THE CLAN GOES TO SOUTH KOREA (PLACES TO GO + TIPS)
Hey guys!
I will be sharing with you our trip last March 13 to 20, 2017 along with a few useful tips that might come in handy if you plan to visit South Korea! I know, it's been months already but I just started so, my apologies!
I admit that this trip isn't the most budget-friendly but compared to our Japan trip last year, this was relatively cheaper. I was in-charge of this trip so I booked our tickets, accommodation, itinerary, etc. I posted our itinerary here as well so if you want to check it out, click here. It's not one hundred percent accurate or is that the original one I made for the family but we do have a tendency to be unpredictable so we did have a few changes. If you want to see the original one just e-mail me at: stephhmendoza@gmail.com.
Where did we stay?
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| Photo taken from Airbnb |
I booked us a place via Airbnb. For some reason, I didn't bother to take a picture of the place we stayed in but what you see is pretty much what you get. My whole family and I loved the place and the host was extremely nice. She even helped us find cheaper tickets for Everland and was the one who booked our vans. If you have a family of 12+ and you're thinking of traveling to South Korea, this is the place to be. Aside from the spacious design of the apartment, the location is definitely one of its strengths. It's situated in Hongdae Shopping Street, also known as one of the best shopping areas in South Korea! And there's also a coffee shop and a restaurant below. Although the restaurant is quite expensive (42,000 KRW per order of squid!), there are loads of restaurants to choose from near the place! You are also a minute away from a convenience store and the tourist police just in case of an emergency or if you are in need of directions. It is also conveniently near bus stations and subway stations. The only minor downside is that the apartment is situated on the third floor and there is no elevator so if you plan to bring heavy luggage, you might want to rethink that unless you have someone to help you get it up.
Where did we go?
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| Closest encounter with a giraffe at Everland! |
The first destination on our list was the Everland theme park in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. With the help of Miss Jiyeon, our host in Airbnb, we got the tickets at a cheaper price. Instead of purchasing the tickets at 41,000 KRW, we got it for only 29,000 KRW each! We did have a few funny moments such as arriving an hour before the theme park opened (with a temperature of -4 degrees Celsius!) and the fact that there was a problem at the entrance and we couldn't scan one ticket so I was left behind at the gate frantically trying to find the unscanned code!
If you have kids with you, Everland is really a great place to go to. Although it is far away from the city (more like near the border of North and South!), the kids will definitely love the zoo because they get to see animals up close and there are plenty of rides to go through, even though some attractions are in Korean, for kids and kids at heart! Our favorite ride was the T-Express. I dare you guys to look it up and see for yourself - or better yet, go to Everland and try it for yourself! It is definitely not for the faint of heart. I would also recommend that you try their Bulgogi Bread and Han-ga-ram.
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I randomly discovered this on our way to the Aquarium and so we couldn't help ourselves! |
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| An obligatory selfie with the famous love locks! |
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| Tourist-y photo with the adorable ice cream from Milky Bee! |
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| Can you find me? I bet you won't hahaha! |
If you've seen our itinerary, you would know that we went to Dongdaemun twice. The first time we went, the family decided to split up and some went somewhere else then they instantly regretted not going there so we went again for the second time because they couldn't go without me guiding them (haha!) I also bought tons of makeup from DOOTA Duty Free then went around the different shopping malls. If you're planning to go here, you will definitely enjoy it! Shopping malls from left to right that are open until midnight? Yes please!
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How lucky am I that the only available table was near Song Joong Ki??! Lol.
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Staying in Hongdae means that experiencing the night life is a definitely a must! You get to see how lively the street gets with tons of people selling clothes, shoes, bags, etc.! Not to mention, the delicious restaurants and food stalls lined up trying to catch your attention. My cousins and I decided to slip out after our second day in Dongdaemun and tried a barbecue place not too far from home. Of course, the night won't be complete without a few bottles of beer and soju! We also tried out a few food stalls across the restaurant afterwards (lol hindi naman kami patay-gutom noh?).
Our last destination was the Gyeongbukgong Palace. This is one of the most recommended palaces to visit but we never got the chance to go around because we left the house pretty late. You can even rent a hanbok that you can wear for 3 to 4 hours around the area. We also went around to look for a restaurant to eat but majority of the recommended restaurants were closed (yikes!) but we did get to see the beautiful sunset!
Tips:
This post is long enough so let me just give you a few tips if you plan to travel to South Korea in the most budget-friendly way!
Our last destination was the Gyeongbukgong Palace. This is one of the most recommended palaces to visit but we never got the chance to go around because we left the house pretty late. You can even rent a hanbok that you can wear for 3 to 4 hours around the area. We also went around to look for a restaurant to eat but majority of the recommended restaurants were closed (yikes!) but we did get to see the beautiful sunset!
Tips:
This post is long enough so let me just give you a few tips if you plan to travel to South Korea in the most budget-friendly way!
- Stay tuned for seat sales. This is the one of the most cost-efficient way to save more money while traveling. Subscribe to the different airlines so you'll receive an e-mail whenever they're going to have a seat sale or, better yet, join their loyalty programs and earn points so you can travel for free next time!
- Make sure that you do your research. Choose the best location to find a hotel and still accessible to the destinations you want to visit (especially the airport!). If you're in-charge of creating the itinerary, choose places that would suit you and your companions best.
- Make sure that you check the weather in advance for your dates and plan your OOTDs just so you won't overpack or underpack.
- If you plan to bring home food as pasalubong, shop at grocery stores. Not convenience stores. They tend to be a little pricier than actual grocery stores in malls. You're lucky if you have one near your place but if not, ask or search on Google.
- If you are going to theme parks or other destinations that would need you to pay for entrance fees, don't book in the actual website. Try searching for cheap entrance fee tickets through tour websites or go as far as asking help from your Airbnb host or hotel receptionist.
- If you plan to use their subways or bus, opt to buy a T-Money card which can be bought in convenience stores. It's also reloadable and can be refunded in any subway station. You also have to remember that you have to swipe your card twice, especially on the bus! Once when you enter and another before you get down or else you might run out of money in your card!
- If you plan to go shopping, search for the best places to get the cheapest prices. Sometimes what you see in Myeongdong can be cheaper in DOOTA Duty Free (just remember to bring your passport with you), some items that you see in Hongdae might be cheaper in Namdaemun. Read the reviews from TripAdvisor or from blogs to make sure that you won't waste time going to a place that won't satisfy you or your travel companions.
- Make sure you have mobile data or a wifi pack with you at all times. It will come in handy if you get lost or if you need to find something and they can't understand you. It will also be helpful to download apps such as Google Maps, Seoul Bus and Seoul Subway/Subway Korea.
That's basically it! Don't forget to have fun and record your experiences. It might come in handy to other people or to you in the future!
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Kamsahamnida! Have a great day!