Seoul Starter Pack ๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿš€

Seoul Starter Pack ๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿš€

Angela Huo
โœจ 7 min read โœจ Follow this starter guide if you want life on easy mode when visiting South Korea's capital ๐Ÿ‘ฝ Travelling in Asia can be quite overwhelming. I was honestly a confused idiot when I landed in Seoul for the first time for my exchange term ๐Ÿคฃ thus I've compiled the ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ ๐ˆ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก ๐ˆ ๐ค๐ง๐ž๐ฐ ๐›๐ž๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ๐ž ๐ ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ญ๐จ ๐’๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก ๐Š๐จ๐ซ๐ž๐š so you can be ready on the get-go! My short and sweet guide for foreigners includes: โ—‹ Must-download apps ๐Ÿ“ฑ โ—‹ Payment methods ๐Ÿค‘ โ—‹ Data and SIM ๐Ÿ“ณ โ—‹ Getting around the city ๐ŸšŠ โ—‹ Items to pack ๐Ÿ‘œ โ—‹ Emergency numbers ๐Ÿšจ โ—‹ Seoul district breakdown ๐Ÿ—บ๏ธ
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Must-download apps ๐Ÿ“ฑ

Let's say, you're about to fly to Seoul for the first time. And thenโ€”NEWS FLASHโ€”Google is pretty much useless in South Korea (based on a true story). Make sure to download the apps below ๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿป

* I've seen a lot of people also recommend KakaoMap, however, a lot of its displayed text is in Korean and I find NaverMap to be more user-friendly.

Payment methods ๐Ÿค‘

1. Credit card ๐Ÿ’ณ

You can useย ๐•๐ข๐ฌ๐š andย ๐Œ๐š๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐œ๐š๐ซ๐ in most places, and Amex in some (e.g. major tourist areas).ย 

2. Cash ๐Ÿ’ต

Carrying SK won is a MUST because many street food vendors and small shops only accept cashโ€ผ๏ธ You can exchange your currency at the airport or at the major banks such as Shinhan (์‹ ํ•œ์€ํ–‰) and Woori (์šฐ๋ฆฌ์€ํ–‰).

Data and SIM ๐Ÿ“ณ

So you've landed in Korea, and you want to avoid international roaming charges (because you're smart like that) and so you buy a ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ž๐ฉ๐š๐ข๐ ๐ฎ๐ง๐ฅ๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ž๐ ๐๐š๐ญ๐š ๐ฉ๐ก๐จ๐ง๐ž ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐š๐ง. Major network providers are LG U+, SK Telecom, and KT. You can find their booths at their airport!ย ๐ˆ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ž๐ ๐‹๐† ๐”+ and I loved how my data was able to work in the subway ๐Ÿคฉ๐Ÿคฉ

eSIM v.s. physical SIM card:

An eSIM works like a physical SIM card, but it is downloaded and activated on your phone, so you don't need to swap out and insert a new card. I've used both types and they work fineโ€”customer service will help you set it up anyways!

You can also order your SIM in advance:

Getting around the city ๐ŸšŠ

Buy a transit card at the airport

Look for the Ticket Vending and Card Reload Device with a screen that looks like this ๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿป

Use this machine to purchase yourย ๐“-๐Œ๐จ๐ง๐ž๐ฒ card and load funds onto itโ€”this will be used for subways/buses.

Go from Incheon โžก๏ธ Seoul

Unless you have an absurd amount of luggage, do not call a taxi!

The easiest way to get to Seoul is by the ๐„๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐“๐ซ๐š๐ข๐ง (๐€๐‘๐„๐—), which will take you to to the city in just 43 minutes ๐Ÿคฉ Use your new T-Money card to pay the fare.

You've opened ๐๐š๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐Œ๐š๐ฉย and now you're ready to explore Seoul ๐Ÿงšโ€โ™€๏ธ

The subway/buses are very timely, and fares are very cheap. Tap your transit card on the reader when you get on and when you get off!

Items to pack ๐Ÿ‘œ

Pack light if you will be doing a lot of shopping, but here are a few essential items:

If you're thinking about vlogging, you may want to get a gimbal to stabilize your shots ๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿป

๐”๐ฆ๐›๐ซ๐ž๐ฅ๐ฅ๐š๐ฌ can be purchased at convenience stores for ~$6

Emergency numbers ๐Ÿšจ

Police - 112

Fire & Ambulance - 119

Missing Persons - 182

Korea Tourism Helpline - 1330

Seoul district breakdown ๐Ÿ—บ๏ธ

๐Ÿ“Gangnam-guย โ†’ Starfield Coex Mall, Apgujeong Rodeo

๐Ÿ“Mapo-guย โ†’Hongdae

๐Ÿ“Jongno-guย โ†’ Gyeongbokgung Palace, Ikseondong Hanok Village

๐Ÿ“Jung-guย โ†’ Myeongdong, Dongdaemun Design Plaza

๐Ÿ“Yongsan-guย โ†’ Itaewon, Seoul Tower

๐Ÿ“Seongdong-guย โ†’ Ttukseom, Seongsu

๐Ÿ“Songpa-guย โ†’ Lotte World

Now you're ready to explore!

Check out my other Korea guides if you'd like :) it contains the above attractions and then some

Disclaimer:

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.ย 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Angela Huo
Hello! My name is Angela, and I'm a Gen Z from Canada ๐Ÿค ๐Ÿ“ฑ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ My favorite destination is ๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท, but I've also travelled to ๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ผ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Follow me if you like: food ๐Ÿœ art & culture ๐ŸŽจ shopping ๐Ÿ‘— makeup & skincare ๐Ÿ’„ nightlife ๐ŸŒƒ unique experiences ๐ŸŒŽ and hidden gems ๐Ÿ’Œ Happy to share my experiences and research with everyone ~~ Tiktok: @angelahuoo Pinterest @angelahuoo Instagram: @angela.huo
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