Let’s go traveling with my love for Kim Yuna~

1. Why choose South Korea?

With a Chinese passport in hand, there are almost no visa-free countries, only a few countries that you generally don’t want to go to. When it comes to applying for a visa, it’s easiest to start from a few surrounding countries. We have already been to Singapore, Thailand, etc., and it’s almost time for South Korea’s turn.

· Due to the financial crisis, the Korean won has depreciated a lot, from about 1:133 a year ago (that is, 1 yuan can be exchanged for 133 won) to 1:225 in March. Of course, I have to go shopping. . However, the current exchange rate at the end of March and early April is around 1:190, which is not very cost-effective.

· LP likes to watch Korean dramas the most. I took her out to watch them, hoping to make her see that the reality of Korea is nothing more than this. The moon in Korea is as round as China. It would be better not to be so obsessed with Korean dramas in the future.

2. Should I choose to join a group, travel independently, or arrange all the itineraries by myself?

· This question is actually very simple. It depends on the person, and the advantages and disadvantages of each are also clear.

· Tour group: The itinerary is not flexible, you have to get up early in the morning, and there are shopping/self-paid programs arranged. But with an excellent tour guide, you can deepen your understanding of other countries’ culture/history/origins. And if you don’t have a good sense of direction, don’t have a strong ability to search for things by following pictures, and don’t understand the language, it is more recommended to choose to join a group tour.

· Independent travel products: If you book vacation products directly on the website, the price may be relatively affordable, and it is more worry-free, because it usually also provides one-stop services such as airport pick-up (of course, there is an additional fee).

But there are also problems. The first is the flight time. If it is a cheap independent travel product, many of them are red-eye flights, either in the middle of the night or at three or four in the morning. I sat there once and was scared to sit there. That will make you very tired, or make you waste a night's stay;

The second is the grade of accommodation. If you want a more affordable option, it will be difficult. If you want a good location, the price It is also difficult for a hotel that is not high-end. Of course, if you plan to go abroad for Facebook, or if you have elderly people traveling with you, it would be a good idea to directly choose an all-in-one vacation product. Airport pick-up and other arrangements will be arranged for you, so you don’t have to think about how to get to the hotel after getting off the plane. .

· Arrange by yourself: I don’t know if this method should be called a travel companion, but what is certain is that this method is very tiring. From a certain perspective, it is also very fulfilling and can be used in a big way. To a certain extent, you have a relatively deep understanding of that country or city before you even set foot in that country.

From the perspective of transportation, you have to consider how to get from the city to the nearest airport; how to get off from the airport in another country, what transportation method and route to the hotel (it is not a business trip, naturally it is impossible to take a taxi everywhere ); Then how to arrange your trip from the hotel to different attractions every day? Because you are moving, the route you take to the attraction in the morning is different from the route you take back from another attraction in the afternoon or evening.

From the hotel perspective, you need to roughly plan your daily itinerary in advance, and then find a hotel with a suitable location/price based on your itinerary. The price of the hotel must not be high, but the location must be good. This will save you a lot of transportation costs. As for how to find it and how to balance it, it will be a headache.

From the perspective of attractions, there is no travel agency to help you arrange it, so you have to read a lot of other people’s guides in advance and choose attractions based on your own interests. Then, based on the situation in South Korea, some attractions are closed on Mondays, and some are closed on Mondays. It is closed on Tuesday, so the rest time must be staggered. Otherwise, when you walk along a bunch of road signs with Korean characters that you cannot understand, ask several Koreans who cannot understand English and Chinese, and finally find the attraction you want to visit, you will find that it is the time for the museum to be repaired that day. , that would be really miserable.

3. What else should be included in your travel budget?

· Of course, what everyone will include is round-trip transportation and accommodation.

· The visa fee must be calculated. It costs several hundred for two people, and in some countries it costs thousands.

· The cost from your city residence to the airport. For example, if I depart from Suzhou, I need to take the airport bus from Suzhou to Shanghai Pudong Airport. The one-way price is 84 per person, or 168 for two people. You have to ride on the way back, so you have to calculate the round-trip price.

· Cost from Incheon Airport to hotel. Usually you have to take the airport bus and then transfer to the subway. This also includes the round trip price.

· Transportation expenses in Seoul: Try to use subways and buses as the main ones. Taking a taxi is more expensive. If you are going to Jeju, you can only rent a car, and the cost is not small.

· Cost of three meals a day in Seoul.

· Cost of tourist attractions. Lotte World is more expensive, but other palaces and the like are okay.

· The cost of shopping is definitely the biggest expense.

4. Visa

· Chinese passports basically do not enjoy the visa-free treatment. You need to apply for a visa before going to most countries in the world. Everyone knows this.

· Sometimes you will encounter a situation where you have a special ticket, but you need to issue the ticket early, and your visa has not been issued yet. In this case, it is recommended that you do not issue the ticket first. Regardless of booking The safest thing to do is to wait until the visa is obtained. My family has encountered a situation where a special ticket has been issued, but the visa was refused by the embassy. Haha. Some tourist countries in Southeast Asia have very low visa rejection rates, but even so, it is best to wait until the visa is obtained before booking a trip.

· My Korean visa was booked through ctrip, which cost 380 per person, plus express delivery. After comparing it with other travel agencies and travel websites, this price is still acceptable if you don’t know anyone you know.

· Generally, the earlier you book your air tickets, the better discounts you can get, so you need to apply for your visa earlier.

· Speaking of visas, by the way: In order to attract tourism, Chinese passport holders are exempt from visa fees when traveling to Thailand from April to June, but visas are not exempt. If you want to go to Thailand, you can consider it. The visa is valid for three months. You can apply for the visa between April and June and then go there within three months. I have been to Phuket, Thailand. It felt good and relatively cheap. It is worth recommending. On the third day after returning, riots broke out in Thailand and Phuket International Airport was completely closed. What a blessing.

5. What are the general websites for booking vacation products or air tickets?

· Recommendation 1: Ctrip. Generally speaking, the price/performance ratio is good.

· Recommendation 2: Two relatively large professional travel search engines are also relatively famous. One is "Kuxun", www.kuxun.cn; the other is "Qunar", www.qunar.com. One of the features of these two companies is that they can help you do price comparisons and then provide you with links. Finally, you will be connected to the corresponding website based on the price you selected, such as Ctrip, Elong, Taopiao, Air China, etc.

· Everyone should compare more before making a choice.

6. How to know the round-trip air ticket fee of 500 yuan?

· There are many travel search engines or travel websites/travel agencies nowadays. I believe you also know that if they list the air ticket price as 500 yuan, that is not the total cost of the round-trip air ticket because it does not include tax. The cheapest round-trip price including tax from Shanghai to Incheon is less than 2,000.

·The cheapest price is not necessarily the most suitable. For example, I saw before that the round-trip ticket from Shanghai Pudong to Incheon at 8:00 in the morning was only 460 but not 600, but I finally chose the OZ Asiana flight that departed to Incheon at 12 noon. The price was 900. Why? Generally, it is best to check in two hours in advance for international flights. If I buy the cheapest ticket, it means that I have to arrive at Pudong Airport at 6 o'clock. And I live in Suzhou, then I have to get up at 3 o'clock in the morning and charter a car to Pudong. The price is high.

· By the way, let’s get to know low-cost airlines, such as Air Asia/Tiger Airlines, etc. (these two are from Asia, some famous international low-cost airlines can be checked online), sometimes 0 yuan/1 yuan will appear Air tickets, even at normal prices, will cost 250 from Hangzhou to Kuala Lumpur. In fact, domestic Spring Airlines is also considered a low-cost airline, but it is not yet mature and is not completely clean. These airlines are generally not searchable on travel search engines. Of course, being cheap also comes with a price:

First of all, boarding airports generally do not choose first-tier cities or first-tier airports. For example, Air Asia does not have boarding stations at the two major airports in Shanghai, but there is one at Hangzhou Airport. , because it helps you save front-line airport construction taxes, etc. So if you are waiting to live in Shanghai or Suzhou, you have to rush to Hangzhou Airport by plane, and you have to pay for the travel expenses yourself.

In fact, the instructions for the boarding gate are not particularly clear, because you usually have to borrow the boarding gate of other airlines. Don't complain, it will also save you money.

Also, the weight of free checked luggage is very low, or some of them cannot be checked for free at all. If you need entrustment, there is an additional fee.

At the same time, the aircraft models are generally older, the seats are crowded, and the dining restrictions are many.

7. What should I pay attention to when booking air tickets?

· As we all know, the earlier you book your air tickets, the better discounts you can get. The premise is that your itinerary must be confirmed and the latest ticket issuance date must be accurate. If you see a good deal, you can book it first but don't issue a ticket. Before the latest ticket issue date, you still have time to search other websites to see if there are lower prices.

· Be sure to confirm that there is no problem with the visa before issuing the ticket.

· There are three major airline alliances in the world: Star Alliance, SkyTeam, and Oneworld. I am a member of Xingkong and World. Miles accumulated can be redeemed for air tickets. If I use a Star card, I usually choose Star Alliance member airlines first when choosing flights. This time I booked with Asiana Airlines (a Star Alliance member). The round trip from Shanghai to Incheon Airport is about 2,200 per person (total price including tax).

· Pick a flight time.

Take my last time as an example. Everyone considers different points. For reference only: I took OZ362 from Shanghai to Incheon, departing at 12:05 noon and arriving in Incheon at 3 pm (3 o'clock is Korean time, earlier than us An hour), so that you have enough time to get to the airport in the morning, and after arriving in Incheon in the afternoon, you have enough time to go from Incheon to Myeongdong, the center of Seoul (about 1 to 1 and a half hours), and you have enough time to go shopping in the evening. OZ365 from Incheon to Shanghai departs at 14:10 pm (local time) and arrives in Shanghai at 15:10 pm (Beijing time). In this way, you can spend half an extra day in Korea and return to Shanghai in the afternoon. After getting your luggage, you can immediately catch the airport bus back to Suzhou in half an hour. It’s not too late to go back to Suzhou for dinner, and it won’t affect the next day.

8. Is mobile phone leasing cost-effective?

· After going out several times, I discovered that if you are only traveling abroad for a few days (whether it is Europe, Southeast Asia, or South Korea), there is no need to rent one. You can just use a public phone. Save worry and money. Pay what you use.

· Long-term residence is another matter.

9. What should you pay attention to when booking a hotel?

· When booking a hotel, firstly, it depends on whether it is convenient to the airport, secondly, whether it is convenient to the shopping area, and thirdly, whether it is convenient to the scenic spots you have arranged.

· Accommodation in Seoul is always very expensive, and I didn't want to spend money on a hotel. So I booked Myeong Dong Guest House, one of the three most popular affordable accommodations in Seoul. Double suite, private bathroom. The biggest feature is: it's really, really close to the subway station. It's just a minute's walk from Exit 1 of Myeongdong Subway Station. It is most suitable for tourists who like to go shopping in Myeongdong, eat at mainstream Korean gourmet restaurants, buy brand-name products at duty-free shops, and visit surrounding attractions.

· The price is 30,000-40,000 won per day for two people, which is 150-200 per night when converted into RMB. Such a price is rare in such a good location in Myeongdong.

10. How to choose a travel itinerary? What websites are there for reference? /

· Attractions that are relatively close to each other should of course be arranged to be visited together. Make it a one-day trip.

· For travel itineraries, you can refer to the recommended itineraries on Ctrip’s destination guide, or the website of the Korea Tourism Organization, which has selected travel itineraries and various themed tours (excellent nightlife tours, Korean drama location tours, Cultural experience tours, ski resort tours, etc.).

· Grand recommendation: The website of the Korea Tourism Organization recommends this, and I think it is correct.

· You can download Korean video teaching online. The website of the Korea Tourism Organization also has common sentences for different contexts. http://chinese.visitkorea.or.kr/chs/CU/CU_CHG_3_2_1_1.jsp

12. Currency exchange

· You must choose the most favorable exchange rate. It is recommended to do it domestically It is much more cost-effective to go out after exchanging money at the bank than at Korean airports, domestic banks, or exchange booths. Remember remember.

· The first point is a general principle. I have encountered exceptions myself. Because the exchange rate had been rising at that time. When I exchanged it in China, it was 1:200 (1 yuan exchanged for 200 won). When I arrived in South Korea, I found out on the first day that it had changed to 1:206, and later it became 1:227. However, it seems to be around 1:190 in early April.

· If you are only traveling for a few days, it is recommended not to exchange too much currency. 1000-1500RMB is definitely enough (excluding accommodation). Because you can swipe your card when shopping at Korean duty-free shops and other places, and there are discounts for swiping your card. If you redeem too much in advance and don’t use it, it won’t be worthwhile to redeem it again when you return home.

· I originally thought that currency exchange could be done by any of the four major banks. After asking everyone, I found out that basically only the Bank of China can exchange money against a relatively unpopular currency like the Korean Won. Other banks only exchange the most commonly used currencies such as Euro, US Dollar, Pound Sterling, etc. So don't go wrong with the bank. And it's only open from Monday to Friday.

· At the same time, if you only exchange one or two thousand RMB, no appointment is required. If you want to redeem a large amount, you need to make an appointment in advance. Just bring your ID card when you go, you don't need to bring your passport.

· South Korea has become a hot tourist destination recently, so it may not be easy to redeem it domestically.

13. What are the local Korean brand cosmetics? Where to buy?

· The Face Shop/ Skin Food/ Dona Xian. Relatively cost-effective.

·The Face Shop has the largest number of chain stores and is found in many places such as Namdaemun Market and Myeongdong.

· Most of them are concentrated in Myeongdong shopping area and Lotte Duty Free Shop.

· I don’t know if it’s due to the sharp depreciation of the Korean won. Shopping in South Korea feels quite cost-effective (of course, round-trip air tickets and other costs cannot be added together). The quality of things is generally good and the packaging is relatively exquisite. I just hope everyone can stay calm when going shopping and don’t buy too many heavy items, because the free checked baggage at the airport is limited.

For example, economy class passengers are charged 20kg per person. If you are overweight, you will have to pay extra, which is not cost-effective.

14. What attractions in Seoul are recommended?

·Myeongdong. As the center of the city, you must go to Myeongdong for shopping. You can find everything you want, and you can also see a person who preaches reactionary things setting up a stall. However, many shops there close relatively early, at 10pm, only some of them.

·Gyeongbokgung Palace. Although it is much smaller than the one in Beijing, it still has some unique features. There is a changing of the guard ceremony every day. And you can change into Korean clothes and take pictures for free inside. Free Korean/English/Japanese/Chinese commentary is provided, but you must go at the right time. Volunteers provide free Chinese commentary every day at 10:30/13:00/15:00. If you go at other times, you need to rent an electronic commentator. Of course, people speak more vividly and can answer your weird questions, and it’s free.

· Namdaemun Market. A relatively large small commodity market. Compared with domestic prices, it is the price of small commodities, but many things are indeed relatively exquisite and of good quality.

· Cultural Street: Insadong. You can find Korean souvenirs here, in various categories beyond your imagination.

· Soak in hot springs. You can experience the difference between Korean hot springs and domestic hot springs.

·NANTA THEATER. Everyone who saw it said it was good. VIP 60,000 won, general 50,000 won. There are three games a day from Monday to Saturday, and two games a day on Sundays and public holidays.

· Lotte World. This trip changed from a sightseeing trip to a shopping trip soon after arriving in Seoul, so I didn’t have time to go, but the reputation is very good, so it depends on your preferences.