mikaylawilson25

[mikaylawilson25]

My Summer 2024 Seoul Trip!

This summer I took a long flight over to South Korea! This is a trip that has been on my bucket list for the longest time. So, after months of planning, my brothers and I finally made it happen. I would definitely recommend visiting South Korea at least once in your life. I’ll share a few tips that helped me through my travels, as well as some places in Korea I would highly recommend!

Flights and Other Expenses

When looking for flights, where I live does not have access to a one-way flight straight to South Korea. We flew to Toronto and had a layover there, then from Toronto to Incheon Airport. The sooner in advance you look for flights, the cheaper they will be. So, it’s always important to plan beforehand! Another thing I wish someone told me was what to pack on my flight. If you have a carryon bag, be sure to keep these things in mind: a pillow, headphones, charger, book, snacks, water, a toothbrush/toothpaste, and a blanket. Our entire flight was over 15 hours. They give you food on the plane, but you won’t know if it’s something you’ll like so be mindful. Also, whatever you do, do not drink out of a public water fountain. It’s also important to keep in mind where you will be staying. In Korea, it’s easier (and way cheaper) to book an Airbnb. Our Hosts were very sweet and helpful for us, considering we were traveling to a whole other country, where we barely knew the language. It was very convenient as well, right in the middle of Seoul.

Seoul!

I am a very observant girl. A few things I noticed are different in Korea and in the US, is that small talk is nonexistent. Everyone just minds their own business, which personally I love. I hate small talk. In Korea, public transportation is so convenient and efficient. The subway systems were very easy to pick up on and got us from point A to point B quickly. There are apps you can download to find your subway route. You could walk anywhere as well. The city was very safe, it felt like. There were CCTV cameras on every corner. At first, I was nervous that it would be hard to fit in because of the language barrier, but I had no problems at all. Everyone in stores, restaurants, or on the subway was very sweet and had no problem helping us out if we needed. Also, a lot of things were electronic. At restaurants, you could just order your food on a tablet and then send it in that way.

Gyeongbokgung Palace

This was one of my favorite days. My brothers and I took the wrong subway route and ended up on a random street. We kept walking and they stopped at a cute little store with a cherry blossom tree in front of it. There were two ladies working and they motioned me into the building, showing me some beautiful dresses. One lady asked me to try it on and I agreed. Why not? She gave me a jacket and a purse as well. The clothes were the Korean traditional Hanbok. She took me toward the front of the store and asked if she could do my hair. Of course, I said yes to that, too. I got to pick a hairstyle, and I chose a French braid with flowers. When she was done, and my brother got his outfit on too, she pointed down the street and told us to go take pictures down there. I was confused at first because, again, this was not our stop. We followed the crowd of people, and it took us to Gyeongbokgung Palace. It was so beautiful. There were so many people in their traditional clothing taking pictures. We took pictures, of course. My mom was a very happy lady that day. I would highly recommend taking a few hours of your trip to visit Gyeongbokgung Palace!

Lotte world

If I’m being honest, this might have been my favorite part of the trip. I watched videos and read about Lotte World before we came, but it was even better in real life. It was an enormous mall, with its own theme park next door, and the connected Lotte World Tower. Oh, and also an aquarium! There was one building with about 6 stories, and then a connecting building, also with 6 stories, specifically for food. I originally thought the aquarium was going to be lame because it was in a mall. I was so wrong. It was so beautiful and there were so many animals I’ve never seen. My favorite were the axolotls and the beluga whale. The connected lotte world tower is in the top 10 tallest buildings in the world. We took an elevator to the top and you could see the whole city from up there. There were so many stores and restaurants in this mall that we had to come back a second day just to walk through the whole thing. There are so many places to shop in Seoul, so it’s important to be mindful of that when budgeting.

I look forward to going back to Seoul, and I want to visit Busan as well. South Korea is very beautiful, and this was definitely my favorite trip I have been on.