In case you’re studying this, you’ve already booked your flights to South Korea and are actually within the last phases of planning your journey. This can be three to 6 months earlier than you fly out for a few of you, whereas others could also be leaving in lower than per week. As you get nearer and nearer to your departure date, this stage turns into more and more thrilling.
Our first model of this essay (4 weeks earlier than flying to Seoul) started with our youngest son beginning a countdown on our household calendar.
Our goal with each bit of writing is to make the journey planning course of as easy and pleasurable as doable. Our strategies for touring to South Korea are helpful for all vacationers, whether or not you’re backpacking, going alone, within the center floor, or on a luxurious trip. Test it out to be sure to’re absolutely ready to go earlier than your journey to be able to give attention to having a superb time.
Suggestions for Visiting Korea
Under are our really helpful pre-departure journey tricks to be sure to are absolutely ready on your South Korean journey, to be able to spend extra time having enjoyable.
1. Necessities for a Korean Passport and a Vacationer Visa.
The very first thing I’d suggest is to examine to see whether or not you might have a passport with not less than six months of remaining validity past your deliberate date of departure from South Korea. Whereas the timeline varies relying in your nationality, having a passport with six months of validity is a secure guess. You must also have a Korean visa issued by the Korean embassy or consulate in your nation.
In the case of South Korea’s visa necessities, issues can range fairly a bit based mostly on the place you’re from. The excellent news is that there are 107+ nations which might be a part of a Visa Waiver Settlement. Individuals from these nations might enter South Korea for tourism and not using a visa for 30 days to 90 days relying on their nationwide passport or official/diplomatic go. Solely holders of formal or diplomatic passes originating from sure nations are permitted entry into these territories.
2. Lodging in South Korea.
In case you haven’t already booked your lodging in South Korea, I like to recommend making reservations roughly three months earlier than you permit. Throughout peak journey occasions or if important occasions are scheduled, it’s possible you’ll must e book additional forward. For South Korea, I like to recommend utilizing Reserving.com (which can take you to Seoul’s lodging choices).
Ensure you have the proper deal with info for every lodging reservation you’ve made. Korean road names and numbers are laborious to grasp, so double-check that you’ve got the deal with saved in your cellphone’s GPS software program as nicely. The Kakaomap app is our most popular methodology of travelling round Korea, as it’s accessible for each iOS and Android.
You may additionally pre-load the lodging functions out of your lodging websites along with your account and reserving knowledge in your cellphone. They are going to typically provide a map selection to help you in finding your lodging.
3. Journey Insurance coverage in Korea.
On condition that journey insurance coverage is comparatively low-cost compared to the general price of your journey, it’s positively price getting. Help in medical and dental emergencies, delayed or rescheduled flights, substitute of lacking or stolen baggage, stress-free automobile rent, and conditions the place you’ve been discovered accountable for somebody’s accidents or property harm are all situations the place journey insurance coverage can help you.In case you haven’t already, now could be the time to buy journey insurance coverage. Though most insurance coverage is just not accessible after you depart, there are exceptions. When you have any pre-existing medical points, you will need to act rapidly; some insurance coverage firms will refuse to cowl your bills. Listed below are just a few examples of conditions once we have been grateful for our journey insurance coverage. We have been capable of acquire a brand new digital camera after somebody stole our costly one on an Italy journey and we have been compensated for the price of the stolen merchandise by our journey protection plan On our journey to New Zealand, we encountered one more instance of how helpful journey insurance coverage might be. The primary Christchurch earthquake occurred one month earlier than we have been scheduled to fly to New Zealand in 2010, and we needed to make a number of modifications to our reservation. We have been fortunately capable of acquire reimbursements (in a single case, a number of months later) however would have wanted our journey insurance coverage if we hadn’t been in a position to take action. Our third story is a few journey to Japan. When our youngest youngster received rooster pox in Japan, we needed to pay US$320 for medication since most of it was lined by our insurance coverage. In case your child wanted to be hospitalized overseas with out journey insurance coverage, the costs would have been prohibitive.
4. Korail Go
When visiting South Korea, many guests purchase a Korail go (a particular rail go for vacationers). Many individuals buy this go as a result of it makes touring all through South Korea fast, inexpensive, and handy. A Korail go additionally comes with quite a few different benefits, together with free or discounted entry to a wide range of museums, sights, and excursions in addition to reductions on plenty of resorts and duty-free outlets. One other important benefit of buying your Korail go earlier than you arrive in South Korea is that you should have one much less factor to fret about whereas planning when you get there.
The principle benefit of getting a Korail Go is that it makes altering your seat reservations a breeze. We had booked seats to go from Busan to Seoul, however because of a storm passing by Busan we determined to cancel our journey to Busan and return early to Seoul. We have been capable of merely cancel our earlier seat reservations and make new ones with the Korail go, with out having to get any a refund for the person tickets.
5. Public Transport Playing cards – Seoul and Different Giant Cities’ Native Transport
A faucet on faucet off native transport card is one other implausible buy to make on your go to to South Korea. Seoul and different cities like Busan’s public transportation service is the best, quickest, and most economical methodology to journey round..
A public transportation card that permits you to faucet on and off is perhaps a helpful addition to your South Korea tour. Seoul and different cities like Busan’s public transportation system is probably the most handy, quickest, and cheap option to get round.
A Railplus Transport card or a T-money card are the most typical types of transportation playing cards in South Korea. The Cashbee Card, which can be utilized in Busan, is one different, however it’s possible you’ll use your Rail Go Plus and T-money playing cards in Busan in addition to all different native transport all through South Korea’s cities.
