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| All photos in this post are taken by myself in my previous travels to South Korea. |
Hey lovelies, It’s near summer holiday and for sure most of
us need some plan for new places to go, whereas going to cultural travel or
adventure travel, maybe some of us want to go luxury travel in this summer. We
all want to experience new things with new people around the world. So I’m here
to give you a suggestion… If you still didn’t have a chance to travel to South
Korea, then it’s a time for it. You can experience all cultural, luxury and
adventure travel together in this peninsula.
According to KOREA monthly magazine of tourism &
cultural organization: “Korea ranked the safest travel destination in 2016.”
Crowdsourced global database Numbeo ranked Korea the safest
nation for travel in 2106. Korea had the highest overall safety index on the
list of 177 nations, with a score of 85.69, an improvement from its 2015 score
of 82.01 when the country placed fourth. Incheon was the safest city in the
world with a score of 90.89, followed by Kyoto, Japan, and Seoul came in third.
To calculate the indexes, the database’s aggregator considers factors such as
crime levels, gun control laws, and daytime and nighttime safety. Numbeo’s
rankings are computed using data contributed by thousands of participants, who
fill out surveys featuring questions similar to those asked on official government
surveys. Korea’s strict gun control laws and its efficient law enforcement
system are credited for the country’s high safety ranking.1
We know there are some needs to know before going to all new
destinations. South Korea’s language is Korean and it’s completely different
from Japanese and Chinese or other Asian languages, So for whom that doesn’t
know Korean language, for sure it will be little difficulties. You can read
English words everywhere, and you will not get lost anyway, Korean people can
talk in English but I won’t give you hope that they will understand all you ask
them. In this first travel post, I want to tell you what you need to bring with
yours to your South Korea travel, and can enjoy the most of it.
1- English – Korean Dictionary:
That’s right Koreans can
talk in English but it doesn’t mean you don’t need Korean language dictionary
at all. Most of the times they can not understand the expressions or even the accents.
I can remember one night I was desperately searching for Pizza Hut in Busan
city and asked a guy in the street: “Do you know the nearest Pizza Hut around
here?” and he just gazed at me, confused. Then I turned to English with Korean
accent: “Pijja Hotu~” (피자 하트~) and
suddenly he answered me the address!!!
You can install the best
En-Ko dictionary for your phone here:
(Don’t worry for can’t
read the Korean words, Just search the keynote and show it to them!”
2- T - Money Card:
In Korea, you can take a
taxi, use subway or bus and even shopping from supermarkets with this little
T-Money Card. It’s better to don’t pay a cash to bus driver, especially a large
amount of money, they won’t accept. (Most of the times bus drivers are angry and
you don’t want to struggle with them :D).
You can find your T-money
card in Incheon International Airport C U Later mart, and charge it from 10,000
Korean Won up to 100,000 Korean Won. It’s better to charge it at least 20,000
Korean Won which is around 20$. After that you can recharge your card in every
subway station or supermarket in the city. (I recommend to exchange some of your
currency to Korean Won at the beginning of your arrive at airport before
shopping from mart, there is exchange bank counters everywhere.)
3- No Need To Buy Korean SIM-CARD (Need KakaoTalk Or LINE App Instead):
In Korea you don’t need
to buy Korean SIM-CARD for getting in touch with your hotel or everywhere in
Korea, or your family in other country. Instead, you need KakaoTalk or LINE app
on your phone, they are another communication applications such as Whatsapp…
which are so popular in Korea and you can’t find anyone who doesn’t use one of
them. You are connected to Seoul’s Public WIFI all the time, so you can talk
and text online easily. Please don’t buy Korean SIM-CARD in airport, it’s
totally useless!!
You can install your
KakaoTalk and LINE app here:
4- City Subway app:
One said: “You can’t live
in Korea without smartphone.” And that’s totally true! You need your smartphone
for every second in Korea. It’s already mixed with their culture. You need
smartphone to find the map for the subway, to find the bus arrives time, to get
a cab, to find the sale stores, to use tourist’s offer coupons (during sale festivals),.. . If you want
to stay just in Seoul, you need to install subway app before your travel, and
then you can use subway from Incheon International Airport to the Seoul’s city
center easily.
You can install your
Seoul Subway app here:
5- An Umbrella:
If you want to travel to
Korea in summer, then you need your umbrella. There is one rainy month in
summer there and it’s like spring rains. Short time but heavy. If you don’t
have enough space in your baggage, then no need to be worry, you can find good
quality umbrellas in underground stores. (I will tell you the best underground shopping
malls in Korea soon.)
6- Money Exchange:
Korean Won (원) has four kinds of bill: 1,000 ₩, 5,000 ₩, 10,000 ₩ and 50,000 ₩. And four kinds of coins: 10₩, 50₩,
100₩ and 500₩. You can drop three zero and will cost around USD.
There is so much currency exchange
around the city, such as banks, airport, tourist hot spots and even ATM. But I
want to introduce you the best place for the best rate. You need go to
Myeongdong street (명동) and you can find so
many money exchange in every 20 – 30 meters and they will offer you some
different rates cause of competitive business among them. One of the best Money
Exchange is located near the China Embassy in Myeongdong. Banks are opened
during office hours 9 A.M to 5 P.M but street money exchanges are operated 10
A.M to 10 P.M.
7- Better To Have Tip:
Instagram Account
This one is not must to have but good
one. Why don’t you share your great moments in Korea hot and fresh out of the
oven (!?!) with your friends or followers? You are always on-line and connected
to Seoul’s public WIFI everywhere, you can connect to every café or restaurant
or fast foods in Korea, and it’s the best time to share your trip moments with
others.
Don’t forget to use #KoreaWithGilda
under your photos, then I can find your Korea’s picture at that time and
recommend you new places to go around you.
You can install your Instagram app here:
It was all about how to prepare before
your travel to South Korea, So stay tuned and I will give you the best advises
for your trip in four Tourist-Must-To-Go cities in Korea (Seoul, Gyeongju,
Busan, Jeju Island). I am a foreigner (consider as a tourist) and kind of
Korea’s local girl (native Korean one ㅋㅋ). So you can get a good points for experience an unforgettable trip
ever with me.
1- KOREA monthly magazine of tourism & cultural organization, April 2016
Xoxo,
PrincessGilda
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