Hello!

Welcome to my blog.

If you haven’t caught up with the K-wave, it’s probably caught up with you.

South Korea is more than K-dramas and K-pop. It’s K-beauty, mouth-watering food, delicious coffee at every turn and kind people.

When I was planning my trip, I searched for places to, shop at (I see you Olive Young) and things to do. I also turned to Reddit where I read a trip report that had many signs why planning is of the essence. So if you’re reading this, you’re either keen to know about my trip or searching for details to make your own trip fun!

In this series, I will share places I saw, loved, and couldn’t get to so that if you have the time, you can. If you’d like a detailed itinerary, leave a comment. This was my first time traveling solo outside of India, so yes, my nervousness was blanketed by sheer excitement until I got on the plane.

I spent almost 15 days in South Korea, starting my trip in Seoul, traveling to Busan then Jeju, and finally back again in Seoul.

All opinions expressed here are solely my own, based on personal experience.

Let’s dive in!

How to get to South Korea from India?

Budget differs from person to person. You could have a backpacking budget or a mid-luxe holiday budget. I was keen on staying in safe areas, good hotels but focused on using public transportation as much as possible. I also kept my shopping budget to the minimum…until I realized I was entering Olive Young for the 8th time.

If you’re traveling from India, I recommend Singapore Airlines. Super comfortable even in the cheapest Economy seat. While there are direct seven-hour flights from Delhi, I would be unnecessarily spending more to go to Delhi and spend a day or two there. So, I decided to book a flight from Bangalore with a layover in Singapore. It was an overnight flight but jet lag got to me.

Quick tip: Take a rest day on arrival. I didn’t factor this in and spent two to three days feeling sick, and unable to eat breakfast. Yes, I lost weight. No, it didn’t stop me from enjoying my trip.

Drop a comment if you have visa and flight questions. 🙂

Where to stay in Seoul

I highly recommend Sotetsu Hotels The Splaisir Seoul Myeong-Dong [Naver map link: https://naver.me/xaPgVRKs]

It is near an airport bus stop, Myeong-dong, Namdaemun market, City Hall, and Seoul station. There’s also the very famous Stone walkway, but I didn’t make it there.

I booked the cheapest room available on Agoda. Don’t judge by the bed. It was super soft and comfortable. I could roll from my bed to the dresser with zero effort. Did I like it as soon as I entered? No. But it grew on me for the next five days. It looked like this:

On return to Seoul, I stayed at HiThere City Hostel, Myeong-dong. It was bang in the middle of a busy street. The staff were very friendly and replied to all my queries on the booking site. The bed was super soft and comfortable. They offer free breakfast and the kitchen is open for use. The bathroom is small but good for a hostel. You have to climb about 5-6 steps to get to the elevator, and then either up or down the steps to take the elevator to get down again. It doesn’t stop directly in front of the entrance of the hostel. The staff was very cordial. Highly recommended!

Booking link: https://www.booking.com/Share-lYsREn

Luggage storage

If you’re planning to visit Busan and Jeju, you won’t want to drag heavy bags around. You have 3 options in this case:

1. Hotel storage facility: My hotel was a huge help in storing my luggage for six days. It cost me 6000 rupees. The first 24 hours is free. 12 a.m.-12 p.m.
2. Subway: You can store your luggage in the Seoul subway stations. But the regular one seemed to keep it only for up to 24 hours and then you are charged per hour. Another option is T-money storage. I checked out one place (unsure if it was T-money) but it was super duper expensive. Almost 10-15k.
3. I found a very affordable deal on Trazy but because it was not feasible for me to travel to another location to store my bags, I didn’t check it out. You can find it here: https://www.trazy.com/experience/detail/seoul-luggage-storage

Hotel proximity to hot spots

I know you might think Myeongdong is too crowded and touristy. But there’s a reason why! This hotel is within walking distance from Myeong-dong and since I traveled in April, it was pleasant to walk. Note that stores open only after 10:30 – 11 a.m. so, grab some breakfast or extra sleep before you head out.

I had to get to Seoul Station early morning to catch the famous “Train to Busan”. It was only 5km away and took less than 10 minutes to reach by Uber. The front desk helped me book it.

Namdaemun Market: You won’t believe it, but you walk a minute away from your hotel and take the underpass. Boom! You’re at the market. Or, if you want to walk some more, use Naver Maps and you’ll find your way in no time.

Where to shop

Namdaemun Market

I don’t recommend going here as a solo traveler without a local guide because not only was language an issue, I entered a building only for wholesale products and got shooed out. I tried haggling and annoyed a woman who was being extra sweet in the beginning. I bought two really comfortable, cotton pants but for a market, it felt like I was shopping at H&M.

After shopping at Myeong-dong, subway stations, the market, Gamcheon village, BIIF Squaare (Busan) and Hongdae, I can confirm that Namdaemun is cheaper. So if you see a pajama set you like, get it. I saw a pajama set in the market for 15000 Won and didn;t buy it because it didn’t seem worth the price. The same piece was being sold at Hongdae for double the price in a store.

Meyong-dong

I absolutely loved these streets! Yes, it’s touristy and that’s the best part about it. I spent half a day walking around and then again before I left Seoul. You’ll find so many good souvenirs to take home. I recommend buying scarves, Kpop merch, keychains and headbands.

I made a lot of notes from Instagram reels prior to my travel. So here are some quick recommendations:

1. The Plain, Nyu Nyu, Bling Box : Jewelry stores that have really pretty earrings and neck pieces.
   Price: expensive by my standard. A small pair for 900-1000 rupees felt too much. Maybe the quality was great, but I didn’t buy anything from these stores.

Instead, I purchased a pair of earrings in Gamcheon village and Busan subway station on arrival. The screw of my second purchase didn’t look to be of great quality but oh so pretty! Worth the price.

2. Souvenirs: I went to many stores but liked one above all – they had a wide variety of socks and the cheapest compared to most stores. The further I went, the price increased. So, I recommend buying here. They also have a set of Korean traditional glasses and headbands that are really cute.

3. Olive Young: Dun, dun, dun! I know you’ve been waiting for this one. I think Myeong-dong had a large collection and stores are sprinkled all around. So, don’t worry if you don’t feel like walking back to the first store you saw. You’ll find another. I shopped at a smaller Olive Young opposite Exit 3 too and it had many toner pads compared to the bigger Olive Young stores.

Here I recommend getting whatever you’ve come for. I purchased a lot of lip tints because the lipsticks were more expensive and lip tints are not common yet in India. Heads up, they do not last long and a PeriPera tube I got was almost over within 15 days. That was disappointing but I applied the tint thrice a day for a fresh look, so, the math makes sense.

Here are the products I purchased:

1. Rom&and tinted balm and lip tints (tried and tested – pretty but not long lasting)
2. PeriPera lip tints
3. Dr. Jart (Tried, yet to see results)
4. AHC sunscreen stick (tried and tested, recommended!)
5. CNP Laboratory Face mist
6. Beauty of Joseon serum and eye cream
7. Mediheal face masks (brilliant! absolutely recommended)
8. Undereye patches (recommended)

4. Kpop merch: No doubt South Korea is a heaven for Kpop merch, but as a tourist I prefer spending wisely to get gifts for myself and my friends. Again, check out multiple stores if you plan to bulk buy. By bulk I mean more than one item.

I checked out dedicated stores, from fancy-looking to basic, and they were all more expensive than where I ended up last. I recommend buying K-pop pins/badges from the Myeong-dong subway station stores. They are open during the day until early evening. They were closed when I went towards closing hours.

For posters and photocards go to the one besides the Skectchers store. It was closed in the evening, which surprised me as the number of people on the streets doubled at night. But highly recommended! You’ll find similar quality of products for higher prices in stores around.

5. Clothing, handbags and socks: Head to the subway station! It’s your paradise for budget shopping. A local friend told me that Dongdaemun is cheaper but I felt like I would have a similar experience to Namdaemun market so the subway station was my best bet. I loved some of the clothes I came across. Almost all products were 10,000 won and then went higher. No haggling. Cash is mostly accepted and some charge 10% more on card payments.

I purchased the following for 10,000-20,000 won:

1. A sports crop jacket
2. A trendy brown jacket
3. Hoodie top and shorts set
4. Long sleeves formal blouse with pearl beading around the collar
5. A midi skirt (super pretty!)
6. Yellow cropped shirt (the uncle in the store had a full-on conversation with me about my trip. Very sweet guy!)

For a pear-shaped person (broad hips and shoulders) like me, purchasing trousers and straight fit dresses was out of the question.

Gangnam subway station had the same/similar clothing options but double the number of stores and prices. That’s why I recommend Myeong-dong subway station.

Where to eat

I wish I could recommend all the places I ate at but I forgot to take pictures of the location or signboards! However, I can tell you what to eat which is just as good.

Must try Korean food:

1. Kimbap
2. Jajangmyeon and fried pork (mix soy sauce with chill powder and dip the fried pork in it!)
3. Shin Ramen (cup noodles)
4. Soju
5. Fried chicken – Kyochon Chicken, Kkanbu Chicken
6. Kelly beer (better than Terra)
7. Convenience store snacks – salted crackers, peace ice tea, green apple juice

I`ll be posting more about my solo trip to South Korea soon.

Stay tuned!