13 posts tagged with "Logistics & Planning"

Most packing lists tell you to bring everything. That is a mistake. Korea is a shopping paradise. If you pack too much, you won't have space for the skincare, snacks, and clothes you will inevitably buy.

The golden rule for Korea: "If you can buy it at Olive Young or Daiso, don't pack it."

Here is the strategic packing list for the smart traveler.

Incheon International Airport (ICN) is consistently voted one of the best airports in the world. It is clean, efficient, and massive. However, "massive" also means it can be overwhelming.

Your goal is simple: Get from the airplane seat to your hotel bed as fast as possible. If you follow the signs blindly, it might take 2.5 hours. If you follow this guide, you can do it in 90 minutes.

Here is your step-by-step arrival strategy for 2025.

You land at Incheon Airport. You are tired. You see a bank booth with a sign that says "Currency Exchange." You walk over and hand them $500.

Stop. You just lost enough money to buy a nice K-BBQ dinner.

The airport banks in Korea have the worst spread (margin) in the country. But you need cash for the bus, right? And you need it to buy a T-Money card?

Here is the strategic guide to getting the best exchange rate in South Korea.

You already know the "Big 3" apps for Korea: Naver Map (Navigation), Kakao T (Taxi), and Papago (Translation). If you don't have those, download them now. Serious.

But there is a second layer of apps. These are the "Quality of Life" apps that separate the rookies from the pros. These are the apps that let you book a table at a Michelin restaurant without a Korean phone number, or check your subway card balance without walking to a machine.

Here are the 5 apps you should download before you board the plane.

If you try to buy a single-journey subway ticket every time you ride, you will go insane. You will stand in line. You will fumble for coins. You will pay a deposit. You will have to return the card to get your deposit back.

Do not do this.

Instead, buy a T-Money Card. It’s like the Oyster Card in London or the Octopus Card in Hong Kong, but better. It works on subways, buses, taxis, and you can even use it to buy banana milk at CU.

Here is everything you need to know about the most important piece of plastic in your wallet.

You land in Korea. You take a photo of the airport. You want to post it on Instagram. But wait. Your home carrier just sent you a text: "Welcome to Korea! Data is $10/day."

Don't do it. South Korea has the fastest, cheapest mobile internet in the world. For the price of one day of roaming, you can get 5 days of unlimited 5G data.

The question isn't if you should get local internet, but how. Should you get an eSIM? A physical SIM card? Or a Pocket WiFi egg? Here is the breakdown.

If you Googled "Korea entry requirements," you probably found a mess of conflicting information. “You need K-ETA.” “No, it’s exempt.” “Wait, what about the arrival card?”

Here is the definitive, up-to-date reality for 2025.

For citizens of 22 specific countries (including the US, Japan, UK, and Canada), K-ETA is temporarily exempt until December 31, 2025.

Does that mean you should ignore it? Not necessarily. Applying for it might save you the biggest headache at the airport: The Arrival Card.

Here is everything you need to know about entering South Korea smoothly in 2025.

You land at Incheon Airport. You open Google Maps to navigate to your hotel. It shows you the subway station. But when you tap "Directions," it says: "Walking directions unavailable."

Welcome to Korea, where Google Maps is useless.

Korea runs on its own digital ecosystem. The good news? The local apps are better, faster, and more accurate than anything you're used to. The bad news? You need to download them before you arrive, or you'll be lost.

Here are the 7 essential apps that will save your trip.

Packing for South Korea is tricky. One month it's a humid sauna where you sweat through your shirt in 5 minutes. Three months later, it's Siberia.

And while Seoul is a shopping paradise where you can buy almost anything, there are a few surprising items that are impossible to find or extremely expensive. (Spoiler: If you use strong deodorant, bring it from home).

I have lived through the yellow dust of spring and the freezing winds of winter. Here is the ultimate, no-nonsense packing list to ensure you survive and thrive.

You’ve landed at Incheon Airport. You have your bags. You step out into the arrival hall. Now, how do you get to your hotel?

If you open Google Maps, you might panic. It works... sort of. But it won't give you walking directions, and it might tell you to take a bus that hasn't existed for two years.

South Korea has one of the world's most advanced, clean, and punctual public transportation systems, but it runs on its own digital ecosystem. If you try to use Western apps and logic, you will get lost. If you use the local tools, you can cross the entire city of Seoul for $1.50 in 45 minutes flat.

This guide is your cheatsheet. We'll cover the Holy Trinity of Apps, the new 2025 Climate Card, and exactly how to transfer without paying extra.