Korea Day 1: Traveling to Korea

Carol | July 20, 2019 | Featured, South Korea | No Comments

The 28 Hour Travel Day

Today I am traveling to Korea, another country I never really expected to visit. Sometime last year I reached out to see if JSU had any study abroad opportunities. They didn’t have anything in Japan, but they told me about a partnership they have with Kookmin University in South Korea that’s also super affordable. For not much more than the cost of airfare, I could spend three weeks living in a dormitory in South Korea to participate in a language and culture program at Kookmin University. So here I am on a plane flying across the Pacific Ocean with my friend and fellow grad student Bethany, whom I’m really glad decided to join me. Hooray for travel buddies!

Sadly, I haven’t had time to do much preparation for this trip. I’ve read 1.5 travel guides, a number of articles, and have been working on learning to read the alphabet. I put together a custom Google map with places we’re staying or visiting as part of our language and culture program to help me orient myself with the geography, but I haven’t investigated any other places to visit except for the beach city of Busan Bethany suggested we visit. I’m kind of looking forward to just winging it as we go. That being said we actually have a fairly busy schedule.

So what will I be doing in Korea?

I’ll be attending Kookmin University’s short term Korean Language Program. I’ll be studying Korean and learning about the culture from 9-12 Monday-Thursday, attending cultural activities two afternoons a week, and going on all day field trips on Fridays. That leaves Bethany and I two weekends to do our own thing. We’re taking a train to Busan one weekend but haven’t made plans for the other yet. I’m hoping transportation will be convenient enough to hop on the subway and explore the various districts of Seoul in the afternoons and evenings. Aside from that, the only things on my wishlist at the moment are to try all the foods, explore the districts to take in the sights, and visit a karaoke room. I’m also hoping to make some new friends. -fingers crossed-

Day 1 in a Nutshell

Drove to Nashville where airfare is significantly cheaper
Parked Bethany’s car at a friends house to save on parking
Took a Lyft to the Nashville airport
2-hour flight with Delta from Nashville to Minneapolis
1-hour layover in Minneapolis followed by a three-hour delay (sitting on the plane) because of power issues, and then temperature/weight issues.
13-hour flight with Delta from Minneapolis to Icheon, Korea
Immigration, Customs, Baggage Claim, Currency Exchange, Portable Wifi Pickup, and Tmoney Card
AREX (train) to Seoul Station
Checked into K-POP Hotel Seoul Station for the night
Walked around the area a bit and found a convenience store

Traveling to Nashville for our flight to Minneapolis

Driving to Nashville because the airfare was almost $500 less than Atlanta.

Parked at a friends and got a Lyft to the airport.

Checking bags with my travel buddy Bethany.

The Nashville airport is small and a breeze to get through.

Overpriced airport food from Nellie’s BBQ.

I never get tired of looking at the clouds.

Flying from Minneapolis to Icheon Airport in South Korea

Our flight from MSP to ICN was delayed almost three hours due to various reasons (power/temperature/weight) so we’ll be arriving in Icheon around 8:15pm local time. We’ll then take a train from Icheon to Seoul where we’ll be spending the night at K-Pop Hotel Seoul Station. We probably won’t arrive at the hotel until 10-11pm since we have to go through customs, exchange currency, and pick up a WiFi device before the hour-long train ride from Icheon to Seoul Station.

About to board out flight in Minneapolis

Comfort Plus seats = 3 extra inches and a larger screen

The $60 extra we paid for Comfort Plus seats was well worth it. Plus we got lucky and have an empty seat between us.

Arrived at Incheon International Airport

Exchanged currency. These Korean bills are very pretty.

Picked up a Tmoney card from the convenience store. It’s used for public transportation.

Making out way to the AREX, a train that runs from the airport to Seoul Station

There are lots and lots of stairs in Korea, but not so many elevators.

The only really sucky thing about the day aside from our 3-hour flight delay was when we were coming out of Seoul Station. The escalators beside a large three flights of stairs weren’t moving so we painfully hauled our luggage up. Then we got to the top and found even more stairs. The next day we noticed that some, maybe all, of the escalators are motion activated. Sigh!

K-POP Hotel Seoul Station

This cute hotel was conveniently located across from Seoul Station. It was much nicer than expected but the room was seriously tiny. Only one of us could move around at a time. There’s a guest area in the basement with laundry and kitchen facilities, and a pretty rooftop patio great for seeing the area and getting a bit of fresh air.