Our Singapore guy in Korea. Real people. Real reviews.

Keeping it real. Your honest travel reviews. The good, the bad AND the just plain boring!

Who:

A friend of Budget Direct Insurance, Ricardo Tjendrajaya, shares his holiday snaps and some insights into visiting South Korea.

“I went to Korea in April. I flew into Seoul and took a Bullet train to Busan. Personally, it wouldn’t have been a country that I thought I’d want to visit but my sister and my mother persuaded me, so I had no choice lah! Here’s how I got on…

What I loved:

Food.
Okay, the food is sooo amazing. Korean BBQ, Ginseng Soup, Bimbimbap and the drinks Maegkoli, Soju, Meciu. It all tastes so good. Cheap and good. And not forgetting the cheap alcohol too.

Beauty products for women.
Women will love Korea too for its beauty products which are so damn cheap! A product that will cost $15 here will cost you say $5 there. It’s less than half price! C’mon which girls don’t like?!

Modern and convenient.
It is pretty modern. The streets are clean and people follow the traffic rules, so not too many jams except during peak hours. It’s well organized. Public transport is very reliable and people are willing to queue and look out for each other.

What I didn’t love:

Grumpy grannies and grandads.
Surprisingly, some old folks – the grandpas (aiushi) and grandmas (ajumma) are pretty rude. They don’t speak English which is fine but if you try to communicate with them they simply ignore you or reply in Korean and don’t try to communicate with their eyes either.

Same same.
I personally wouldn’t do a long stay holiday in Korea as the culture I encountered in Busan is almost the same as in Seoul. It’s quite homogenic. It’s a bit too boring to stay for a long time.”

Getting to Seoul.
AirAsia probably has the cheapest direct flights to Seoul. Prices can fluctuate, but you can get flights for less that S$500 return. Asiana and Korean Air also fly cheaply to Seoul and look out for budget airlines Jeju Air and Eastar Jet. Watch out for promotions and last-minute deals. Flight time is 6 hours and 20 minutes from Singapore.

If Rico’s review hasn’t put you off visiting south Korea then check out our article on Seoul Searching.

We love to hear your travel stories. Please send us your holiday photos with a few words. We want to read real reviews from real people! Contact us at [email protected], and if we publish your stories you'll get a $50 limited edition NETS FlashPay card.

Wherever you go, whatever you do, remember it’s vital to have good travel cover.

Check out Budget Direct Insurance for your best deal