What's interesting in Korea?

Seven Points for Attention in Traveling to South Korea

Nowadays, traveling to South Korea is getting hotter and hotter. Although South Korea is not far from China and has a similar climate, it has its own national conditions. Friends who plan to travel to South Korea must read the following seven points as their own "memorandum" to make your trip to South Korea more enjoyable.

1. Respect Korean customs

If you visit a Korean friend's house, you should know about Korean customs, such as: when pouring wine, hold the bottle in one hand and hold your arm in the other; For the host's respect for food, the first one or two times, the third time to accept; It is impolite to refuse to drink someone else's toast. If you can't drink it, there is a little wine left in the cup. Koreans forgive drunken people; You can't eat the dishes on the plate very cleanly, otherwise it is disrespectful to the host; You can't smoke or wear sunglasses when your elders are present. Use both hands when accepting items, and don't open gifts to your face. Koreans prefer odd numbers to even numbers. Gift money should be in white gift bags, not red ones, and so on. As the saying goes, "it's not strange to be polite to many people", so it's always right to know more.

2. Don't expect too much from the scenery

South Korea's land area is not as big as that of Zhejiang Province, and it is close to China, so its landscape features are not great. Korean tour guides often compare Seoul to Beijing, saying that Busan is equivalent to Shanghai and Jeju is equivalent to Hainan. But you should be prepared, because in terms of imperial city style, Seoul is not as good as Beijing. At the end of 14th century, Lee's feudal dynasty ruled Korea for 5 years, so the style of the palace is somewhat similar to that of China, but the size is a few times smaller. Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul is very similar to the miniature landscape in the "splendid china" in Shenzhen, and it can't be compared with the Forbidden City. Busan is a famous seaport, but the night view of the seaside is bleak compared with the Bund in Shanghai. The scenery in Jeju is good, especially the sunrise peak in Chengshan. However, because the seaside is a volcanic rock, the sea looks black, so it is much worse than the thousands of miles of sands and clear water in Sanya, Hainan. Besides, there is no need to go abroad to Jeju, so you can go directly by boat from Qingdao. So if you have seen Huangshan West Lake and Guilin, Hainan, you must adjust your mind and go abroad for sightseeing before you go to Korea, and you must expect to see the wonderful scenery, otherwise you will feel very disappointed.

3. Don't forget to bring some snacks, toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Koreans like kimchi, which tastes spicy, barbecue more, and less oil and water. Koreans don't like to put monosodium glutamate, so they feel that the rice is too weak to eat. Disposable toothbrushes and toothpaste are free in domestic hotels, and shampoo and shower gel will also be prepared for you in hotels with a little higher grade. Hotels in Korea don't provide free toothbrushes and toothpaste for environmental reasons, but they will put these things and razors on the desk in the room and put the price list. You must read it carefully. If you are not careful, you will have to pay an expensive bill the next day. The two small bottles beside the washbasin are often toner and lotion, unlike shampoo and shower gel in China, which makes you feel inconvenient.

There is also the green control button on the TV remote control in the room. You should think carefully before pressing it, because it is an "informative program", which plays adult discs for a fee. Although it is only a hundred yuan, the next morning in the car in front of everyone, the tour guide asked a certain room to pay the fee for the informative program, which was embarrassing.

4. In some places, you can't take photos or take photos, so you must observe them.

In many places in Korea, you can't take photos or take photos due to political reasons or cultural relics protection. Every time you visit a scenic spot, the tour guide will generally remind you, so you must listen carefully and strictly observe it. Scenic spots such as the Presidential Palace, Cheongwadae and Tianma House are forbidden to take pictures. There was a tourist in our car, who was lucky enough to shoot the exterior of the presidential palace in the car. He was immediately found by the security guards in casual clothes. When you got on the bus, please sell the image and deduct the tour guide's certificate. After a long time, the atmosphere on the car was ruined.

5. Generally, you don't bargain when you buy things in Korea

Dongdaemun and Namdaemun in Seoul are a big clothing market, but you don't bargain generally. Maybe you can try, but the counter-offer is very small. Like some small souvenirs with ethnic characteristics, the prices in stalls, small shops and duty-free shops are similar, so buy them when you see fit, and there is no need to compare them. However, the price of tobacco and alcohol is the cheapest in airport duty-free shops. For example, the "THIS" brand cigarettes that Koreans like to smoke sell 11, won on the street, while duty-free shops only sell 8,8 won.

because of different bargaining habits, we also had a bad time with Korean tour guides. In Jeju, the tour guide lobbied us to take more boats, and each person paid 15, won (about 12 yuan RMB) to give drivers a little more "finance". Because the tone of the tour guide was quite like "begging for food", everyone agreed reluctantly. I smiled and asked the tour guide, "Can it be cheaper?" Unexpectedly, the tour guide was very angry. Of course, this is also related to the quality of the tour guide. So if you don't want to add more, don't bargain, just say no, and don't bother with the tour guide.

6. You should be careful to buy the "public sales office" that the tour guide brings.

Compared with China, the price in South Korea is 5-1 times more expensive, so unless it is very distinctive, you should be careful to use the $2, you got in your purse. In particular, the "public sale bureau" brought by the tour guide should be more cautious.

On our first day in Korea, the local tour guides talked endlessly, talking about their own life experiences from the history of Korea, and talking about the development of China from the economy of Korea, with great enthusiasm. Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. The next morning, the tour guide took us to the "Ginseng Public Sale Bureau". The narrow public sale bureau was crowded with Beijingers, Shanghainese and Cantonese from China. The salesgirl introduced the medicinal value of Korean ginseng in fluent Chinese, and repeatedly stressed that it took a certain course of treatment to replenish the body. We strongly recommended a box of Korean Taiji Ginseng in 6 grams. When we saw the price of 225 US dollars, we thought that China was vast in territory and rich in ginseng in Changbai Mountain. Unexpectedly, the situation changed suddenly. After getting on the bus, the tour guide picked up the microphone and said, "We are here to make money, not to drink the northwest wind." After that, he sat in front and threw us in the "ice kiln" from then on.

In addition, the Amethyst Processing Factory in Seoul, the Honey Shop and the Pearl Pavilion in Jeju, which are brought by tour guides, are rich in China, where the prices are at least ten times that in China.

7. Beware of the "sneak shot"

In the car, except the tour guide, there is always a "tour guide assistant", who is very diligent in carrying luggage and adding food all the way, but he always takes out his camera to take a sneak shot when you pose for a photo. In the end, he gives you a large stack of developed photos, saying that if you are satisfied, please pay 4 yuan RMB. If you are not satisfied, it doesn't matter.

application method and procedures for traveling to Korea

application method:

first, apply to a qualified travel agency for traveling to Korea.

Registration procedures:

Fill in and seal the Approval Form and return it to the travel agency, and at the same time, hand in 8 small two-inch passports; Pay the full tour fee according to the tourist route selected by the applicant.

the applicant and the agency signed the Agreement on Traveling Abroad in duplicate, with each party holding one copy.

Obtain the Audit Certificate of China Citizens Traveling Abroad at Their Own expense from the agency.

The applicant personally holds the relevant certification materials (please consult the relevant travel agency for specific materials) to apply for a passport at the public security bureau where the household registration is located.

The travel agency will handle the visa and other formalities for going abroad, and inform me. As local regulations will vary, it is best to consult the relevant travel agencies about the specific application procedures for traveling to South Korea.

Apply to the relevant travel agency for the Approval Form for Exit and Entry of China Citizens.

designated travel agencies for traveling to Korea

The following travel agencies listed by us have branches in major cities all over the country, and the quality is absolutely guaranteed.

China International Travel Service Head Office Tel: 6653819; 661232 Fax: 661227

China Travel Agency Head Office Tel: 65129933-2519 Fax: 65129522

China Youth Travel Agency Head Office Tel: 65253585 Fax: 65138691

China Kang Hui Travel Agency Head Office Tel: 6594875/55.