airline company.
don't wait you exceed the limits upon your return flight and end up having to pay $200+++ for overweight baggage.
i know how it feels because that's what happened to us both at incheon T_T
it sucks, really.
you don't need to live in a luxurious penthouse or a 10-star hotel when on holiday
face it man, we're all guilty of this when planning our idyllic holiday.
seriously, if you just do away with some of the luxuries you could be saving on a lot of cost in the long run.
if you're on holiday, you're most likely to be out and about busying yourself with exploration and cultural immersion. you're not going to be cooped up in your room/hotel/apartment all day long so why bother spending extravagantly on lodging?
i'm not saying that you pay like a meagre twenty-dollars and live in a rathole but my point is that you just have to get a reasonably comfortable apartment without burning a hole in your pocket.
and that brings me to my next point about finding cheap lodging while having a host to help you navigate around a foreign land.
airbnb is probably my personal favourite
there are many other competitors out there renting out their apartments at cheap rates such as couchsurfing and lastminute.com.
but couchsurfing seemed a bit too shady and unreliable because the website didn't seem very trustworthy and looked very underdeveloped.
lastminute.com was also pretty expensive for my pocket so i decided airbnb was the safest option.
well, airbnb is a really popular platform due to its commercialization so what i like is the wide range of apartments and how you can filter your dream lodging to your liking.
van and i both had individual preferences when it came to booking an apartment.
van wanted a big bed to herself, a washing machine (so we could do our laundry) and a television.
but for me i was looking out for was space and convenience - and i was somewhat insistent on staying in a duplex apartment then.
we didn't have much choice because we booked really late (like a month before our trip) so we had to make do with what was left.
we paid only
S$76/night for the both of us which meant that it was only
S$38 per person.
i think it was really reasonable considering the fact that it fulfilled both our needs.
and plus our host was really friendly and place was really just nice for two of us - check out his listing
here!
he is the kind soul that made our journey back home possible because he helped us carry our severely overweight luggage to the subway station for us.
convenience is key when deciding on accomodation
after 17 days in seoul we have realized how much walking one must do when in here.
if you are travelling with many people and can't seem to decide on a suitable (by suitable i mean cheap and good) apartment, when desperate times call for desperate measures, get a place that's near a subway station.
this is very important because not only is it easy for you to locate, but it really saves a lot of trouble from getting from place to place.
also, by staying near major train stations (such as seoul station, hongik university, myeongdong, dongdaemun etc.) you can easily cab straight back to the subway station and walk from there, rather than you living in some abandoned outskirts of seoul where you HAVE to give the cab driver the specific address (neighbourhood + street + district) before he can take you home.
initially, i was feeling regretful that we didn't get to stay near dongdaemun or hongdae because that's where the nightlife happens - and if anything happens while staying out late, our lodging would just be nearby.
but i realized that
seoul station is probably the most convenient of them all.
it is situated right in the centre of seoul with 4 different subway lines that you can transit to.
perks of living near seoul station:
1) it lies on the same line as major shopping districts such as dongdaemun (line 1), myeongdong (line 4) and hongik university (arex line)
2) seoul station is the last stop for the airport express railway (arex) which means that you can travel directly from incheon airport to seoul station in 45mins for a cheap cost of S$10.
^ you may think S$10 is expensive for a train ride but you really travel in comfort because there's storage space for your luggage, the seats are really comfortable and you don't have to worry about going hungry on board too. compare this to a 1hr-long cab ride that'll probably cost you more than S$20 and you have to sit through traffic jams with a full bladder?
3) just beside seoul station is the lotte outlets + mart, a departmental store that sells everything from clothes to accessories to food to toys. food is readily available (though not 24hrs) but it's good for quick grocery shopping if you're intending to cook.
4) namdaemun market, myeongdong and namsan tower are all within walking distance (about 15-30mins) from seoul station (yes this is tried and tested by van and i because we've walked from namdaemun back home before)
packing
keep a checklist so you don't miss out
being a forgetful prick i am, i know that i always leave out small but important things like maybe a toothbrush, sanitary pads, or even my passport (?)
yes i am that forgetful....
so i decided to do myself a good favour and pack according to a list.
i found a really concise packing list from
smartertravel which really helped me in my packing process a lot.
what i like is that they even sort out your belongings-to-pack into different categories like clothing, luggage and carry-on.
so if you're a clumsy, forgetful one too then this packing list is for you!
pack extra sanitary pads
this is for the girls only.
but really, even though you might just be away for 1 or 2 weeks, anything can happen.
because of weather differences your body may not be able to adapt well and hence your monthly friend may visit earlier.
well, at least that's what happened to me.
mine wasn't even supposed to come and i was only prepared for about 2 or 3 days, so it was quite annoying that i had to purchase them in korea.
well, the thing about buying sanitary pads in korea is not that it's difficult to find (unlike what i've read online).
you can buy them from all the convenience stores (gs25, c&u etc) and it's readily available.
but the main problem is that they cost a bomb!!!!!!
i know it's kinda weird ranting about the cost of pads in korea but honestly, for the same quantity it was about almost triple the price!!!
i don't even understand why, do korean women not experience the monthly horror?
like why are they even so expensive, isn't a sanitary pad a necessity for all women?
someone please enlighten me, i honestly got a bit of a cultural shock seeing the crazily jacked up prices for a ..... life-saving commodity.
so, to save yourself some pennies (or rather, won), do pack extra of these because you'll never know when you'll need them.
they might take up considerable luggage space but think about it as a long-term investment!
saves you all the trouble and the cash too.
the next section of this post will encompass everything from saving bucks to acclimatization.
tips and tricks (and maybe some things i've learnt) about the way of korean life
people and communication-wise
most koreans don't really speak english well
well i am not being a racist or underestimating their english abilities, but throughout my 17 days that i've spent there, there were really few people who could converse with us in english and actually be understood.
half the time we used hand gestures to communicate and all... we've tried countless times to use as simple english as possible but nope to no avail.
you might be surprised, even the young generation isn't very fluent too.
i thought that they'd learn some english in school but turns out not?
i met a girl at the sm entertainment building and i tried to speak with her in english but she really just didn't understand me - she just kept shooting me questions in korean which i obviously fail to catch too.
luckily she had chinese friends there so we were still able to communicate with each other!
however with that being said, that doesn't really affect communicating in korea.
but don't worry about not being understood
this was probably one of our greatest fears before and even the first few days of the trip.
it honestly won't be a problem surviving in korea while just using sign language and big hand gestures.
picking up very very simple korean will definitely come to you naturally after you've stayed there for a while, and honestly you don't really have to know how to form complete sentences to ask for things.
here are some words/phrases that i've either picked up beforehand/learnt along the way which came in really handy for us during the trip:
sajin - photograph (like if you need someone to take a photo for you, this word will suffice hahaha)
hwajangshil eodiseoyo? - where is the toilet? (super handy when you are in need of an immense release of waste matter and desperately need to find the washroom)
..... hana juseyo - one of xxxx please. (didn't really use this because for quantities i just used my fingers, but yeah it's easy to pick up)
anieyo - no (i used this word out of anger towards an ahjumma when she demanded us to pay a crazy-high price for our dinner)
kamsahamnida - thank you (you better know this)
annyeonghaseyo - hello/goodbye (even worse you die also must know)
okay that was a pretty short list....... i didn't anticipate that lol.
basically the trick to being understood in korea is really to just speak your english in a weird/unusual way.
i don't really know much korean myself (even though i'm trying to learn) but for people who watch a lot of korean shows/dramas i think you can sort of pick up their pronunciation pretty quick.
let me just reiterate the fact that you don't exactly need to know how to structure complete sentences, but rather, just speak everything with that tinge of korean to it.
(note this is my self-created nonsense but useful guide)
1) include the enunciation of the letter "h" when possible (taxi to tekshi, seaweed to shiweed-eu)
2) expand all your nouns by increasing the number of syllables and sounding "weaker" (toilet to toilet-eu, breakfast to beulakfast-eu, holiday to hOliday-eu)
yup that's basically jamie's 101 guide to being understood in seoul.
hope it works ;)
most of the locals are actually really friendly
initally van and i thought that koreans were pretty reckless/aggressive people because of all that shoving and pushing when commuting on the train.
like seriously, if they want their way, they will literally grab you by your arm or bag and push you away just so they can squeeze onto the train earlier than you actually step foot into it.
like why the hurry man???
ok actually only the older ones in korea do that, the young ones are still pretty docile and less 'kiasu'? lol
so this was actually what we observed about them initially since we struggle with the train commute every single day.
but then as time passed we realized that there was more to them than a fierce outer appearance.
people who knew minimal english saw helpless tourists like us two and offered with a big heart to help us get around.
the few days in seoul meant that we were just like two lost sheeps roaming around.
we even got lost at seoul station, the train station nearest to our place - which meant that we couldn't find our way home LOL
for your information, seoul station has 14 exits, so you can imagine how huge the place is.
so we actually ended up all the way at the other end, but a kind local went out of his way to help us when he saw we were struggling helplessly in front of the signboard.
another man helped us get from seoul folk flea market to cheonggyecheon stream and told us pretty good directions to get there :-)
so thank you very much to those who helped us get around!!!! :-)
it was nice being welcomed by your warm hospitality.
toilets are a rare gem
you know how there are crazily desperate times when you just need to relieve yourself HAHAHA
there were so many occasions that i had to go to the toilet damn urgently but couldn't find one - omg i really thought i was going to die or something.
like wtf ALL MY PEE.........
my suggestion for you is to visit the toilet during 3 crucial times. the first being before you step out of your home, the second at the train station (if you need to) and the third being during your meals.
if not you will really pay the price whilst on the subway/shopping on the streets/roaming around some abandoned historical site...
there were so many damn times i needed to pee and couldn't find the toilet.
i remember very clearly how we were on the bus to nami island and petite france but what even the minute we got on the shuttle bus I NEEDED TO PEE.
so we nearly screwed up our itinerary for the day just because of my bladder (like we wanted to stop by nami island first but petite closed at 6 just 'cos the bus stopped by the former first)
i was so desperate i just kept jumping around in the bus.
thank god we got a seat after the crowd disembarked at nami island and therefore i slept my urgency throughout WELL DONE.
so please remember to go to the toilet when necessary HAHAHAHA don't wait till like you really are on the verge of dying then you do so LOL
korea isn't a conservative society like i expected
well i got this impression mainly because of the jimjjilbang aka the saunas.
they're everywhere and honestly i kinda wanted to experience what is was like to go into a sauna and the activities that await.
until i found out that there was some point where you have to be FULLY NAKED (i think it's the hot pool)
like omg my jaw dropped when i heard this.
i know it's kinda like a cultural shock but i just cannot bring myself to be undressed in front of people that i don't know.
rather than a self-conscious mindset, i guess it's because we come from a conservative society hence it's a little uncomfortable for me.
not sure how true that all jimjjilbangs require you to be naked in the hot pool (i mean after that can change into the sauna clothes and towels and all that) but after i heard it i was like NO I'M NOT GOING ANYMORE.
saving money-wise
visit attractions that have no admission charge
here are a list of noteworthy places that van and i visited on our 17-day long trip excluding shopping destinations of course (and some that we missed too due to the lack of time):
seoul children's grand park
bukchon hanok village
namsan seoul tower (yes it is completely free if you bring your own love lock or just any old lock you wanna discard AND decide to take the 1.5hr hike up which we did so you can save on the cable car)
samsung d'light museum
national museum of korea
seoul forest
hangang river
cheonggyecheon stream
war memorial of korea
heyri art valley
all your entertainment companies LOL
but then again good things do come with a price tag.
of course there are some places that you definitely cannot miss when in seoul because it's just so prevalent in their culture!
and here is a separate list of attractions that require admission fees and also a reason to decide why you should pay or not to come:
gyeongbokgung (3,000/1,500won) : honestly i think the palace is worth the money. it's only about S$3+ or so for admission into the vast palace grounds and accompanying it is free admission to the national folk museum of korea. so why not? gbg is really the highlight of korea's history.
petite france (6,000won if you present your boarding pass): admission into petite france cost us about S$7+ which i think was quite worth it. but visit this place only if you really like "you who came from the stars", adore "running man" or if you want to bask in a foreign culture in seoul. nothing much for the adventure-seeking but you'll return with a load of touristy photos because thumbs-up for the phototaking experience~
nami island (8,000won): this place is a little pricey because you have to take a ferry separately to the island itself. personally i feel there's nothing much here unless you want to be cliche and do the "nami island forest jumpshot" thing. with loads of greens, blues and browns, the seoul children's grand park and seoul forest can make an even better alternative for picnics than the expensive nami island lol. plus, if you are totally against insects, nami island at night is equivalent to a fly infestation party.
stock up on breakfast from convenience stores/e-mart/lotte mart
okay let's define this right.
the korean convenience stores are basically gs25, 7-eleven, storyway and cu.
e-mart and lotte mart is like our giant hypermart, where groceries are sold super cheap.
so if you want to save on breakfast at a lavish restaurant or exotic cafe, i suggest rounding up your morning ammunition at convenience stores.
now don't you underestimate the variety that they can offer you.
in my neighbourhood there was a family convenience store run by an elderly ahjumma whom van and i loved so much.
she was really cute and friendly and gave a 10% discount to all foreigners lol~
be it a commercial convenience store or a family one, they really have everything.
there's like 10 brands of milk to choose from, 20 different types of cup noodles to try, a range of instant food such as spaghetti, tteokbokki, sausages, onigiri, burgers etc.
and they all cost below S$3!!!
i'm certain the variety is enough to last you more than a month.
i fell in love with a brand of udon cup noodles that i ate 4 times (or was it 3) for breakfast.
i must be crazy, but it was so worth the savings.
when shopping for clothes look out for these fixed prices racks of 5,000 and 10,000won
the key to buying more with less money is really to focus only on these racks.
like i mentioned in my earlier post all my clothes are from the 5,000 or 10,000won racks.
i only exceeded once for a jumpsuit at 15,000won (but i bargained from 28,000won).
the downside is that after 17 long days in korea, these racks start to get repetitive and boring so you eventually get quite tired of browsing through the same old clothes.
but i think what really helps is that you don't have to worry about dealing with the challenge of bargaining.
because these clothes are already so cheap and discounted, there's no room for bargaining so you don't have to bother opening your mouth to ask for a lower price.
and you don't have to incur the wrath of stingy and calculative ahjusshis trying to scam a mountain-load profit out of your bare pockets.
bargaining is pretty sensitive in korea i feel, so i try not to agitate them by haggling for too low a price or settling for a price that's still too high.
so the point is: just glue your eyes to these racks and you will be free of all troubles
if they aren't on the discount racks, then buy only if it's love at first sight
yes, really, trust me, buy only if it's LOVE at first sight.
LOVE.
sometimes it's just that moment of impulse that you need to withhold so you don't get ripped off.
let me share with you my experience.
i was in ewha when i saw a pair of shoes that were really pretty.
i liked it, but i did not love it that i had to buy it.
but i stepped into the shop anyway to ask about the price. you know, like market testing.
i tried on and found my fitting size.
so the lady told me "30.000won" and in my head i was doing that math and that was like close to S$40.
okay no way was i going to buy a pair of shoes for S$40 from a commonplace shop like this.
just as i was about to step out and leave, she held me back and told me "i give you discount!!!!"
then she punched into her calculator "24,000".
i hesitated for like two seconds and then she was like psycho-ing me to buy "discount! very cheap!"
so i just nodded impulsively and paid S$30 for that pair of shoes.
little did i know that after popping by the next store, the shopkeeper there told me that the exact same pair of shoes was going at 20,000won and he could give me further discount to 18,000 if i wanted.
i nodded politely and left the shop.....
my heart died then i swear T_T
it was so so so painful because i could've saved that money.....
oh well.
so lesson learnt, please hop around the stores (because they are selling the SAME thing everywhere) before deciding to buy.
unless it's already discounted or you really love it, then don't buy it.
i have warned you.
facial products in korea are not that cheap either
hohoho cultural shock ain't it????
just when everyone thought that korea is the land of the make-up and cosmetics, the superficial idea that everyone once had has now been eroded under the knife (lol).
i was quite surprised upon finding out that facial products aren't dirt cheap or what.
ok i don't care if i get judged for being an extreme cheapo girl but whatever i am poor and i admit that
anyway, the comestics here aren't cheap
UNLESS THERE IS A SALE!
when they have like make-up week (probably in mid-may like how we experienced it when we went) or like some other crazy promotions then only is like your nature republic facewash going at S$5 or like maybe your face shop pore minimisers going at S$7 or something.
otherwise on a daily basis when there is barely any sale, the facial products are merely a $2-$3 off the usual price back here in singapore, which is kinda offset by your airplane ticket so what's the point lol.
so just buy your hauls of makeup only when there's super great sales ok!!!!!!!! just look out for it there'll be lots of promotion by the staff and also the price slash is more than 50%!
