Hello everyone! I will make a video version of this post in the near future and I will be updating this one whenever I find out more useful information based on personal experience but don't worry, I will let you know of any changes here, on my page.
Are you planning on visiting Korea? Are you going to stay? I've been in both positions so here's what you need to know!
♡First of all: BUDGET!! You don't want to run short of cash on your third day, do you? It may take some time to gather all the money you need but don't be impatient. On the bright side, all that time saving money means more time for PLANNING your trip (or permanent/semi-permanent move).
Think about the things you want to do, are you a museum person? Do you want to buy tons of cosmetics? Are you an extreme foodie looking to eat 10 times a day? Do you want to attend as many concerts as you can?
Also think about your stay. Are you staying at a hotel? What kind of hotel? What about a guest house? Guest houses are very comfy and homely and...CHEAP! Plus most of them include a meal.
So once you've figured out where you will be staying and when you're done with the math you can separate that money from your actual pocket money and don't rely so much on your credit card!! If this isn't your first time doing some research about Korea then you know that in countless stores you can H-H-HAGGLE! Yeeees, yes you can. If you didn't know it then you know now. So back to the credit card subject, in many places if you manage to get a discount and then flash out your credit card you will get the sad news that they only accept cash or you will have to pay for the original price (and you don't want that, do you?). Save your card to pay for your meals at restaurants and so on.
Optional depending on your financial situation: Once you've figured out how much you will need make sure you add some extra. You never know if you're going to go crazy and go on a shopping spree because, well, you don't visit Korea every day! And not just for shopping sprees, any kind of situation that requires reaching for that wallet.
♡PLANNING: This is a very wide subject because it embraces the point of this whole post so let's make a small summary of that in this section.
Ask yourself these questions: where do you want to go? What do you want to do? If you can then buy a travel guide but the internet holds infinite possibilities so do your research well about everything you want to do. You have plenty of time, don't be lazy!
Print maps if you're feeling adventurous or simply download city map applications.
Check the public transportation schedule and plan your routes from the place you're staying.
What are your hobbies? Check for themed meetups where you can meet natives and other travelers or expats. It can be very fun and you get to make new friends.
Most Koreans complain about the education system when it comes to English. They are able to comprehend it but they can not express themselves very well so many like to meet foreigners because "it's cool" or because they want to improve their spoken English! You can join language exchange programs which you can find through applications, Facebook groups, etc!
♡HEALTH INSURANCE: (!!!!!!) This is something you need to take care of as soon as possible and it is a MUST! Medical care in Korea is ridiculously expensive if you don't have health insurance. "But can I get insurance if I'm just traveling?" YES YOU CAN, contact the Korean embassy in your country for more information on this kind of matter. I'm not even exaggerating, my trip to the emergency room and an XRAY sucked more than 200,000KRW out of my soul (out of my boyfriend's soul...). You never know what's going to happen and you're far from home so please be cautious.
♡LUGGAGE: If you're planning on doing a lot of shopping then I suggest you take a nearly empty carrier with you. On my case, when I first visited Korea for tourism I knew I was going on hardcore shopping so I only packed underwear and care essentials and clothes for two or three days and I couldn't feel more thankful of that decision on the moment to return to Spain.
But be careful, pack everything you know you will absolutely need to avoid spending extra money once you arrive, specially deodorant (not kidding), which is a rare gem in Korea.
♡LEARN HANGEUL (한글): Hangeul is the main alphabet in Korea, of which Koreans are very proud because it's 100% made in Korea, created by king Sejong the Great.
Many places have both roman letters and hangeul but it's very useful if you find yourself in a situation in which you have no idea what you are doing or where you are. Also the best map applications are only in Korean and you don't need to be fluent at Korean to know the name of a place and to be able to read it, and don't forget about those all-Korean restaurants with no English menus. If you know your Korean food and you know your hangeul you will be just fine!
♡LEARN BASIC KOREAN: I'm not asking you to master Korean right before you arrive but it can come in very handy! Start with simple things like hello and goodbye, thank you, yes and no...
(Here's where I started to learn Korean. More than 800 free lessons!)
♡LEARN KOREAN MANNERS: Many Koreans think foreigners are rude. They mistake ignorance for rudeness, BUT many other will forgive aaaaall your mistakes because, well, you're a foreigner. It really depends on the person. But let's not be foreigners and let's show them that we care! ლ(◕㉨◕ლ
♡BE RESPECTFUL: Korea is a very special country, well, every country is special and has a rich history which can be more or less fortunate than other countries' histories but Korea is one of those countries with the less fortunate past. It's a rising country and it became strong and developed at an amazing speed so Koreans are very proud of themselves for being independent and being Korean. If you come to Korea appreciate the culture in general and try to do your research for the sake of mere respect. I don't want to point fingers but many people visit Korea because of kpop. Before you burn me alive calm down and let me tell you that it's not a bad thing (plus it's part of Korean culture) but it becomes an issue when you come because you are obsessed and think of Korea not just as Korea but as Kpopland made of cute idol boys waiting for you. Liking kpop is good if you're not crazy so try to learn some history and culture in general, make that little effort and people will like you more and will "respect" you for knowing your stuff. If you like history then that's AWESOME, my friend. Do submerge yourself as deep as you can!
Just don't be extreme and you'll be fine! (ﾉ*ФωФ)ﾉ♡♡♡
As I stated before, I will widen this post depending on my personal knowledge and experience.
Are you getting ready for Korea? Are you already ready?? Well, see you soon! ^^
For many people Korea is the trip of their dreams so if you're one of those people I really hope you make it true sooner or later.
(Korean flag; image source)
(Incheon airport)
Are you planning on visiting Korea? Are you going to stay? I've been in both positions so here's what you need to know!
♡First of all: BUDGET!! You don't want to run short of cash on your third day, do you? It may take some time to gather all the money you need but don't be impatient. On the bright side, all that time saving money means more time for PLANNING your trip (or permanent/semi-permanent move).
Think about the things you want to do, are you a museum person? Do you want to buy tons of cosmetics? Are you an extreme foodie looking to eat 10 times a day? Do you want to attend as many concerts as you can?
Also think about your stay. Are you staying at a hotel? What kind of hotel? What about a guest house? Guest houses are very comfy and homely and...CHEAP! Plus most of them include a meal.
So once you've figured out where you will be staying and when you're done with the math you can separate that money from your actual pocket money and don't rely so much on your credit card!! If this isn't your first time doing some research about Korea then you know that in countless stores you can H-H-HAGGLE! Yeeees, yes you can. If you didn't know it then you know now. So back to the credit card subject, in many places if you manage to get a discount and then flash out your credit card you will get the sad news that they only accept cash or you will have to pay for the original price (and you don't want that, do you?). Save your card to pay for your meals at restaurants and so on.
Optional depending on your financial situation: Once you've figured out how much you will need make sure you add some extra. You never know if you're going to go crazy and go on a shopping spree because, well, you don't visit Korea every day! And not just for shopping sprees, any kind of situation that requires reaching for that wallet.
(KRW image source)
♡PLANNING: This is a very wide subject because it embraces the point of this whole post so let's make a small summary of that in this section.
Ask yourself these questions: where do you want to go? What do you want to do? If you can then buy a travel guide but the internet holds infinite possibilities so do your research well about everything you want to do. You have plenty of time, don't be lazy!
Print maps if you're feeling adventurous or simply download city map applications.
Check the public transportation schedule and plan your routes from the place you're staying.
What are your hobbies? Check for themed meetups where you can meet natives and other travelers or expats. It can be very fun and you get to make new friends.
Most Koreans complain about the education system when it comes to English. They are able to comprehend it but they can not express themselves very well so many like to meet foreigners because "it's cool" or because they want to improve their spoken English! You can join language exchange programs which you can find through applications, Facebook groups, etc!
♡HEALTH INSURANCE: (!!!!!!) This is something you need to take care of as soon as possible and it is a MUST! Medical care in Korea is ridiculously expensive if you don't have health insurance. "But can I get insurance if I'm just traveling?" YES YOU CAN, contact the Korean embassy in your country for more information on this kind of matter. I'm not even exaggerating, my trip to the emergency room and an XRAY sucked more than 200,000KRW out of my soul (out of my boyfriend's soul...). You never know what's going to happen and you're far from home so please be cautious.
♡LUGGAGE: If you're planning on doing a lot of shopping then I suggest you take a nearly empty carrier with you. On my case, when I first visited Korea for tourism I knew I was going on hardcore shopping so I only packed underwear and care essentials and clothes for two or three days and I couldn't feel more thankful of that decision on the moment to return to Spain.
But be careful, pack everything you know you will absolutely need to avoid spending extra money once you arrive, specially deodorant (not kidding), which is a rare gem in Korea.
♡LEARN HANGEUL (한글): Hangeul is the main alphabet in Korea, of which Koreans are very proud because it's 100% made in Korea, created by king Sejong the Great.
Many places have both roman letters and hangeul but it's very useful if you find yourself in a situation in which you have no idea what you are doing or where you are. Also the best map applications are only in Korean and you don't need to be fluent at Korean to know the name of a place and to be able to read it, and don't forget about those all-Korean restaurants with no English menus. If you know your Korean food and you know your hangeul you will be just fine!
(Korean alphabet; SOURCE)
♡LEARN BASIC KOREAN: I'm not asking you to master Korean right before you arrive but it can come in very handy! Start with simple things like hello and goodbye, thank you, yes and no...
(Here's where I started to learn Korean. More than 800 free lessons!)
♡LEARN KOREAN MANNERS: Many Koreans think foreigners are rude. They mistake ignorance for rudeness, BUT many other will forgive aaaaall your mistakes because, well, you're a foreigner. It really depends on the person. But let's not be foreigners and let's show them that we care! ლ(◕㉨◕ლ
♡BE RESPECTFUL: Korea is a very special country, well, every country is special and has a rich history which can be more or less fortunate than other countries' histories but Korea is one of those countries with the less fortunate past. It's a rising country and it became strong and developed at an amazing speed so Koreans are very proud of themselves for being independent and being Korean. If you come to Korea appreciate the culture in general and try to do your research for the sake of mere respect. I don't want to point fingers but many people visit Korea because of kpop. Before you burn me alive calm down and let me tell you that it's not a bad thing (plus it's part of Korean culture) but it becomes an issue when you come because you are obsessed and think of Korea not just as Korea but as Kpopland made of cute idol boys waiting for you. Liking kpop is good if you're not crazy so try to learn some history and culture in general, make that little effort and people will like you more and will "respect" you for knowing your stuff. If you like history then that's AWESOME, my friend. Do submerge yourself as deep as you can!
Just don't be extreme and you'll be fine! (ﾉ*ФωФ)ﾉ♡♡♡
(EXO at a subway station)
(Gyeongbokgung palace)
(Gyeongbokgung palace)
(Gyeongbokgung palace)
As I stated before, I will widen this post depending on my personal knowledge and experience.
Are you getting ready for Korea? Are you already ready?? Well, see you soon! ^^
For many people Korea is the trip of their dreams so if you're one of those people I really hope you make it true sooner or later.
♡Until next time!♡
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