Hey guys! So its time to begin on my Seoul 2014 series before backlog starts to choke me! The beautiful month of December is coming to an end and for most of us, that means the end of our holidays! (Yes take those tissues out and wipe your tears). The most important thing however is that we had a good break. holiday before the year officially draws to a close, and I know that I am blessed and lucky to have had a really good break.
So this trip I had was mostly alone, which was good.
Most people are rather apprehensive about travelling alone due to the following reasons: danger, security and the fear of getting lost and into trouble in a foreign country.
I do believe however, that despite those, an alone trip would definitely be beneficial in the following ways:
- teaching one to be independent
- teaching one to be street smart
- teaching one to be responsible for their own wellbeing and belongings
Those of you who know me personally know that I'm a
big scatter brain. I often forget my things, forget what I did, forget where I place my things: but on this trip, I made the extra effort to be extra cautious to ensure these things did not happen. My inner fear of getting lost anywhere also made me ensure that I was well-prepared in terms of which transport and directions I had to take even before I made the trip.
Doing this in countries where you don't speak their language is extra beneficial as you don't have to fear about language barriers when you get lost! (Because good instructions for yourself means that you won't get lost in the first place! Or it also means that your instructions will guide you back on the right track!)
First things first, BOOK A FLIGHT YOU CAN AFFORD!
Since this was an alone trip, I travelled budget! Not like I should be flying SQ anytime soon anyway! Having experienced Tiger, Jetstar and Scoot, here's my take on them in case that helps you with making a decision about which airline to take.
[JETSTAR]
- Cheaper than Scoot, but usually more expensive than Tiger. Buy only when there are deals.
- ALWAYS has flight delays and luggage collection delays (Pretty much a budget airline thing)
- Worst in terms of comfort - seats are the least cushy and room is minimal.
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A REASON TO CHOOSE THIS FLIGHT: Better timings than Tiger or when Scoot tickets are expensive.
[TIGER]
- Usually the cheapest of the three, even without special offers and deals.
- Has the least flight and baggage delays among the three, HONESTLY!
- Not the worst in terms of comfort. Chairs are better than Jetstar. Room is also minimal.
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A REASON TO CHOOSE THIS FLIGHT: Most value for money, cheapest flights, best service.
[SCOOT]
- Cheap on days when there are mega deals. Morning Glory Tuesdays are not as cheap as special
deal days on special occasions.
- Always has baggage delays. Flight delays only occur with transits at Taoyuan International Airport
because it is currently undergoing construction, and also because clear instructions are not given
regarding transit in Taoyuan Airport (not the fault of the airline, but as a passenger you suffer
anyway). Worst landing and departure timings.
- Best in terms of comfort. Chairs are most comfortable, and you get the most leg room here.
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A REASON TO CHOOSE THIS FLIGHT: Cheap tickets during mega sales, most comfort, better destinations, Ticket Inclusive of 15kg Check-in luggage
So there you have it, those are my three little blurbs and comparisons on the three budget airlines. I often take Scoot if I can, because I often have to go through 5 hour flights so I feel that comfort is important. Scoot also provides you with that "free" 15kg of luggage which is adequate for most of us. Scoot also flies to destinations of my choice which makes it the top of my budget airline list. However, if I am just travelling light and on a tighter budget, I fly Tiger. My two cents worth is to never ever take Jetstar because I am rather disgusted with their service attitude that is "complemented" by their lack of comfort and expensive tickets. Their flight crew has good attitude. I am referring to their service centre when I say that they have bad service.
For this trip, I booked my return flight (2-way) ticket on a special sale day with Scoot for $500+ which included choosing my seats and upgrading my return flight baggage to 25kg.
*Consider investing in travel insurance! Just in case.
Second, BOOK YOUR ACCOMMODATION!
There are often different types of accommodation for you to choose from based on prices, comfort level, ease of travel, etc. You can take your pick from Hotels, Motels, Guesthouses or Residences, Minsus, Backpackers, Hostels. The world is your oyster, and the accommodation is probably one of the more crucial things in your holiday. Why? Even if you're only spending 6-8 hours a day sleeping on the bed and using the toilet in your accommodation, I guarantee that a bad bed and a dirty toilet will be one of the key things that ruin your mood entirely.
For Korea, if you're travelling on a budget, I recommend guesthouses or residences which are not in central city areas but in residential areas. The cost is a lot lower, and you do get adequate perks. A caution though is that these places are often tiny. TINY. So tiny that there's barely any room to walk, much less open your luggage to pack. Don't get me wrong, you can still open your luggage to pack your stuff but chances are that you won't be able to leave it open and walk freely about the room.
This time, my friend living in Korea helped to book the accommodation with coupon deals so I am not too informed about the details as such. I did however, do some research on a couple of places which are good for solo travellers to check out as their accommodation.
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Just a note, because I do have a language barrier with Korea, I did most of my accommodation research through Booking.com because it is in English, there are no extra booking charges and most of the reservations can be cancelled up to 24 hours before the day you booked for.
1. Kyo's House Seoul (Click on name for more details)
- Good, central location. Extremely close to Seoul Station which is good for travelling.
- Rooms seem clean, bright and white - which is a real plus for me! I like my rooms to look clean
rather than used and tattered.
- Rooms definitely seem small, but adequate for the number of people recommended for.
- The en-suite is only a shower. Toilets are all common and outside bedrooms.
- Free wi-fi and laundry use is available in this Guesthouse.
2. K-POP Residence Seoul Tower (Click on name for more details)
- Good location. Close to the subway exit of Hoehyeon Station which makes travelling easy. A 10-15 minute walk to Myeongdong Shopping area and to Seoul Station
- Rooms are extremely modern, white, clean and bright (because they are so new)
- Rooms and toilets are small, extremely small. You cannot leave your luggage open and walk around the room! That was a minus for me because I had to go to the trouble of putting my luggage down and taking my clean clothes out each and everyday before my shower.
- This residence provides shampoo, soap conditioner and towels which is awesome!
- Luggage storage is also available and the staff can speak many languages and are really friendly.
- A free breakfast of cereal is provided daily at the basement eating area, where the computers for customers' use also are!
- Free wi-fi and laundry use available here!
- There is a lift available to access the different floors - this is crucial because there are many guesthouses in Korea that only have stairs.
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I stayed at this accommodation this time round hence the detailed descriptions.
* This brand has various branches in different locations which you can check out as well!
3. Chloe Guesthouse Gangnam (Click on name for more details)
- Great location. Close to the subway station.
- Rooms seem to have more room than K-POP Residence. Toilets look better and slightly larger.
- Most rooms seem to have enough space and come with a dressing table, kettle and mirror.
- Hotel provides luggage storage and daily maid service.
Third, PLAN YOUR ITINERARY!
Going for holidays isn't just about flights and accommodation. You have to know what kind of a traveller you are, and what activities or attractions you are interested in!
Are you a person who likes to kick back and relax during your holiday and just go with the flow? Do you like to take on spontaneous activities and try out new things? Do you enjoy a leisurely, relaxing pace and taking in the sights and sounds at your own pace? Are you travelling by yourself?
TIP:
Plan your itinerary by locations rather than sticking to a strict, timed one.
Chances are you're a flexible person who likes to keep your plans and schedule free and easy. So all you have to do is jot down the list of places you want to go to, their opening and closing times, address and perhaps admission fees if any.
You'll eventually wing it, and you might not even visit some of the places you wanted to but that's fine by you.
Keep your schedules open because you're probably also spontaneous and like to jump on random things and attractions that you see!
My advice however is to organise your itinerary by location, so that you can cover areas and also see what you want to with ease. It also allows you to explore the surrounding area and chance upon random fun things or chill cafes. Whether or not you include directions on how to get there is based on whether you have wifi or data connection there (so you can at least map yourself around).
*Suitable for solo travellers, or people travelling in pairs or threes.
Are you a person who likes to see as much as possible during your holiday? Are you a person who likes your holiday extremely organised and to go according to plan? Are you in charge of planning a holiday for a big group?
TIP:
Plan your itinerary from morning to night with structure. Even if you don't want to list down specific timings, list the activities/places to visit in order of which you are going to do/visit.
This allows the compulsive you to be assured that there is a set plan. This allows your holiday companions to know what is the plan for the day so that everyone can keep track. This ensures that you know what needs to be completed within the day to see as much as you can.
Without a set plan, you may freak out at the thought that you have nothing to do.
Without a set plan, you may not see everything that you wanted to and have regrets!
Without a set plan, group travelling will set into utter chaos.
My advice is to keep your plans organised and structured but also rather spaced out! Unless you are travelling really light and alone and you're an express tourist (the kind who snaps a couple pictures of the attraction and leaves). You want to see many things and experience more culture but you don't want to be too exhausted and end up sick on your holiday. Check with your travel companions regarding their preferences and if there is anything in particular they would like to see or do just to ensure that there is no disharmony during the vacation.
*Suitable for big groups!
*I'm not saying that there are only two kinds of tourists, but these are my recommendations based
on my experiences.
Fourth, BUDGET YOURSELF!
Based on the admission fees that you researched, set aside a travel budget for yourself and spend wisely! Eating more street food and at cheap places will ensure the shopper in you has more moolah to spend on that lovely dress. Comparing prices between stalls will ensure you save that extra bit of cash which can add up to buy you something else!
And now that I've given my fair share of advice regarding planning your holiday, here's the link to my Seoul 2014 holiday:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9_cHcmEYu0VNDllM1ZnSzJaLTg/view?usp=sharing
You are free to use it for your travel purposes and such as long as you
don't try to pass it off as your own on your blogs and all that. GIVE
CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE I always say. Payment is not always
necessary. Simply acknowledge the original creator of that document,
work.
Thanks for reading guys!
Don't forget to leave me any comments or feedback so that I can improve on my posts!
Till the next post.
Fly Safe and Eat Happy,
V
