Spending less than S$2,000 for a 12 day trip to South Korea!

I am compiling a guide on how to experience South Korea on a budget. In May 2013, I visited Shanghai, Busan, Jeju, and Seoul for a total of 12 days on the road. I spent a total of about S$2,000. The only reason why I spent so much is because we ate luxuriously and shopped for make-up like CRAZY! If I were truly on a budget, I would have spent a total of only $1,500. But that is not me, I am pampered and spoilt & I needed my Black Pork Korean BBQ!!

Check out my elaborate blog posts about South Korea & Shanghai here:

• China: Shanghai
• South Korea: Busan
• South Korea: Jeju Part 1
• South Korea: Jeju Part 2
• South Korea: Seoul Part 1
• South Korea: Seoul Part 2

For further information regarding my itinerary, please click here:

• Discovering South Korea Itinerary!

I spent about $1088 for flights, housing, car rentals, major attractions like going to the DMZ and Lotte World and this is how I did it.

South Korea Costs

International Flights

Airfare is always one of the biggest bulk in your expenditure. I always check Zuji & Skyscanner for good deals first and than try to book directly. My dates are always flexible and I will always try to fly a mid-night flight if the flight will take 7 hours or more. As you know, I work shifts and in the hotel industry, and it is really difficult for me to take leave and I want to maximize it to the fullest. We booked multi-city tickets (it may add on extra charges, but for $460, we didn't really care) and flew to Busan straight, after transiting in Shanghai for 1 night, and than flew out from Seoul to Singapore.

Food served on China Eastern, not too shabby right?

Furthermore, flying at night not only save you 1 Annual Leave, it also saves you 1 night of accommodation and 1 whole day to explore the city. We flew at about 1am, and landed in Shanghai at about 5.30am. We had breakfast and than we took the first train out to the city! I know it sounds tiring, but if you're young and on a budget, this is the way to go!

Sunrise!

Also, we didn't fly with any budget airlines because it is about the same price, NOT including meals, baggage allowance, and the entertainment system (I was too tired after my shift and so knocked out all the way though). China Eastern is fine, the only problem I had was some China Auntie pretending that she was booked for my window seat. We had that sorted out in no time after my dear gung-ho of a boyfriend confronted her. Hahaha.

Domestic Flights

Now, I visited 3 cities in South Korea and the cities are not exactly near where you can just take an hour's train and you're there (like Japan). From Busan to Jeju, I flew with Busan Air and from Jeju to Seoul I flew with Eastar Jet. Do your research properly! There are plenty of affordable Korean domestic airlines that can get you to places! Sign up for their free membership and you also get additional discounts! Always use trial and error to find those flights!

Accommodation

My friends and I always stayed in a hostel/motel/guesthouse. You'd be surprised at how beautiful and cosy the hostels are! Of course we splurged a little and got the 4 pax bunk with ensuite for our stay in Jeju. To be honest, I felt the accommodation could be cheaper, but I just wanted a nice little house/room to go back to after a long day. I never regretted it!

Rainbow in Jeju Hostel!

Look at how beautiful those hostels are! They even provide basic groceries for you to cook your own breakfast every morning. Look out for hostels with laundry facilities, because if you only brought a limited set of underwear, you're gonna have a bad time if you don't wash it.

Doo Guesthouse (traditional housing)

Always look out for past reviews from other guests who have stayed there previously, location, and of course the pricing. It is always cheaper to get a family room of four, as compared to a room for 2. Of course if you don't mind, you can always bunk in with other (random) people to lower the cost.

Lee & No Guesthouse (MY FAVORITE OF ALL)

Like I said, I am spoilt, I wanted my own room. Besides, there were four of us, and we saved a lot when we got the family rooms.

Car Rental in Jeju

I always advice my friends who are visiting Jeju, has a SG licence, and above 21 to ALWAYS rent a car in Jeju. There are no trains in Jeju, only taxis and buses. We rented the Hyundai Sonata for about 3 days with full insurance, and each of us paid only S$42! (Total is about $165.)

Of course if you have people to split it with, that's good for you, if not, rent a smaller car with partial immunity, that will lower down the costs for you.

Our ride: Hyundai Sonata

By the way, I loved the boot space of the Sonata! I can fit 3 dead bodies inside. HAHAHA.

I've read and heard of people who was lost and didn't have any transport back after sunset, and how they had to beg/hitchhike the locals to drive them out to the main road where they waited for 30mins for a taxi. Or how people have walked so much and spent so much time trying to get to the attraction, they were tired already before they even reached the attraction.

Every rental car comes with a GPS system

If you can't rent a car due to the legal age limit, try searching for taxi drivers who are willing to drive you around for the whole day! I am not sure how much it will cost, but it is def better than walking 45 mins to the museume.

To me, time is money. I hate wasting time walking to places. Ok, I hate walking.

Every rental car comes with a GPS system. I rented the car through KT Kumho Car Rental (of course after signing up as a member and getting 70% off), and requested for an English GPS system. Bear in mind the local addresses are still in Korean, so you need to keep the telephone numbers of the attractions you want to go to and you can just punch in the telephone number into the GPS system.

WiFi

THERE IS FREE WIFI EVERYWHERE!

I can't stress this enough. Do not buy/rent those egg Wifi thing you see at Changi Airport. It will be a waste of money! You walk into the shopping mall, there's Wifi, you walk into the cafe, there's Wifi, you take the TRAIN, there's also Wifi. It is everywhere and it's free! Even at the airport!

Besides, I can't stress this enough. You're on a holiday! Turn off your Facebook, Instagram & Twitter! You can brag about the places you've been when you rest at the nearby cafe...

Food & Shopping

I will not and do not want to touch on food and shopping because i'm embarrassed by how much we ate. It was almost Korean BBQ almost every night until I fell terribly ill with high fever. I had no budget when it came to food. My BF and I splurged on it and ate luxuriously. So it really depends on how you eat and shop as that's something we're all different.

My only tip is to go for all the street food! There's plenty of yummy street food that can fill you up, and even Korean BBQ along the streets in Seoul. Jeju was more or less restaurants and it was more expensive than in Seoul.

By the way, I did not shop too much for clothes, but I went crazy with make up stuff.

Getting Around

Taking the buses and trains are of course the cheapest way to get around. Not only do you save, you get to experience what the locals experience. Download this app "Jihachul". It is an app for the Korean Subway system and it is available in Korean, Japanese and English!

Awesome Korean Subway App

This app has the train system of all the major cities in South Korea like Seoul, Busan, Daegu, etc. It tells you the rough time estimate it takes from your current train station to your destination, the time the next train arrives & even which exit to take to change lines. What is so awesome about this app is that it doesn't require any internet connection because the trains run on a strict schedule (very much like Japan) which is also available on their Subway website.

Of course, planning your route and attractions plays a big part, you want to visit all the attractions in the East, for example, before visiting the West. It saves on time and transport fees!

Weather

I know you must be thinking, "What does the weather got to do with budget?". Well it does! You're saving S$2,000 for your Korea trip to pay for all the expenses, but have you forgotten the budget you're forking out to prepare for your trip?

Rainy & cold in Shanghai!

I visited in May, and the weather was JUST NICE. Nice and chilly when I was in Busan & Jeju, yet I didn't need more than my sweater and windbreaker! I did my research and after weeks of monitoring the weather and temperature, I decided to bring along 2 pair of jeans and 2 pairs of leggings. I wore the 2 pair of jeans when I was in Shanghai & Busan (because it was Mother cold), and the leggings with shorts when I was in Jeju (when it was NOT foggy, and it was nice and sunny). I learnt my mistake when I went to USA in 2012 thinking it was summer (all shorts and tank tops) and upon arriving in LA, it was 12-15C. I nearly died.

Foggy & cold in Busan, as it is a port city

Now, if I went in WINTER. I had to buy heatec leggings and inner wear, boots, wool socks, heat packets, jackets, the list goes on! We live in Sunny Singapore, where the weather is always HOT or RAINY. We do not have winter clothes, and travelling to winter countries means spending about a good $300 on all these items.

In a lava cave in Jeju where it was cold & Kenneth was all garang.

IF you intend to invest in such items as you travel to winter countries every year, than yes, good for you. If not... Beg, Steal or Borrow. The only way to save on such items.

Winter Wonderland in Hokkaido, Japan!

Trust me, you'd want to invest in a good pair of socks and boots (even a hat or a scarf) because you're gonna be so miserable you cannot enjoy your vacation thoroughly. I've been to Hokkaido dead in their winter. I know what it is like when you wear 2 pairs of heatec under your jeans in -20C weather, AND it doesn't work.

Remember to always do your research and be prepared for the worst! Hope you'll enjoy Korea as much as I did!

Taken on beautiful U-do Island!

One Night In Shanghai!

Date of Travel: 18 May 2013

We stayed in Shanghai, China for 1 night as a stopover before heading to South Korea! My boyfriend interned in Shuzhou, China for 6 months the previous year and often visited Shanghai. He knew the city well, and since I've never been to any part of China, we decided to stay in Shanghai for 1 night to just have a look see!

Dock Bund Hostel Shanghai

Dock Bund Hostel

Address: No.55 Hongkong Road 200001, Shanghai, China
Tel: +86 21-53500077
Email: dockbundhostel@gmail.com
Website: http://www.bmhostel.com/en/gyls-dock.html

This hostel is about 10-15 mins walk from the metro, and about another 5-10 mins walk to the bund. Location wise, it is relatively close to the bund, but if you're coming from the metro with lots of luggage, it might be a little hassle. You have to cross a number of roads and junctions to get to the hostel. Gilbert was carrying a backpack and I only had 1 small luggage with me, so we managed.

We stayed in the Standard Double Ensuite right at the top floor. The floors and tabletops were quite dusty, but I couldn't complain more! We had a clean toilet of our own, and the bedsheets were clean!

Shanghai Bund (外滩)

Shanghai Bund

We arrived at the hostel at about 8.30am (we landed at 5am, had breakfast and took the train out). Obviously the room that we booked at the hostel isn't ready yet, as the previous guest has not checked out. So we dumped out bags in the storage room and headed out to the bund!

It was drizzling when we reached the bund which was a little mood killer as it was cold, wet, and foggy! Luckily we had our splash proof windbreaker. Along the way, we saw plenty of old buildings! I looooooove old buildings and architecture!

Shanghai Old Town (上海老街) 

Old streets

Nearest Subway: Metro Line 10, Yuyuan Garden Station  (轨道交通10号线,豫园站)

Next we went to this place where the architecture and buildings were built to replicate the olden Shanghai/China. This is a tourist hotspot/trap and sells all things touristy from postcards to bags to REALLY AWESOME FOOD.

We had two things there, smelly tofu and bbq squid. I still feel that the smelly tofu I had in Hong Kong was nicer and more salty (which is how I like my smelly tofu).

Smelly Tofu!

 The BBQ squid on the other hand..... The auntie took a whole piece of squid on a stick, cut it up and fried it on a hot plate with some onions and garlic. She then sprinkles some oil, sauce and sesame seeds. Just thinking about it is making my mouth water!

BBQ Squid

Hui Lau Shan (許留山)

Mango-licious!

Now, they don't have this in Singapore, and the only time I had this excessively was in Hong Kong about 2 years ago. I loveeeeee all things Mango, and Hui Lau Shan serves not only all things Mango, but other fruit desserts too!

We ordered the big bowl of 'Glutinous Rice Balls in Mango Juice with Extra Mango' (as per menu). But I think the appropriate name of this dessert would be 'Glutinous Rice Balls in Mango Syrup with Chunks of Mango and Mango Ice Cream'. It costs RMB38 (SG$7.80/ US$6.20). It's quite expensive for a regular dessert (especially in China) but it is worth every penny!

The Grandma's Restaurant  (外婆家)

Grandma's Restaurant Entrance 

In Mandarin, the name of the restaurant means Grandma's House. Gilbert has this when he was in Suzhou, and he loved this restaurant a lot! He hunted down a brunch in Shanghai and we went there for dinner!

So, he told me that last year in Suzhou, they queued for 4 hours waiting for their table. They only open during dinner time at about 4pm. They took turns waiting in line or with the queue number for 4 hours! That was madness! We decided to try our luck here in Shanghai.

We arrived and there was massive number of people waiting. We took a queue number, waited a while (10-15 mins) and the numbers did not move at all. So, that was when we decided to go out for a walk, and we had our mango dessert (yes I know, before dinner?) at Hui Lau Shan. When we returned, we were surprised that the number has passed ours by over 20! We immediatly approached the hostess stand and they gave us another number which was just 3 diners away! *Whew*

Grandma's Restaurant!

We ordered:

• Braised Goose Liver in Sake - 19RMB
• Grandma's Special BBQ Meat - 29RMB
• Grandma's Special Pork Liver - 19RMB
• Spinach with Century Egg and Salted Egg - 16RMB
• Stir Fried Straw Mushrooms with Chili - 25RMB
• 2 Cups of Green Tea - 8RMB each

We spent a total of 124RMB (SG$25.40 / US$20.20) for 2 persons!!!

It is affordable, service is very fast and efficient, and the food is fantastic. I understand now why the Chinese are willing to queue for 4 hours just for a 1-2 hours meal!

Nanjing Road (南京步行街)

City lights along Nanjing Road

Bright city lights can be seen along the whole stretch of Nanjing Road. It really is very beautiful in the evening when all the lights are on, shoppers coming in and out of the retail stores, and cute chubby children running around. We basically just walked through the streets are I wasn't in the mood for shopping (think.. Korea!).

CoCo Bubble Tea

Coco Bubble Tea

If you live in an Asian country like Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore or even China, I'm sure you've heard of the fad, Bubble Tea. It's usually just Milk Tea with 'Pearls' or rather chewy, starchy (fat inducing) balls. Even though I know it's full of sugar, the 'pearls' are nothing but empty calories, I just love drinking bubble tea!

And according to Gilbert, CoCo is one of the best in Shanghai (or China?). We literally walked out of the way just to find this stall, and it was indeed refreshing after such a strenuous long walk. I like how some brands of bubble tea has the tea taste like Koi (SG) or 50 Ban (TW) and mostly, other brands just has the milk taste.