Preparing For Your Korea Trip Part 1: Visa, Flights, Accommodation
It’s going to take a lot of saving and preparation, but you’re determined to make your dream vacation to South Korea happen. Here’s how you can get started!
In a previous article, I talked about how you should complete your Korean tourist visa application to increase your chances of getting approved.
This article will cover general preparation of things you must take care of months ahead of your target departure date.
Here’s a quick checklist of things best to prepare ahead:
- Tourist Visa
- Flight Tickets
- Accommodation
- Tickets & Tours
- Transportation
- SIM cards and/or WiFi
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Tourist Visa Application
You have to submit your visa application at least two months before your trip. For a stronger application, you need to regularly deposit your savings into your bank account for at least three months before you apply for a tourist visa.
This means, if you don’t already have good saving habits, you have to prepare at least 5–6 months before the target date for your trip!
For example: you want to go to Korea in fall because the leaves look pretty and the weather wouldn’t be too cold. Fall starts September 21, so you should start preparing no later than April.
Do you already have at least 1.5x your estimated trip expenses (excluding flights) in your savings account? Congratulations on being financially responsible! You can apply for a visa now and book your flights for three to five months from now.
My family went to Korea on June 14, leaving just two days before summer officially started. It was still late Spring, so the weather was perfect and the flowers at Garden of Morning Calm were beautiful. We applied for our visas in April and got them in May.
I had my birthday trip to Seoul on January 9 to 17 when it was mid-winter. The weather is nice outside between 10am and 3pm but otherwise it’s too cold and hard to move around. There were no flowers and lakes were frozen. If you want to see snow, it’s better to go in February.
I applied for my tourist visa in October but due to queues in the travel agency, I received my approved visa on the first week of December.
Booking Flights to Korea
You’re probably familiar with seat sales by now. Follow social media pages of airlines and be on the lookout for discounted fares for your target dates. It’s easy to get excited when you see an airline promo but please check if your trip will be within the travel period!
If you’re in Manila or Cebu, you only have to worry about the roundtrip ticket to Manila to Incheon or Cebu to Incheon. There are also some airlines that fly out directly to Jeju, Busan, and Daegu, but you are most likely looking to fly out to Incheon then travel to Seoul.
Without connecting flights to worry about, you can get a roundtrip ticket for P7,000 or even lower. For those of us from Mindanao or other areas in the Philippines, connecting flights from your nearest airport to Manila or Cebu would bring up the costs to P13k to P15k.
Which airline is better?
While browsing my options, I found roundtrip tickets from Davao to Incheon through Mactan International Airport for P10k but I was unfamiliar with the airline. You can try using one airline for your flight to Cebu or Manila, then a different one for your flight to Korea if it’s cheaper.
One advantage of using the same airline for connecting flights is they can fly your baggage straight out so you don’t need to go to baggage claim then check-in again. I’ve only tried flying through AirAsia and I did not have any major issues except for minor delays.
If your AirAsia flight gets rescheduled, you can contact them through their site or Twitter (more convenient!) to find a different flight schedule that works for you for free.
If you’re curious, Korean celebrities fly to the Philippines using Philippine Airlines (PAL) or Korean Airlines. Tickets would cost more but surely it will be more comfortable.
One last thing: Cebu Mactan International Airport is a lot better than Manila International Airport. If you have the choice, fly out through Cebu. You won’t regret it. It’s beautiful and comfortable.
Accommodation
You will save more money if you book a place around the area you will frequent the most even if it costs more upfront. Getting anywhere is fast and convenient thanks to Seoul’s amazing public transportation system but fare can cut into your budget real fast!
Where should I stay in Seoul?
It’s better to spend a little more to stay in Hongdae (Hongik University) or Sinchon than save by booking a place in a lesser-known neighborhood.
These two places are university areas so food is cheaper. Most of the stores you’d want to visit are in Hongdae too: Yes24 for albums and Kakao Friends Cafe. Stores that sell streetwear celebrities love. Even the affordable clothes they sell along the street are cute and high quality.
You can also transfer to the Airport Line and the Gyeongui-Jungang line straight from Hongdae Station. From this station, you can also get to most popular areas through the Line 2 subway.
I’ll explain more about Korea’s public transportation system in another article.
Myeongdong, which is most known as the shopping strict, is also accessible to transportation. The exchange rates in the area are also quite competitive. Most street stalls and small coffee shops will only take cash so it’s good to have some in hand.
You can also opt to stay in Jongno or Dongdaemun. These places are close to historical and cultural sites like palaces, shrines, traditional Korean homes, museums, traditional markets, chic shopping areas, and even the Blue House.
Two other popular areas include Gangnam which is a great option if your trip is going to be K-Drama or KPOP-centric, and Itaewon which you probably know from the drama.
These areas are slightly more expensive. Gangnam, Chungdam, and Apgujeong are full of luxury brand outlets. Dermatology, cosmetic surgery clinics are just along the main road.
Street food isn’t that accessible in these areas, but if you’re saving then the food in Korean convenience stores are so much better than what we have here in the Philippines.
AirBnb vs Guesthouse vs Hotel in Korea
If you have the money, feel free to book a hotel. You are most likely reading this article because you want to save money so I would recommend an AirBnB or a Guesthouse.
Guesthouses in Korea
Most tourists in Korea, especially young people, would opt for a guesthouse stay. You can easily find them on the internet, particularly through Booking.com. There, you can compare different guesthouses and room types.
As previously mentioned, some guesthouses will allow you to book a room in advance without a downpayment. You have to provide credit or debit card details but this is only to protect them in case you fail to properly notify them you’re cancelling. You can pay in cash when you check in.
Guesthouses are a great way to save if you don’t mind common bathrooms or having strangers as roommates. You can make friends especially if you hang out to watch TV or use computers for free in the common area. They usually have WiFi, air conditioning, and even a laundry room.
The communal kitchen will also provide free rice, kimchi, ramen, and basic condiments so it would help you save on food expenses. Just buy a few additional ingredients and get fancy.
If you want your own bathroom or even kitchen, private rooms are also available for slightly higher rates.
Kimchee Guesthouse is a popular option for their accessibility and cheap rates. Through their website, you can get great discounts for booking ahead of time. They also own YaKorea and OneWay, with branches across Seoul and in Busan.
They can help you book affordable tours and tickets to popular attractions too!
If you can spare four hours of your day to volunteer, you can apply for their Work Exchange program and get free accomodation. Another opportunity to save money and make friends.
AirBnB
Most guest houses also list their properties on AirBnB. You can also find tiny homes, rooftop apartments, basement apartments, semi-basement (Parasite!) apartments, and private rooms in multi-room apartments which have been repurposed by the owner for rentals.
If you want to spoil yourself, you can rent a house or a whole apartment. Most hosts would offer discounts for longer stays (at least one week or one month) and you can filter listings based on your budget and needs.
Some AirBnB hosts will allow you to pay for your booking in two installments. If you don’t have cash on hand yet, you can pay half upfront and schedule the balance to be paid in two weeks.
Conclusion
Preparing for your trip would depend on your current financial situation and cash flow. Your goal should be to have an enjoyable experience without blowing all your savings on the trip.
In Part 2 of this series, we’ll talk about tours and tickets to popular attractions. Part 3 will cover your must-knows regarding commuting and communication in South Korea.
Isn’t this exciting? You can do this!
