Useful Things For Korea ♥

Things you can't live without.

I realized that there were some things that we absolutely needed while travelling in Korea. Of course it's possible to get around and have a good trip without these things but it made our lives so much easier just having them.

1. Portable wifi device

With a wifi device, it can solve many of your headaches especially since all you need to do is search online. We used our wifi device a lot! Especially when we were looking for directions to get to cafes and restaurants owned by Kpop stars. People who have been to these places have provided instructions and directions on their blogs and websites so it is indeed useful to be able to access the Internet on the go.

It's also useful when you need to contact people. When I met up with my Korean friend, it was more troublesome to contact her without wifi connection. Our wifi device had some problems after 8 days so we had to resort to using old fashion (and expensive) text messaging. Thankfully we arranged to meet at an easy location so none of us got lost. 

You can get a wifi device easily in Korea. The Olleh egg is a pretty popular one and you should be able to find counters offering these services at the airport. For us, we decided to go with a local company, y5buddy, as they were having a promotion. Though our device didn't work after 8 days, their admin was really swift in replying us and updating us on their progress. They even refunded me the money for the days the device wasn't working and informed me that they've since changed their wifi devices for Korea. So I would recommend them ^^

2. Subway phone application

I'm sure most of us are using smart phones. So getting the Seoul subway application would be a great help! The application provides you a map of all the stations on the subway line. You are able to find out what is the fastest route to and from places. It helps you with the transiting when you need to transfer lines by telling you the station name so it's easier to point out which direction you should walk. The Seoul subway lines can be really confusing at times ><

Here are some screenshots of the application I used.

It highlights the fastest route from the starting point "Myeongdong" to the end point "Gangnam". There is a tab to choose the fewest transits too.

By pressing on the 'transit info' tab, it'll so you a detailed breakdown of the directions based on the time you selected the route. It'll show you where the train is bound for so it's easier to find the correct platform.

3. T-money card

It's the Seoul transportation card. It's easily available at any convenience store for I think ₩2000 if I'm not wrong. You can add value into the card at any convenience store or the machines at the subway stations. The minimum value you can add is ₩2000 to ₩5000. And you can use the card to make purchases at convenient stores so you don't have to worry about the stored value. 

This card allows you to take the subway and buses in Seoul. If I'm not wrong, the transportation costs increased since the last time I was there in 2012 but with the card, I think you're able to save some money through rebates or something like that. And since people get around Seoul mostly using the subway, it would be wise to use the card. Of course, you can keep the card and use it again the next time you go to Korea.

We were able to use this card for the subway in Busan as well but there weren't any automated top up machines so the only way to add value to the card in Busan would be via the convenience stores.

This is the card I purchased in 2012 and it's still valid now.

We actually found T-money cards with like Kpop stars on the front from the stores at the Myeongdong station. But after my sister got it, I realized it was actually just a normal card with a printed sticker and they sold it for ₩10,000 without any value in it. Pretty good way to make money eh~

4. Plastic bags

It may seem like something ridiculous but trust me when you are in Korea, it'll be something you wish you had more of. It's difficult to find rubbish bins in Korea and yet the streets and public transportation are clean. Why? People carry their trash until they find a bin!

Unlike over here, where we aren't allowed to eat or drink on public transport, it's allowed over there in Korea. So we usually would buy like packet drinks and snacks but once we are done with them, there are no bins nearby! It's kind of irritating to be holding a packet in each of your hands so that's why carrying plastic bags in your bag is useful! You can just dump all the trash into the plastic bag and then throw it out when you find a bin. Your trash won't hinder you from taking pictures or whatever else. Hehehe. Of course, a plastic bag would come in handy too when you've a wet umbrella!

So here are some hopefully useful tips for people who are travelling to Korea ^^ Took me a long enough time to finish this post >< Do look forward to more posts on my recent trip to Korea!

xoxo, Fid♥