Preparing For Your Korea Trip Part 2: Tours and Staying Connected
One advantage of preparing for your Korea trip far ahead is you don’t have to pay for everything at once. One major expense you’ll have during your trip, if you plan to see specific tourist attractions, would be the tickets and tours.
Package Tours vs DIY
Package Tours
Most travel agencies offer package tours for Korea for a set number of days and nights. 4D3N or four days, three nights tours are most common. They usually include the popular tourist attractions and accommodation with breakfast. Some include airfare while some don’t.
If you don’t have specific things you want to do or sights you want to see, it’s an attractive option. However, it costs a lot upfront and would only be advisable if you find a payment plan that works for your cash flow.
Package tours require you to be on schedule as to not inconvenience the others on your group tour. It can be an opportunity to meet other tourists as well.
DIY Tours
Planning your own tour itinerary for Korea takes time and requires you to do research into their transport system and geography. While this sounds scary, it gives you a lot more freedom with your time.
Don’t want to wake up early every day for your group tour? This is perfect for you!
I spent hours planning my itinerary for my birthday trip. I didn’t even get to go everywhere but it helped me familiarize myself with the transportation system.
DIY tours are best for locations within Seoul. Instead of following a strict schedule, you can go whenever you please and even visit areas usually not included in package tours.
You’ll see and enjoy Seoul more by walking. List the places you’re interested in seeing and see which ones are within walking distance.
Remember to pack good shoes and be good to your feet!
Themed Days
One thing that helped me plan was creating Themed Days.
For example, I had a historical-cultural day where I went to Gyeongbokgung Palace, Gwanghwamun, and King Sejong Museum which were close to each other.
From there, I walked along Samcheongdong road towards the Bukchon Hanok Village. Along the way I passed by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art where there was a live jazz performance. I also saw artisan workshops, snack houses, tea rooms, coffee shops, and local indie boutiques selling clothes and accessories.
Something I wish I could have done differently: I should have gone to all the sights included in the Integrated Ticket of Palaces and saved my Samcheongdong trip for another day instead.
I regret not making the most of my Integrated Ticket, which gives you access to different cultural sites at a discounted price.
For KRW10,000, you can visit the famous Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changgyeonggung Palace, Deoksugung Palace, and UNESCO heritage sites Changdeokgung Palace and the Jongmyo Shrine. Korea has 13 UNESCO heritage sites and three of them are in Seoul. The third one is the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty, which is nearer to Gangnam than Jongno.
Other themed days I planned was a K-Pop day and a day for BLACKPINK Jennie’s birthday cafe.
I DIY’d my trip to Byeokchoji Gardens in Paju since there are no tours for it. For Everland and Nami Island, I opted to purchase a tour through Klook.
Single Day Tours
You can combine single day tours and DIY for the best experience and to save money as well.
Single day tours include transportation and admission fees to tourist attractions. Some tours also include meals so you can enjoy the area’s specialty dishes.
It’s the best option when you want to go somewhere that’s outside of Seoul such as Everland, Nami Island, Garden of the Morning Calm, Petite France, and the Demilitarized Zone.
You can get to these places through public transport but tour buses are usually quicker since there are bus-only lanes. You won’t have to worry about getting lost either!
Not all tours will come with a tour guide and if they do, they’re only there to explain your itinerary and make sure everyone gets back to the bus on time. The guy who picked us up from Everland was cold and nonchalant while the girl who took us there was a bit anxious but she did well.
Our tour guide for our Garden of the Morning Calm — Petite France — Nami Island tour was different. Hyejeong was funny, helpful, and even attended to our needs over lunch at the restaurant.
I hope you get a good tour guide for your chosen tours!
Klook has great discounts for tours. You should be able to find one that fits your needs and budget. After you pay, they’ll send you your vouchers through email. There are even more discounts through the mobile app and it’s easier to access your vouchers there as well.
Your guesthouse or AirBnB host might also be happy to help you book tours or connect you to local experiences. They’ll usually mention this in the listing or site so feel free to ask!
One thing about these tours is you have the option to be dropped off at Hongdae, Myeongdong, and a few other locations. I used this as a chance to head straight to Hongdae after the Everland trip and Myeongdong then Namsan Tower after the Nami Island trip!
Other than whole tours, Klook is also a great place to find discounted tickets to places like the SMTOWN Museum, Namsan Tower, and an assortment of experiences you’d love.
You can use my referral code here to sign up for Klook. I’ll get a small gift in exchange so I can share more adventures with you!
Staying Connected
South Korea has one of the best internet speeds in the world. While I don’t encourage you to use your time there on the internet, it’s great to stay connected so you can update loved ones and social media in real-time with ease.
You also need the internet to navigate, translate some phrases, and to keep you preoccupied while commuting. Just make sure you keep an ear out so you don’t miss your stop!
Free WiFi is available throughout Korea in both public and private spaces but it can be inconsistent. Having your own connection is also one way to protect your personal data.
Plus, most local roaming services are just too expensive. You’re trying to save, remember?
Portable WiFi
Whether you’re going by yourself or with a group, a portable WiFi router can help you save money and phone battery. Most companies would also offer a power bank as part of the deal!
However, you need a credit card in your name to rent one. Some might let you use someone else’s credit card, so bring a photocopy of the owner’s valid ID and credit card to be sure.
You can borrow from one of the many rental kiosks at the airport but you will save more money by making a reservation online prior to your trip!
SIM Card
If you’re going alone or there’s a possibility of you wandering off from your group, you might consider getting a prepaid SIM card.
It can drain your phone battery fast but if you’re really enjoying your trip, you won’t be using the internet often. Power banks are a travel essential these days anyway.
For both my trips to South Korea, I purchased a SIM card from Korea SIM. You can also rent an LTE WiFi Egg from them or purchase one of three SIM types.
Korea SIM Blue
The universe was on my side when my family moved our trip to South Korea from early July to mid-June. Red Velvet had a comeback showcase scheduled the day before our return flight.
My online friends quickly got together to help me enter the showcase. One of the things I had to do was to register for a Korean YES24 account so I can purchase albums to enter the raffle. I needed a Korean phone number to validate my purchase and complete registration.
I didn’t buy ahead of time but I found a Korea SIM Blue card at 7-Eleven. It gave me unlimited 4G data for 5 days, a Korean number to receive messages, 100 minutes for outgoing calls, and texts.
Turns out I didn’t need the ability to send SMS to complete registration but the calls and texts were useful for when I had to contact my friend’s cousin who had to get something from me.
Call credits are also handy if you want to make inquiries, reservations, or just ask if a store is open.
Korea SIM Orange
I now know I don’t need calls and texts so I ordered a Korea SIM Orange card prior to my birthday trip. They need you to provide your full name, passport number, and your pickup location.
The Orange SIM gives you 4G unlimited data and you can receive texts and calls through your very own Korean number. There’s a 1GB daily limit for maximum speed but it’s more than enough.
It depends on what time you’ll get through immigration and baggage claim, but it’s always advisable to choose the kiosk that’s open 24 hours. It’s right before you exit the arrival area.
They currently have a promo where you receive a KRW10,000 Duty-Free coupon gift with each order of a Korea SIM Orange or WiFi Router. Mine had TVXQ Yunho on it (I was hoping for Irene) but I didn’t get to use it anyway.
Korea SIM Red
Korea SIM Red gives you your own Korean number valid for 30 days and deductible phone credit.
If you run out of credit, you can simply reload at convenience stores like 7-Eleven or GS25.
Unlike the other SIM types, data is not unlimited but is still available at 4G speed. This is also the only SIM that can send and receive international calls or texts. Many apps offer online calls and messaging so that might not be necessary, but it can also be used for local calls and texts.
For the first two SIM types, you can purchase the number of days that correspond to the length of your trip. The Red SIM gives you 1GB or KRW20,000 of credit upon purchase.
Payphone
Yes, functioning payphones still exist in 2020! Payphones in Korea can be used to call both landline and mobile numbers which is super useful for emergencies.
If you need to make a local phone call and you don’t have the SIM for it, payphones can be found around the city.
To use, pick up the receiver and insert coins then enter the phone number to make a call.
Payphones provide change at the end of the call and you can also pay with your Cashbee or T Money card, which I will discuss in the next part of this series!
